ELECTRICAL

POWER CABLE
ENGINEERING

BY:
JAIME A. DERECHO III
Power Substation Design
Overhead Power Line Design
Underground Distribution Design
Objectives:

-To provide basic information that is required to

understand the terminology and engineering
characteristics and background of power cables.

-To assist in making sound decision for

specifying, purchasing, installation,
maintenance, and operation of electrical power
cables.
Presentation Outline:

I. Historical Perspective of Electrical Cable

II. Basic Dielectric Theory of Cables

III. Cable Components

IV. Fundamental Concept of Termination

V. Current Challenges
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
OF ELECTRICAL CABLE
TIMELINE: the 19th Century
1812: insulated conductor was used to detonate ores in mine under Neva River by
Baron Schilling
(insulation: India Rubber)

1816: earliest experiment with an underground cable was made by Francis Ronalds for
telegraph lines
(insulation: cotton saturated with shellac in a glass tube and placed in a wooden trough)

1837: first underground line along the railroad of London for the 5 wire telegraphy
(insulation: cotton saturated in rosin installed in separate grooves in a piece of timber)

1880: Edison planned his first distribution of energy for lighting New York City from a centrally
located DC-Generating Station
(insulation: jute)

1890: the first line insulated with paper was installed by Ferranti between Deptford and London
for single-phase at 10,000 volts. The system operated successfully for 43 years.
(insulation: wide strips of paper saturated with a rosin based oil)
TIMELINE: the 20th Century
1927: patent by Fisher and Atkinson revealed that the dielectirc strength of
impregnated paper is greater.
(insulation: paper from Manila-Rope fiber wrapped helically around the conductor
heated, vacuum dried, impregnated with an insulating fluid)

1947: during World War II a high-frequency cable insulation was introduced

(insulation: Thermoplastic Polyethylene (PE))

1959: Dr. Frank Percopio patented a new type of insulation but was not widely used because
of the tremendous pressure to keep the cost down near the the cost of overhead line.
(insulation: Cross-linked polyethylene)

1982: tree resistant cross-linked polyethylene was introduced

(insulation: tree-resistant cross-linked polyethylene(TR-XLPE))
What to expect of the 21st Century
BASIC DIELECTRIC
THEORY OF CABLE
INTRODUCTION

A wire wether being used to convey electric power or

signals, its purpose is to convey the electric current to
the intended device or location.

Electrical insulation (dielectric) is provided to largely

isolate the conductor from other paths or surfaces
which the current might flow.
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION

The presence of electric energy produces two types of fields.

COMPARISON OF ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS
ELECTRIC FIELDS AND VOLTAGE

A conductor suspended from insulating supports, surrounded

by air, may be considered as the simplest case of an
insulated conductor.

“0” Voltage or
(Ground)

The breakdown strength of air is given 79 volts for a 1/1,000

inch (1-mil) thickness.
CABLE COMPONENTS
1. CONDUCTOR

The fundamental concern of power cable engineering is to

transmit power economically and efficiently. The choice of the
conductor material, size, and design must take into
consideration such items as:

- Ampacity
- Voltage Stress
- Voltage Regulation
- Conductor Losses
- Bending Radius and flexibility
- Overall Economics
- Material Consideration
- Mechanical Properties
1. CONDUCTOR

STRANDING

Larger sizes of solid conductors become too rigid to install,

form, and terminate. Stranding becomes the solution to these
difficulties.
1. CONDUCTOR

ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE

Conductor offers a greater resistance to a flow of AC current

than it does to direct current. The two major factors for this
increase are:

Skin Effect

Proximity Effect
2. CONDUCTOR SHIELD OR SCREEN

Provides for a smooth interface between the conductor and

the insulation.

With no conductor shield, electric field lines are concentrated,

creating high stress points at the conductor/insulation
interface. As the voltage increases, the point is reached where
the potential gradients are sufficient to cause a current to flow,
this is commonly known as “Tracking”
3. INSULATION

Contains voltage between the conductor and ground

The major classification of polymeric materials employed as

cable insulation are Polyolefins:

Market
- Polyethylene

- Polypropylene

- Cross-linked Polyethylene 65%

- Tree-retardant Cross-linked Polyethylene 25%

- Ethylene-propylene polymers 10%

3. INSULATION

MOLECULAR BOND/STRUCTURE

Low stress electrical properties are determined by the

polar/non-polar nature of the polymer chains and their degree
of polarity.
3. INSULATION

THERMAL BREAKDOWN OF POLYLOLEFINS

Water Trees Electrical Trees

- Water required - Water not required
- Fan or bush shaped - Needle or spindle shape
- Grow for years - Failure shorly after formation
- Microvoids connected by tracks - Carbonized region
4. INSULATION SHIELD OR SCREEN

Keeps the voltage and stress within the insulation.

With no insulation shield, electric field lines are concentrated,

creating high stress points on the outside surface of the
insulation.
4. METALLIC SHIELD

Protect the cables from induced or direct over-voltages.

Shields do this by making the surge impedance uniform along
the length of the cable and by helping attenuate surge
potentials.
4. METALLIC SHIELD

However, metallic shield turns the cable a transformer.

This is because when current flows in the conductor, that

current produces electromagnetic flux in the metallic shield.

– If single point grounding the magnetic flux produces

voltage. The amount of voltage is proportional to the
current and increases as the distance from the point of
grounding increases

– if multiple point grounding the magnetic flux produces a

current flow in the shield.
4. METALLIC SHIELD

SINGLE-POINT AND CROSS-BONDING

Advantages:
– Higher ampacity
– Lower losses
Disadvantage:
– Sheath isolation joints are required
– Voltage on sheath / safety concerns

MULTIPLE-POINT GROUNDING

Advantages:
– No sheath isolation joints
– No voltage on the shield
– No periodic testing is needed
– No concerns when testing or looking for faults
Disadvantage:
– Lower Ampacity
– Higher losses
5. JACKETS

The term jacket should be used for nonmetallic coverings on

the outer portions of a cable. They are commonly used to
protect underlying layers from physical abuse, sunlight, flame,
or chemical attack.
FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPT
of TERMINATION
BASIC TERMINATION THEORY

A termination is a way of preparing the end of a cble to

provide adequate electrical and mechanical properties.

Whenever a medium or high voltage cable with an insulation

shield is cut, the end of the cable must be terminated so as to
withstand the electrical stress concentration that is developed
when the geometry of the cable has changed.
TERMINATION DESIGN

STRESS CONE DESIGN

A stress cone increases the spacing from the conductor to the

end of the shield. This spreads out the electrical lines of
stress as well as providing additional insulation at this high
stress area.
TERMINATION DESIGN

VOLTAGE GRADIENT TERMINATION

Stress relief is thus accomplished by utilizing a material

having a controlled resistance or capacitance.

Other techniques may be employed, but the basic concept is

to utilize a material with a very high resistance or specific
dielectric extending the lines of stress away from the cable
shield edge.

Capacitive Graded Materials contains:

– Silicone carbide
– Aluminum oxide/Iron oxide

Resistive Graded Materials contains:

– Carbon black
CURRENT CHALLENGES
PERCENTAGE FAILURES
FAILURE MODES