Protective Earth Cable Sizing

10/10/23, 6:55 PM Protective Earth Cable Sizing - ELEK Software
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Protective Earth Cable Sizing

How to properly size earth cables - includes the Method, Equations, Constants
and Example Calculations
Avoiding damage to earth cables during faults
Correct sizing of protective earth (PE) cables is extremely important in order to safely clear
phase-to-earth faults. When a fault occurs there are high levels of thermal energy, referred
to as Joule Integral, generated during the clearing time of the protective device which
operates to disconnect the faulty equipment. This let-through energy should be compared
with the maximum permissible thermal energy that a protective earth (PE) cable can
withstand. This is the topic of this article.
Another important factor to consider when sizing PE cables is earth fault loop impedance,
which means the impedance should be sufficiently low to allow adequate fault current to
https://elek.com/articles/protective-earth-cable-sizing/ 1/12
pass for the protective device to operate within a sufficiently short time which is again, for
safety.
To avoid damage to a PE cable during a fault it must be capable of withstanding the let-
through energy of the protective device. The thermal withstand capability depends on
these factors:
Conductor cross-sectional area

Conductor material (e.g. copper)
Insulation type (e.g. PVC)
Initial temperature at the inception of the fault
Maximum temperature it can withstand without damage
Note that in some instances a PE cable may be a bare conductor without insulation.
It is also important to note not only the PE cable but that all components in the fault path
such as terminations, joints and bonds must also have adequate thermal withstand
capability.
How to calculate minimum earth conductor size

1. Obtain the material constants for the conductor type from Table 1.
2. Obtain the temperature limits for the cable type from Table 2.
3. Determine initial temperature, θ0:
a. Use Normal use temperature of the loaded phase cable – if the PE cable is
combined inside a multicore cable or bunched with a phase conductor;
otherwise
b. Use ambient environment temperature (i.e., 25 ˚C for buried or 40 ˚C in air –
check your local standards).
4. Determine maximum short-circuit temperature, θM:
5. Calculate k2 using equation 2.

6. Calculate minimum conductor size S using equation 3.
There are example calculations at the end of this report.
Equations to use:
The fundamental equation 1 is given below where the left side is the let-through energy
developed during the fault and the right side represents the energy withstand of the cable.
\(\int_{0}^{t_f} {i^2}_G \,dt \leq k^2S^2\) Equation 1
Where iG is the instantaneous earth fault current, tf is the fault clearing time, S is the cross-
sectional area of the conductor (mm2) and k2 is a factor that considers the resistivity,
temperature coefficient and heat capacity of the conductor material, the initial

temperature of the protective conductor at the inception of the fault and maximum
permissible short-time temperature of the cable.
The equation for the factor k2 is given as follows.
\(k^2 = \frac{c}{\alpha_0\rho_0}\ln{\frac{1+\alpha_0\theta_M}{1+\theta_0\alpha_0}}\)
Equation 2
Where α0 is the temperature coefficient of resistivity of the conductor material, c is the

volumetric heat capacity, ρ0 resistivity, θ0 is initial temperature and θM is maximum
permissible short-time temperature. Typical values of constants for calculating k2 are given
in Table 1 and Table 2.
Note that smaller values for the k2 factor determine larger PE conductor sizes for the same
fault current and clearing time.
The analytical evaluation the left side of equation 1 is quite difficult because the fault
current iG is asymmetrical due to the transient DC component. Therefore, the IEC Standard
[1] has provided a simplified equation 3 below to determine the minimum cross-sectional
area of a PE conductor assuming adiabatic conditions and suitable only for fault clearing
times within 5 seconds.
\(S \geq \frac{I_G}{k}\sqrt{t_f}\) Equation 3
The minimum conductor size given by equation 3 should be rounded up to the nearest
commercially available size. Of course, equation 3 can be used for different types of
protective conductors and not only for cables including armors, metallic sheaths, screens
etc.
Initial temperature
The initial temperature of the PE cable may be taken as either:
1. Same as the operating temperature of the phase cables.
This assumption is appropriate for PE cables integrated with the phase conductors (i.e.,
multicore cables) but too conservative for separate PE cables which will result in oversizing.
2. The ambient temperature of the environment. 

This assumption is appropriate when the PE cable is separate and not bunched with the
load-carrying phase cables.
Non-adiabatic calculations
The adiabatic equation 3 assumes the let-through energy of the protective device is
entirely accumulated within the PE cable during the fault and that none of heat generated
is dissipated to the outside environment. According to the NFPA National Electrical Code
[3] the adiabatic assumption is reasonable and practical for most cases where they state
that the non-adiabatic condition is only useful in practice for very small conductors of 10
mm2 or less.
The IEC Standard [2] provides a non-adiabatic method and set of equations for
determining minimum conductor size. In practical terms the non-adiabatic equations are
useful for short-circuit ratings of power cable phase conductors and metallic components.
Reference data
Table 1. Material constants for calculation of k2
Resistivity, ρ0 Temperature coefficient of Volumetric heat capacity,

Material
(Ω.mm) resistivity, α0 (per K at 20 ˚C) c (J.mm-3.K-1)
Conductors
- Copper 1.7241 x 105 3.93 x 103 3.45 x 103
- Aluminium 2.8264 x 105 4.03 x 103 2.422 x 103
Sheaths and
armour
- Lead or lead 21.4 x 105 4 x 103 1.44 x 103
alloy 13.8 x 105 4.5 x 103 3.756 x 103

- Steel 70 x 105 Negligible 3.756 x 103
- Stainless steel 4.03 x 103
2.84 x 105 2.422 x 103
- Aluminium
Table 2. Temperature limits for insulating materials in contact with conductors
Insulation type Operating temperatures of conductors
Normal use (˚C) – Short time maximum, θM (˚C)

Note 1 – Note 2

Thermoplastic: V-75, HFI-75-TP, TPE-75, V-90, HFI-
90-TP, TP-90, V-90HT
75 140
- Up to and including 300 mm2
75 160
- Greater than 300 mm2
Polyethylene: PE, LLDPE

- Up to and including 300 mm2 70 140
- Greater than 300 mm2 70 160
Cross-linked elastomeric:
- R-EP-90, R-CPE-90, R-HF-90, R-CSP-90 90 250
- R-HF-110, R-E-110 110 250
Cross-linked polyolefin (XLPE):

- X-90, X-90UV, X-HF-90 90 250
- X-HF-110 110 250
Mineral-insulated metal-sheathed (MIMS) 100 250 (conservative)
High temperature: R-S-150 and Type 150 fibrous 150 350
Paper 85 250
Notes:
1. The Normal use temperature relates to the sustained current-carrying capacity.
2. The Short time maximum temperature is permitted under short-circuit conditions.
Worked examples - calculating minimum earth size

Example 1 – separate earth cable
Size an underground protective earth cable which is separated away from the main power
cables and made up of copper conductors and will be PVC V-75 insulated. The maximum
earth fault current is 3.5 kA and associated fault clearing time is 0.3 seconds.
Solution
The material constants from Table 1 are:
Temperature coefficient α0 = 3.93 x 10-3 per K at ˚C
Volumetric heat capacity c = 3.45 x 10-3 J.mm-3.K-1
Resistivity ρ0 = 1.7241 x 10-5 Ω.mm


The initial and maximum temperatures are:
Initial temperature θ0 = 25 ˚C which is assumed to be the temperature of the soil

(environment).
Final temperature θM = 140 ˚C taken from Table 2 for conductor sizes ≤ 300 mm2.
The k2 factor is calculated using equation 2 to be 17549.
Therefore, using equation 3 the minimum size of the conductor should be > 14.47 mm2.
The nearest available trade size is 16 mm2.
Note if initial temperature is assumed to be 75 ˚C then the minimum size is 20.02 mm2
which leads to a larger earth cable size than necessary.
Example 2 – integrated earth cable
Determine the minimum protective earth cable with a copper conductor which is
integrated inside a low-voltage XLPE (X-90) insulated multicore power cable. The maximum
earth fault current is 5 kA and associated fault clearing time is 0.4 seconds.
Solution
The material constants are same as for Example 1.
The initial and maximum temperatures are:
Initial temperature θ0 = 90 ˚C which is same as the normal operating temperature of the

cable.
Final temperature θM = 250 ˚C taken from Table 2 for XLPE insulated cables.
The k2 factor is calculated using equation 2 to be 19426.
Therefore, using equation 3 the minimum size of the conductor should be > 22.69 mm2.
The nearest available trade size is 25 mm2.
Try the free Earth Cable Size Calculator.
References:
IEC Standard 60364-5-54 Electrical Installations of Buildings – Part 5-54: Selection And
Erection Of Electrical Equipment – Earthing Arrangements, Protective Conductors  And
Protective Bonding Conductors.
IEC Standard 949 Calculation of thermal permissible short-circuit currents, taking into
account non-adiabatic heating effects.
National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, 2011.
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10/10/23, 6:55 PM Protective Earth Cable Sizing - ELEK Software

Avoiding damage to earth cables during faults

Conductor cross-sectional area

How to calculate minimum earth conductor size

5. Calculate k2 using equation 2.

There are example calculations at the end of this report.

\(\int_{0}^{t_f} {i^2}_G \,dt \leq k^2S^2\) Equation 1

The equation for the factor k2 is given as follows.

Where α0 is the temperature coefficient of resistivity of the conductor material, c is the

\(S \geq \frac{I_G}{k}\sqrt{t_f}\) Equation 3

The initial temperature of the PE cable may be taken as either:

1. Same as the operating temperature of the phase cables.

2. The ambient temperature of the environment. 

Table 1. Material constants for calculation of k2

Resistivity, ρ0 Temperature coefficient of Volumetric heat capacity,

alloy 13.8 x 105 4.5 x 103 3.756 x 103

Table 2. Temperature limits for insulating materials in contact with conductors

Insulation type Operating temperatures of conductors

Normal use (˚C) – Short time maximum, θM (˚C)

Polyethylene: PE, LLDPE

Cross-linked polyolefin (XLPE):

Mineral-insulated metal-sheathed (MIMS) 100 250 (conservative)

High temperature: R-S-150 and Type 150 fibrous 150 350

Worked examples - calculating minimum earth size

The material constants from Table 1 are:

Temperature coefficient α0 = 3.93 x 10-3 per K at ˚C

Volumetric heat capacity c = 3.45 x 10-3 J.mm-3.K-1

Resistivity ρ0 = 1.7241 x 10-5 Ω.mm

Initial temperature θ0 = 25 ˚C which is assumed to be the temperature of the soil

The k2 factor is calculated using equation 2 to be 17549.

Example 2 – integrated earth cable

The material constants are same as for Example 1.

The initial and maximum temperatures are:

Initial temperature θ0 = 90 ˚C which is same as the normal operating temperature of the

The k2 factor is calculated using equation 2 to be 19426.

Try the free Earth Cable Size Calculator.

Cable Pro Web

Try For Free

Understanding Earth Fault Loop Impedance

Voltage drop limits for Low Voltage installations

Cable Current Rating Derating Factors Explained

Maximum Demand Tables

Neutral Conductor Sizing

Cable Pulling Tension Calculations

Voltage Rise Calculations

Automatic Maximum Demand Calculations

Accurate voltage drop calculations

FOR INFORMATION OR TO SPEAK WITH OUR HELPFUL ADVISORS

Electrical Power Systems Design & Analysis Software

Cable Pro Web 

Cable High Voltage

Cable Sizing AS3008

Cable Sizing BS7671

Earth Cable Sizing

Fault Loop Impedance

Earth Grid Resistance

Earth Grid Conductor Sizing

Earthing Rods Resistance

Lightning Protection Design

Relay Tripping Time

Equivalent Thermal Resistance

RESOURCES & SUPPORT

Training and Certification