UNDERGROUND CABLES
EEE575
HIGH VOLTAGE ENGINEERING
Introduction
• Electric power can be transmitted or distributed either by overhead system or by
underground cables.
• The underground cables have several advantages such as less liable to damage
through storms or lightning, low maintenance cost, less chances of faults,
smaller voltage drop and better general appearance.
• However, the major drawbacks of underground cables is that they have greater
installation cost and introduce insulation problems at high voltages compared
with the equivalent overhead system. For this reason, underground cables are
employed where it is impracticable to use overhead lines. Such locations may be
thickly populated areas where municipal authorities prohibit overhead lines for
reasons of safety, or around plants and substations or where maintenance
conditions do not permit the use of overhead construction.
Underground cables
• An underground cable essentially consists of one or more conductors covered with
suitable insulation and surrounded by a protecting cover.
• Although several types of cables are available, the type of cable to be used will depend
upon the working voltage and service requirements. In general, a cable must fulfil the
following necessary requirements :
1. The conductor used in cables should be tinned stranded copper or aluminum of high
conductivity.
2. The conductor size should be such that the cable carries the desired load current
without overheating and causes voltage drop within permissible limits.
3. The cable must have proper thickness of insulation in order to give high degree of
safety and reliability at the voltage for which it is designed.
4. The cable must be provided with suitable mechanical protection so that it may
withstand the rough use in laying it.
5. The materials used in the manufacture of cables should be such that there is complete
chemical and physical stability throughout.
Construction of cables
• The figure above shows the general construction of a 3-conductor cable. The various parts are:
1. Cores or Conductors: A cable may have one or more than one core (conductor)
depending upon the type of service for which it is intended. For instance, the 3-
conductor cable shown in Fig. 11.1 is used for 3-phase service. The conductors are
made of tinned copper or aluminium and are usually stranded in order to provide
flexibility to the cable.
2. Insulation: Each core or conductor is provided with a suitable thickness of insulation,
the thickness of layer depending upon the voltage to be withstood by the cable. The
commonly used materials for insulation are impregnated paper, varnished cambric or
rubber mineral compound
Construction of cables
3. Metallic sheath: In order to protect the cable from moisture, gases or other
damaging liquids (acids or alkalies) in the soil and atmosphere, a metallic sheath of
lead or aluminium is provided over the insulation as shown in Fig. 11.1
4. Bedding: Over the metallic sheath is applied a layer of bedding which consists of
a fibrous material like jute or hessian tape. The purpose of bedding is to protect the
metallic sheath against corrosion and from mechanical injury due to armouring.
5. Armouring: Over the bedding, armouring is provided which consists of one or
two layers of galvanized steel wire or steel tape. Its purpose is to protect the cable
from mechanical injury while laying it and during the course of handling. Armouring
may not be done in the case of some cables.
6. Serving. In order to protect armouring from atmospheric conditions, a layer of
fibrous material (like jute) similar to bedding is provided over the armouring. This is
known as serving.
It may not be out of place to mention here that bedding, armouring and
serving are only applied to the cables for the protection of conductor insulation
and to protect the metallic sheath from mechanical injury.
Insulation materials for cables
• The satisfactory operation of a cable depends to a great extent upon the characteristics
of insulation used.
• The insulating materials used in cables should have the following properties:
1. High insulation resistance to avoid leakage current.
2. High dielectric strength to avoid electrical breakdown of the cable.
3. High mechanical strength to withstand the mechanical handling of cables.
4. Non-hygroscopic i.e., it should not absorb moisture from air or soil. In case the
insulating material is hygroscopic, it must be enclosed in a waterproof covering like
lead sheath.
5. Non-inflammable.
6. Low cost so as to make the underground system a viable proposition.
7. Unaffected by acids and alkalies to avoid any chemical action.
No one insulating material possesses all the above mentioned properties. Therefore, the
type of insulating material to be used depends upon the purpose for which the cable is
required and the quality of insulation to be aimed at. The principal insulating materials
used in cables are rubber, vulcanized India rubber, impregnated paper, varnished cambric
and polyvinyl chloride.
Classification of cables
• Cables for underground service may be classified in two ways according to
(i) the type of insulating material used in their manufacture.
(ii) the voltage for which they are manufactured.
• However, the latter method of classification is generally preferred, according to
which cables can be divided into the following groups : (i)
(i) Low-tension (L.T.) cables — upto 1000 V
(ii) High-tension (H.T.) cables — upto 11,000 V
(iii) Super-tension (S.T.) cables — from 22 kV to 33 kV
(iv) Extra high-tension (E.H.T.) cables — from 33 kV to 66 kV
(v) Extra super voltage cables — beyond 132 kV
A cable may have one or more than one core depending upon the type of service
for which it is intended. It may be (i) single-core (ii) two-core (iii) three-core (iv)
four-core etc. For a 3-phase service, either 3-single-core cables or three-core cable
can be used depending upon the operating voltage and load demand
3 Phase cables
• In practice, underground cables are generally required to deliver 3-
phase power. For the purpose, either three-core cable or three single
core cables may be used. For voltages up to 66 kV, 3-core cable (i.e.,
multi-core construction) is preferred due to economic reasons.
However, for voltages beyond 66 kV, 3-core-cables become too large
and unwieldy and, therefore, single-core cables are used. The
following types of cables are generally used for 3-phase service :
1. Belted cables — up to 11 kV
2. Screened cables — from 22 kV to 66 kV
3. Pressure cables — beyond 66 kV.
3 phase cables
1. Belted cables. These cables are used for voltages up to 11kV but in extraordinary cases, their
use may be extended upto 22kV. Fig. 11.3 shows the constructional details of a 3-core belted
cable. The cores are insulated from each other by layers of impregnated paper. Another layer
of impregnated paper tape, called paper belt is wound round the grouped insulated cores. The
gap between the insulated cores is filled with fibrous insulating material (jute etc.) so as to give
circular cross-section to the cable. The cores are generally stranded and may be of noncircular
shape to make better use of available space. The belt is covered with lead sheath to protect
the cable against ingress of moisture and mechanical injury. The lead sheath is covered with
one or more layers of armouring with an outer serving (not shown in the figure)
3 phase cables
2. Screened cables: These cables are meant for use up to 33 kV, but in particular
cases their use may be extended to operating voltages up to 66 kV. Two principal
types of screened cables are H type cables and S.L. type cables.
(i) H-type cables. This type of cable was first designed by H. Hochstadter and hence
the name. The cables have each core insulated by layers of impregnated paper. The
insulation on each core is covered with a metallic screen which usually consists of a
perforated aluminium foil. The cores are laid in such a way that metallic screens
make contact with one another. Two principal advantages are claimed for H-type
cables. Firstly, the perforations in the metallic screens assist in the complete
impregnation of the cable with the compound and thus the possibility of air
pockets or voids (vacuous spaces) in the dielectric is eliminated. The voids if
present tend to reduce the breakdown strength of the cable and may cause
considerable damage to the paper insulation. Secondly, the metallic screens
increase the heat dissipating power of the cable.
3 phase cable
(ii) S.L. type cables: It is basically H-type cable but the screen round each core insulation is
covered by is own lead sheath. There is no overall lead sheath but only armouring and
serving are provided. The S.L. type cables have two main advantages over H-type cables.
Firstly, the separate sheaths minimise the possibility of core-to-core breakdown. Secondly,
bending of cables becomes easy due to the elimination of overall lead sheath. However,
the disadvantage is that the three lead sheaths of S.L. cable are much thinner than the
single sheath of H-cable and, therefore, call for greater care in manufacture.
3. Pressure cables: For voltages beyond 66 kV, solid type cables are unreliable because
there is a danger of breakdown of insulation due to the presence of voids. When the
operating voltages are greater than 66 kV, pressure cables are used. In such cables, voids
are eliminated by increasing the pressure of compound and for this reason they are called
pressure cables. Two types of pressure cables viz oil-filled cables and gas pressure cables
are commonly used.
(i) Oil-filled cables. In such types of cables, channels or ducts are provided in the cable for
oil circulation. The oil under pressure (it is the same oil used for impregnation) is kept
constantly supplied to the channel by means of external reservoirs placed at suitable
distances (say 500 m) along the route of the cable. Oil under pressure compresses the
layers of paper insulation and is forced into any voids that may have formed between the
layers. Due to the elimination of voids, oil-filled cables can be used for higher voltages, the
range being from 66 kV upto 230 kV.
3 phase cable
(ii) Gas pressure cables. The voltage required to set up ionisation inside
a void increases as the pressure is increased. Therefore, if ordinary
cable is subjected to a sufficiently high pressure, the ionisation can be
altogether eliminated. At the same time, the increased pressure
produces radial compression which tends to close any voids. This is the
underlying principle of gas pressure cables.
Laying of Under Laying of Underground
Cables
1. Direct laying. This method of laying underground cables is simple and cheap and is much
favoured in modern practice. In this method, a trench of about 1·5 metres deep and 45 cm
wide is dug. The trench is covered with a layer of fine sand (of about 10 cm thickness) and the
cable is laid over this sand bed. The sand prevents the entry of moisture from the ground and
thus protects the cable from decay.
Advantages
(i) It is a simple and less costly method.
(ii) It gives the best conditions for dissipating the heat generated in the cables.
(iii) It is a clean and safe method as the cable is invisible and free from external disturbances.
Disadvantages
(i) The extension of load is possible only by a completely new excavation which may cost as much as
the original work.
(ii) The alterations in the cable netwok cannot be made easily.
(iii) The maintenance cost is very high.
Laying of Under Laying of Underground
Cables
2. Draw-in system: In this method, conduit or duct of glazed stone or cast iron or concrete
are laid in the ground with manholes at suitable positions along the cable route. The cables
are then pulled into position from manholes.
Advantages
(i) Repairs, alterations or additions to the cable network can be made without opening
the ground.
(ii) As the cables are not armoured, therefore, joints become simpler and maintenance
cost is reduced considerably.
(iii) There are very less chances of fault occurrence due to strong mechanical protection
provided by the system.
Disadvantages
(i) The initial cost is very high.
(ii) The current carrying capacity of the cables is reduced due to the close grouping of
cables and unfavourable conditions for dissipation of heat.
Laying of Under Laying of Underground
Cables
• 3. Solid system. In this method of laying, the cable is laid in open pipes or
troughs dug out in earth along the cable route. The troughing is of cast
iron, stoneware, asphalt or treated wood. After the cable is laid in position,
the troughing is filled with a bituminous or asphaltic compound and
covered over. Cables laid in this manner are usually plain lead covered
because troughing affords good mechanical protection.
• Disadvantages
(i) It is more expensive than direct laid system.
(ii) It requires skilled labour and favourable weather conditions.
(iii) Due to poor heat dissipation facilities, the current carrying capacity of
the cable is reduced.
In view of these disadvantages, this method of laying underground cables is
rarely used now-adays.
Insulation Resistance of a Single-Core Cable
• Consider a single-core cable of conductor radius r1 and internal
sheath radius r2 as shown in Fig. 11.12. Let l be the length of the
cable and ρ be the resistivity of the insulation. Consider a very small
layer of insulation of thickness dx at a radius x. The length through
which leakage current tends to flow is dx and the area of X-section
offered to this flow is 2π x l
Insulation Resistance of a Single-Core Cable..
𝜌 𝑟2
R= 𝑙𝑛
2𝜋𝑙 𝑟1
Example 1
A single-core cable has a conductor diameter of 1cm and insulation thickness of 0·4 cm. If the specific
resistance of insulation is 5 × 1014 Ω-cm, calculate the insulation resistance for a 2 km length of the
cable.
Soln
5×1014 0.9
R= 𝑙𝑛
2𝜋×2000 0.5
Insulation Resistance of a Single-Core Cable..
Example 2
The insulation resistance of a single-core cable is 495 MΩ per km. If the core diameter is 2·5 cm and resistivity of
insulation is 4·5 × 1014 Ω-cm, find the insulation thickness.
Soln
• l = 1 km = 1000 m
• R = 495 MΩ = 495 × 106 Ω
• r1 = 2·5/2 = 1·25 cm
• ρ = 4·5 × 1014 Ω-cm = 4·5 × 1012 Ωm
• Let r2 cm be the internal sheath radius
𝜌 𝑟2
• R= 𝑙𝑛
2𝜋𝑙 𝑟1
𝑟2 495×106 ×2𝜋×1000
• ln = = 0.69
𝑟1 4.5×1012
𝑟2
• = 𝑒 0.69
𝑟1
𝑟2
• =2
𝑟1
• R2= 2r1=2 x 1.25 =2.5cm
• Insulation thickness = r2 − r1 = 2·5 − 1·25 = 1·25 cm
Cable faults
Types of Cable Faults
Cables are generally laid directly in the ground or in ducts in the underground
distribution system. For this reason, there are little chances of faults in
underground cables. However, if a fault does occur, it is difficult to locate and repair
the fault because conductors are not visible. Nevertheless, the following are the
faults most likely to occur in underground cables:
(i) Open-circuit fault. When there is a break in the conductor of a cable, it is
called open circuit fault.
(ii) Short-circuit fault. When two conductors of a multi-core cable come in
electrical contact with each other due to insulation failure, it is called a short-
circuit fault
(iii) Earth fault. When the conductor of a cable comes in contact with earth, it is
called earth fault or ground fault.
Trials
• What are the major advantages and disadvantages of underground cables.
• Make comparisons between overhead lines and underground cables
• What are the necessary requirements to be fulfilled by cables before being
used for underground laying
• Outline the various layers of an underground cable using diagramatic
representations.
• As a design engineer what are the properties you will consider in an
insulation material to be used for an underground cable construction.
• Classify underground cables according to voltage levels in the system
• Make comparisons between the various methods of laying underground
cables that were discussed.
• Argue in favor or against that overhead line cable system is better than
underground cable system
Best wishes
• Thank you
