ORIGINAL DOCUMENT APPROVED December 16, 2006

June 19, 2012

June 19, 2012

TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 SCOPE

2.0 GENERAL

3.0 POWER CABLE TYPES AND APPLICATION

3.1 Three Conductors Versus Single Conductor Cables

3.2 Selection of Cable Insulation Levels
3.3 Conductor and Shield Size Selection

4.0 AMPACITIES - USE AND CALCULATIONS

5.0 VOLTAGE REGULATION

5.1 General

6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

1.0 SCOPE

This standard covers the selection of a specific type and size of power cable based on
particular applications and conditions in the Transmission system of Saudi Electricity
Company. (SEC) Saudi Arabia..

2.0 GENERAL

2.1 The selection of the specific type and size of power cable will be based on the
following:

a) Technical requirements; such as voltage level, current loading, ambient

temperature, voltage regulation, short circuit current, etc.

b) Installation requirements of existing or planned facilities; such as ducts,

troughs, tunnels, direct burial, conduit, thrust boaring, directional drilling and
thermal resistivity of soil & backfill material.

c) Economic requirements based on the selection of a suitable power cable and

required accessories (splices, terminations, and connectors).

d) Existing power cable circuits.

2.2 Guide to the Selection of High-Voltage Cables

To determine the appropriate design of a cable for a particular project, the following
information, with regard to service conditions, is required.

2.2.1 Operating Conditions:

a. Nominal Voltage of the System, U. (See 3.2 for definition.)

b. Highest Voltage of the System, Um. (See 3.2 for definition.)

c. Basic Impulse Insulation Level (BIL).

d. Switching Impulse Level for EHV Cables.

e. Lightning Over Voltages.

f. System frequency.

g. Type of earthing and, where the neutral is not effectively earthed, the
maximum permitted duration of earth fault conditions on any one
occasion.

h. Electrical characteristics of surge diverters (if any).

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

i. Where outdoor terminals are specified. the altitude above sea level, if
above 1000m and whether excessive atmospheric pollution is
expected.

j. Maximum rated current for continuous operation.

k. Cyclic loading requirements. (Note: A load curve is essential if cyclic

loading has to be considered when determining conductor size.)

l. Emergency or Over Load Condition.

m. Maximum currents which may flow during short circuits, both

between phases and to earth.

n. Maximum time for which short-circuit current may flow.

2.3 The process used in selecting and sizing a power cable shall be as follows:

a) Selection of a cable construction based on its planned application and

installation.

b) Selection of the conductor size based on ampacity.

c) Increasing, if necessary, the conductor size selected in (b) based on voltage

regulation.

d) Increasing, if necessary, the conductor size selected in (b) and (c) based on
short circuit currents.

e) Selection of a metallic shield size for MV, HV & EHV shielded cables
based on ground fault currents and its duration.

2.3.1 Installation Data:

a. Length and profile of route.

b. Details of the laying arrangement (e.g flat or trefoil arrangement) and

how the metallic screen/sheath are connected to each other and to
earth (Sheath Bonding Arrangement).

2.3.2 Power Cables

a) Details of installation conditions (e.g. direct burial, in ducts, in

tunnels, in trenches covered with chequred plates or pre-cast concrete
covers etc.) to enable decisions to be taken on composition of
metallic sheath, type of armor (if required) and type of overall jacket,
e.g. anti-corrosion, flame-retarding or antitermite.

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

b) Depth of laying.

c) Thermal resistivities and kinds of soil along the route (e.g. sand. clay,
made-up ground), and whether this information is based on
measurement and inspection or only assumed parameters.

d) Minimum, maximum and average ground temperature at the depth of

burial.

e) Proximity of other load-carrying cables, or of other heat sources, with

details.

f) Lengths of troughs, ducts, tunnels, or pipes with spacing of manholes,

if any.

g) Number of ducts or pipes.

h) Internal diameter of ducts or pipes.

i) Spacing between individual ducts or pipes, if more than one.

j) Material of ducts or pipes.

2.3.3 Cables in Air

a) Minimum, maximum and average ambient air temperatures to be

assured.

b) Details of ventilation (for cables indoors or in tunnels).

c) Whether exposed to direct sunlight.

2.3.4 Cables in Water

Individual installations require special consideration.

2.4 It is the responsibility of the Design Engineer to evaluate the economics of a given
power cable installation with the goal of providing the least expensive installation
within the limits of this standard.

3.0 POWER CABLE TYPES AND APPLICATION

3.1 Three Conductors Versus Single Conductor Cables

3.1.1 Single conductor cables are easy to handle, splice, terminate and are
supplied in longer lengths than three conductor cables.
Their reactance is higher than three conductor cables and the use of a
metallic sheath for mechanical protection would be more expensive and
result in higher losses than with a three conductor cable.
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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

3.1.2 In general, the ampacity and voltage drop will be higher for three single
conductor cables when compared with a similar size of three conductor
cable.

3.2 Selection of Cable Insulation Levels

Selection of Power Cable Insulation levels shall be as per Table 01-1, Table 01-2 &
Table 01-3 of TES-P-104.01, Rev. 01.

The following is a guide to the determination of the appropriate values of Uo, U, Um,
and Up, where

Uo - The rated power-frequency voltage between each conductor and screen or

sheath for which the cable and its accessories are designed or manufactured.

U- The rated power-frequency voltage between any two conductors for which the
cable and its accessories are designed or manufactured.

Note: This quantity is only of interest for non-radial-field cables.

Um - The maximum rms power-frequency voltage between any two conductors for
which cables and accessories are designed. It is the highest voltage that can
be sustained under normal operating conditions at any time and at any point in
a system. It excludes temporary voltage variations due to fault conditions and
the sudden disconnection of large loads.

Up - The peak value of the impulse withstand voltage between each conductor and
screen or sheath for which the cable and its accessories are designed.

It is realized that normally the insulation thickness of the cable will be determined
either by Uo, U, Um or by Up. These voltages should be chosen based entirely on
the characteristics and requirements of the system, (U, Uo, Um, Up), and the
insulation thickness should be chosen to meet the most severe requirement. When
selecting the cable for the system, be sure that the cable manufacturer will supply a
cable with a Up value equal to or greater than that required by SEC.

3.2.1 Selection of Uo and U:

The selection of Uo depends on the type of system and on the system

earthing arrangements. For this purpose, systems have been divided into
following categories:

Category A:

Where earth faults are cleared as rapidly as possible but in any case with in
1 min.

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

Category B:

This category comprises those systems, which, under fault conditions, are
operated for a short time only with one phase earthed. This period should,
in general, not exceed one hour, but a longer period can be tolerated for
radial-feed cables, and in special circumstances. Under no circumstances,
however, shall the period exceed eight hours.

NOTE: It should be realized that in a system where an earth fault is not

automatically and promptly eliminated, the extra stresseson the
insulation of cables during the earth fault reduce the life of the
cables to a certain degree. If the system is expected to be
operated fairly often with a permanent earth fault, it may be
economical to classify the system into the next category C.

Category C:

This category comprises all systems which do not fall into Category A&B.

For both categories, U should not be less than 0.85 Um.

NOTE: See IEC Publication 60038 (IEC Standard Voltages), 60183

(Guide to the selection of high-voltage cables) and Standard
System Voltages.

3.2.2 Selection of Up

The value of Up to be adopted should be one of the values associated with

the selected highest voltage (Um) and is divided in to following 3 levels

Notes:

Level 1 is below the "reduced insulation level" given

in IEC Publication 60071, Recommendations for
Insulation Coordination.

Level 2 coincides with the "reduced insulation level"

given in IEC Publication 60071.

Level 3 coincides with the "full insulation level"

given in IEC Publication 60071.

The decision as to which of the three levels should be used in particular case
is dictated by the degree of exposure to overvoltages. This matter is dealt
with in Sub-clause 3.2.3.

3.2.3 Exposure to Over-Voltages

Installations can be classified as follows:

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

a. Electrically non-exposed, if the cable system is not exposed to over-

voltages of atmospheric origin. Level 1 or Level 2 is applicable to
this condition, the choice depending upon the anticipated internal
over-voltages.

b. Electrically exposed, if the cable system may be subjected to over-

voltages of atmospheric origin, i.e. if it is connected directly to an
overhead transmission line which may be subjected to lightning
strikes, etc. All three levels should be considered for this condition,
but the impulse withstand level of the cable system should always be
coordinated with the protective level of the surge protective device, if
any. Guidance on this coordination is, given in IEC Publication 71A,
Supplement to Publication 71, Recommendations for Insulation
Coordination, Application Guide. The choice of levels depends upon
the amplitude of the anticipated impulse over-voltages, the evaluation
of which is a complex problem involving among other factors, the
length of the cable and its capacitance per unit length. The solution
of this problem cannot be the subject of general recommendations,
and each case should be considered individually.

3.3 Conductor and Shield Size Selection

3.3.1 Proper sizing of a conductor involves three factors:

a) Ampacity

b) Voltage Drop Restrictions

c) Short Circuit Current and its duration

3.3.2 Ampacity will determine the minimum size of conductor that can be used
for a given type of installation.

3.3.3 Voltage drop restrictions will determine a maximum length that a conductor
selected can be used before an increase in size is necessary to maintain the
voltage at the load above a desired minimum value.

3.3.4 Short circuit current will require an increase in the conductor size selected if
it is not already of sufficient size to safely dissipate the heat generated under
fault conditions.

3.3.5 Metallic shield sizing involves consideration of short circuit currents that
may flow in the shield if a fault to ground occurs. In the case of concentric
neutral cable, the shield will also carry neutral current and must be sized on
an ampacity basis.

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

4.0 AMPACITIES – PARAMETERS CRITERIA FOR USE AND CALCULATIONS

4.1.a It is the responsibility of Design Engineer to use the basic parameters and factors,
detailed in the following paragraphs so that non-standard applications can be
calculated from the referenced publications.

4.1.b It is mandatory that the Design Engineer have full knowledge of the system route
limitations, circuitry and environment temperatures of the application under
consideration. He should consider the worst conditions of operation plus future
growth requirements of the circuit.

4.2 Since most applications of cable installation on the SEC system involve direct buried
cable, additional replacement cost for undersized cables must be considered. Duct
installed cables can be replaced within the limitations of the duct size.

4.2.1 The following basic parameters will assist the Design Engineer to further
evaluate the ampacities and objectively calculate alternative ampacities for a
cable to fulfill any load requirements:

a) Load - MVA.
b) Load Factor (LF).
c) Thermal Resistivity of the Soil (RHO).
d) Ambient Temperature - mean temperature of the soil or riser
temperature at above ground (in air) terminals.
e) Short circuit values with finite information on time duration (affects
sizing of copper in cable shield).
f) Derating factors for circuity (multiplicity of circuits and tie
formations).
g) Route location that might affect placement of splice bays/ manholes
and terminations.

4.3 Ampacity Derating Factors

4.3.1 The ampacity shall be calculated from the reference ICEA Specifications P-
46-426 and P-53-426 plus other data from manufacturers quotations and
handbooks.

4.4 For other factors, temperature with thermal resistivity (ρ), number of circuits,, the
following conversions should be utilized:

4.4.1 Temprature Correction Factor

T = Tc – Ta¹
Tc - Ta

Where T = ambient temperature correction factor

Ta¹ = expected new temperature
Ta = temperature utilized in specification tables
Tc = thermal rating of insulation
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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

4.5 Earth Thermal Resistivity

For installation of underground power cables on the SEC system, actual value of
thermal resistivity shall be utilized. This figure also includes the resistivity of the
bedding and backfill on underground cable installations and should be specifically
indicated on any ampacity calculations when using the referenced tables.

4.6 Load Factor

All ampacities shall be calculated on the basis of 100% load factor except ampacity
for Power Cables connected between Power Transformers and Switchgear shall be
calculated at 130% Load Factor.

4.7 Circuitry

4.7.1 For the calculation of desired ampacity for the load required, it may be
necessary to consider additional circuits also (installed in the same trench or
in parallel).

4.7.2 The number of circuits required is also predicated upon the availability of
conductor sizes for the insulation level under consideration. However, it is
considered essential that we utilize standard SEC cable sizes as indicated in
Table 04-1.

TABLE 04-1

STANDARD SEC CABLE SIZES

SIZE DIAMETER EQUIVALENT NEAREST U.S.

mm² mm kcmil AWG/kcmil

35 7.7 69 2
70 10.7 138 2/0
120 14.2 237 4/0
185 17.6 369 350
300 22.5 592 600
400 25.6 789 750
500 28.8 986 1000
630 32.7 1233 1250
800 37.0 1579 1750
1000 41.6 1974 2000
1200 45.0 2368 -
1600 48.1 3158 -
2000 54.3 3948 -
2500 62.7 4935 -

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

4.8 Ampacity

4.8.1 Another source of information about power cable & ampacities is IPCEA
Publication No. P-46-426 and IEEE S-135.

4.9 Cable Selection

This is for guidance on how to select an adequate cable for a particular application
and should not be considered as a standard method to solve all problems.

4.9.1 Information Required

a) Voltage supplied or to be used.

b) Magnitude of power to be transmitted (MVA) or full load current

(nominal amperes).

c) Type of load (transformers, motors, lighting, etc.).

d) Type of installation (direct buried, conduit, tunnels, duct banks, trays,

etc.).

e) Type of cable (XLPE, oil-filled, gas-filled, etc.).

f) Type of conductor (copper or Aluminum)

4.9.2 Type of Cable Selection

The factors that play roles in the selection of power cable are:

a) Voltage to be used.
b) Required reliability of the power supply.
c) Cost of material, installation and maintenance.

The decision on the type of cable to be used should be made at the

beginning of the planning.

The Cost Engineer shall provide Tables with up-to-date costs for each item.

4.9.3 Type of Installation

The system requirements and area conditions will determine the type of
installation to be used, which could be:

a) Direct buried underground.

b) In conduits, underground duct banks or in air.
c) In trays, in the air or in tunnels.

Each of these types of installations will be affected by different derating

factors, which must be considered and calculated in each case.
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4.9.4 Derating Factors Calculation

These factors will depend upon the cable installation conditions, cable
construction and environment where the cable will be laid and also upon the
characteristics of the materials used by the manufacturer to build the cable.
For these reasons, it is imperative to acquire correct data from responsible
sources. Manufacturer's cable data and recommendations should be
available, and this may vary from one manufacturer to another for the same
type of cable.

a. For Cables Laid in the Ground

When the cables are laid in ground the derating factors depend upon
the following

i. Variation in ground temperature

ii. Variation in thermal resistivity of soil
iii. Variation in depth of laying
iv. Group derating factor for multi core cables in flat formation
v. Group derating factor for multi core cables in trefoil formation
vi. Group derating factor for single core cables in duct banks
vii. Group derating factor for multi core cables in duct banks
viii. Group derating factor for single core cables in flat formation
ix. Group derating factor for multi core cables in trefoil formation

b. For Cables Laid in Pipes or Conduits

The current carrying capacity of the cables laid in the ground shall be
reduced by a derating factor, if the cables are laid in an unfilled pipe of
PVC or PE in the ground. Normally internal diameter of pipe is 2 to 5
times the outer diameter of cable. It is however possible to reduce this
rating reduction by filling the pipe, after the cable has been pulled in,
with a material which is thermally equal to the ambient ground.

For parallel pipes each containing a 3-core cable or a group of three

single core cables and with the cables equally loaded the derating of
the cable is calculated by using the derating factor mentioned above.

c. For Cables Laid Above the Ground

When the cables are laid above the ground the derating factors depend
upon the following

i. Variation in ground temperature

ii. Group derating factor for cables installed above ground

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

4.9.5 Adiabatic Short Circuit Current Rating for Conductor & Metallic
Screen/Sheath

The maximum short circuit current ratings for copper and aluminum
conductors are:

The calculation formula is:

K .S ⎡θ f + β ⎤
IAD = ln ⎢ ⎥
t ⎣θ i + β ⎦
Where

IAD is Adiabatic Short Circuit Current (A).

S Conductor Cross-Sectional area (mm²)

K Constant depending upon the conductor material.

For Copper=226
For Aluminum=148
For Lead or Lead Alloy=41

t Short circuit duration time (seconds).

β reciprocal of temperature coefficient of resistance of the current

carrying component at 0 ºC (K).

θ f is final conductor temperature, which is 250 ºC for XLPE insulation.

θi For initial conductor temperature, shall be 90 ºC.

For Metallic Sheaths temperature shall be 80 ºC.
For Lead/lead Alloy Metallic Sheath final temperature be 200 ºC.

The cross-sectional area of the cable selected should be verified for the short
circuit current calculated for the place of application, versus the time
duration until the fault is cleared by the protective system.

4.9.6 Electrical Data Calculation

The electrical data (conductor resistance, capacitance and reactance) for

XLPE cables can be calculated using the following formula:

a) A.C. Resistance of Conductor (R)

R = Ro (1 + ys + yp) [1 + K (Tc - 20)] (Ohm/km)

Where,

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

Ro : Maximum D.C. resistance of conductor at 20°C (Ohm/km)

ys : Skin effect factor.

yp : Proximity effect factor.

K : Temperature coefficient (1/°C):

0.00393 for copper

0.00403 for aluminum
Tc : Conductor temperature (°C).

b) Capacitance (C)

C =______ε _____ (µF/km)

18 Ln (Di/dc)

Where,

ε : Relative permittivity of XLPE insulation.

Di : Diameter of XLPE insulation.

dc : Diameter of conductor screen.

c) Reactance (X)

X = 2πf{0.5 +.2Ln(2KS/d)}x 10-3 Ohm/km,

Where,

K = 1 for Trefoil Formation and

K = 1.26 for Flat Formation

π : 3.1416

f : Frequency (Hz)

S : Spacing between phases.

D : Diamter of conductor.

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TRANSMISSION ENGINEERING STANDARD TES-P-104.03, Rev.01

5.0 VOLTAGE REGULATION

5.1 General

While the heat generated in a cable conductor determines the maximum current it can
carry without deterioration, it is often necessary to limit the current to an even lower
value because of excessive voltage drop. This problem is usually confined to the high
current, low voltage secondary of distribution circuits. For this reason, it is
advantageous to carry the primary circuit as close to the load as possible before
transforming so the secondary runs, where most of voltage drop occurs, will be small.
The voltage regulation of a cable may be calculated with the following formula:

U = 100 (VS-VL)
VL

Where:
U = voltage regulation in percent

Vs = voltage at source
(VS) 2 = (VL)2 + I2(R2 + X2)

VL = voltage at load

6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY

i. IEC 60287 Calculation of Continuous Current Rating of Cables 100% Load Factor

ii IEC 60853 Calculation of the Cyclic and Emergency Current Rating of Cables

iii IEC 61059 Economic Optimization of Cable Size

iv IEC 60183 Guide to the Selection of High Voltage Cable

v IEC 60949 Calculation of Thermally Permissible Short-Circuit Currents,

taking into Account Non-Adiabatic Heating Effects

vi EPRI Underground Transmission Systems Reference Book, 2006 Edition.

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