CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV

MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 1 OF 11
REV 1

1. Introduction:
This document presents a report on cable sizing calculation for the Ras Tanura Intigrated Project.
The design calculation aims at appropriate selection of cables considering the installation conditions,
ambient temperature, group de-rating and short circuit withstand. The cable sizes and the maximum
cable lengths are calculated based on continuous current rating, ensuring voltage drop is within
permissible limits and are checked for thermal short circuit capacity. Cable selection charts have been
prepared and are annexed for reference.

2. Standards And Specifications :

A554-K-PRG-EL-GEN-PHL-005
A554-K-PRG-PE-GEN-PDD-001
G7Z-0001-00
G7C-0302-00
RT7D-0665-00
RT7D-0613-00

Electrical Design Philosophy

Project Design Data
Electrical Design Engineering Criteria
Process Plant Cabling / Wiring Methods.
Form Wound Motors.
Squirrel Cage Induction Motors NEMA Frame Horizontal and
Vertical Totally Enclosed Designs 600 Volts and below.

3. References :
XXXX
XXXX
A554-K-299-EL-DWG-EA1-001

Electrical System Study Report

Grounding Philosophy and Calculations
Electrical Overall One-Line Diagram (SS-299C001)
Riyadh Cable Catalogue
Ducab Cable Catalogue

4. Specification Requirements:
As per clause 10.1.1 of A554-K-PRG-EL-GEN-PHL-005
The voltage at any point on the RTIP system will normally remain within the nominal values as
stated below, unless abnormal conditions prevail. Under exceptional circumstances, the maximum
over voltage limits stated below should not be exceeded for more than 30 minutes.

Nominal range
30 min over voltage

+/+

5%
10%

As per clause 10.2.2 of A554-K-PRG-EL-GEN-PHL-005

The maximum voltage drop (measured on the distribution bus) under motor starting or restarting
conditions should not exceed 10% of nominal voltage. Voltage drop at the motor terminal shall not
drop below 85% of the rated motor voltage.
As per clause 26.1.1 of A554-K-PRG-EL-GEN-PHL-005
All cables shall be routed above ground in continuous tray systems. Underground cable
installations shall be by exception and require Owner Electrical SME approval.
As per clause 26.1.2 of A554-K-PRG-EL-GEN-PHL-005
All low voltage and instrument cables shall be supplied according to IEC standards. Cable jackets
shall be flame retardant, UV rated for direct sunlight exposure and suitable use in cable tray. Cable
shall be steel wire armoured.

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 2 OF 11
REV 1

As per clause 26.1.3 of A554-K-PRG-EL-GEN-PHL-005

The maximum conductor operating temperature under normal conditions shall not exceed 90
degree Centigrade. Under emergency conditions the conductor shall not exceed 130 degree
centigrade. The maximum conductor temperature under short circuit conditions shall not exceed
250 degree centigrade based on maximum cable fault duration of 250 ms.

5. Basis of Design:
The system design parameters and the site ambient conditions are listed below.

Nominal Bus Voltage Levels

Medium Voltage
Low Voltage

4160 V, 3-phase
480 V, 3-phase,3 Wire

System Frequency

60 Hz

Site ambient air temperature

50 C

Fault Levels at various voltage levels

Medium Voltage

50kA, 1 sec

Low Voltage

65kA, 1 sec

Zsystem : 0.02 ohm (Typical Value)

Allowable voltage drops (starting and running) for LV and MV motors: 15 % and 5%
respectively.

Minimum conductor sizes at various voltage levels :

Medium Voltage motor feeder

25 mm

Low Voltage motor feeder

2.5 mm

Riyadh Cable data has been used for MV motor feeders and Ducab Cable data has been used
for LV motors.

For Motor details of MV motors ABB ANSI motor catalogue has been used, for LV motors
Brook Crompton ANSI motor catalogue has been used.

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 3 OF 11
REV 1

6. Calculation

MV Motor Feeder Cable Sizing Calculation

The sizing of 4.0 kV motor feeder cables shall take into account the following parameters:
a)
b)
c)

Current carrying capacity of cable.

Short circuit withstand capacity.
Voltage drop in the cable.

These cables are sized to account for the minimum thermal rating required by applying the de-rating
factors based on the laying conditions and the maximum short circuit withstand capability of the cable
has to be chosen greater than 50 kA ( for circuit breaker protected feeders). The maximum feeder length
is guided by the voltage drop calculations.

SIZING CRITERION A

Cables feeding a single motor used in a continuous duty application shall have an ampacity of not
less than Service Factor times the motors full load current rating.
Therefore the cable should be chosen such that the normal ampacity meets this criterion.

Normal Ampacity required =

FLC
xS .F
DF

(A)

Where,
FLC

Motor Full Load Current.

S.F

Motor Service Factor 1.0 (as per RT7D-0665-00 clause 4.1)

D.F

De-rating factor (based on cable laying conditions)

The motor full load current can be calculated as follows:

kW
3xkVxP.Fxefficien cy

(A)

Where,
kW

Rated kW of the motor.

Cable Operating Voltage.

P.F

Motor Power Factor.

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 4 OF 11
REV 1

De-rating Factor
a)
b)
c)

Ambient air temperature factor (50 C)

Grouping factor ( 5 cables in group 3 core 1 layer, 1D separation)
Overall de-rating factor

=
=
=
=
=

0.82
0.85
aXb
0.82 X 0.85
0.70.

Now for a 300 HP motor feeder the following calculation demonstrates the selection of cable cross
section based on SIZING CRITERION A:

The motor full load current can be calculated as :

kW
3xkVxP.Fxefficien cy

(A)

224
3 x 4 x0.84 x.93

41 (A) (224kW is the rating of the motor)

Now the cable ampacity required to feed the above motor is calculated as:

Ampacity required =

FLC
xS .F
DF

(A)

41
x1.0
0.70

= 58.57 (A).
2

1R X 3C X 25mm cable has a non de-rated ampacity of 150 (A). This is the minimum cable size
available for MV feeders.
2

Based on the calculations above it can be concluded that 1R X 3C X 25mm cable can feed 300 HP
motor feeder.

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 5 OF 11
REV 1

SIZING CRITERION B

The short circuit withstand capacity of the cable determines the minimum cross section area of the cable
which can be used.
The minimum cross section of the cable

Ix t
K

Where,
A

Minimum Area of cross section required for 4.16 kV cable system.

Insulation coefficient of XLPE cable.

Total fault clearing time in second.

Fault current rating of the switchgear.

Total Tripping time of 4.16 kV Circuit Breaker = 200 ms (Typical value)

The maximum fault rating of the 4.16kV switchgear is 50 kA.
The insulation coefficient of XLPE cables is 143.
The admissible current density D in short circuit conditions is given by the formula:

Ix t
K

Where A is the minimum Area of cross section required for 4.16 kV cable system.
K is the insulation coefficient of XLPE insulated cable = 143.

Then the Minimum Cross Section Area of the cable for 4.16 kV system

= 156.36 mm

50000 x 0.2
143

185 mm being the nearest available standard cross section of cable available is chosen to be the
minimum cross section of the cable.

FOR FUSE PROTECTED FEEDERS :

The Fuse rupturing time

= 0.005 sec.

The maximum fault rating of the 4.16kV switchgear is 50 kA.

The insulation coefficient of XLPE cables is 143.
The admissible current density D in short circuit conditions is given by the formula:

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 6 OF 11
REV 1

Ix t
K

Where A is the minimum Area of cross section required for 4.16 kV cable system.
K is the insulation coefficient of XLPE insulated cable = 143.

Then the Minimum Area of the cable for 4.16 kV system

50000 x 0.005
143
= 24.72 mm

25 mm being the nearest available standard cross section is chosen to be the minimum cross section of
cables for fuse protected motor feeders.
So it can be concluded that for fuse protected feeders all cable sizes can be used and for breaker
2
operated feeders minimum cable size which can be selected is 185 mm .

SIZING CRITERION C
The cable impedence causes a voltage drop at the load terminal, the same needs to be arrested within
the permissible limits. The following checks are performed towards achieving the above. For motor
feeders voltage drop criteria needs to be checked for both running and starting conditions.

Voltage drop in a motor feeder can be expressed as follows:

Vd running =

3xI m R cosr X sin r xL

1000 x N C

(V)

Vd starting =

3xI lrc R cosst X sin st xL

1000 x N C

(V)

Where,
Im

Rated current of motor.

Ilrc

Locked Rotor current of the motor.

cosr

Motor power factor for running condition.

cosst

Motor starting power factor.

Cable Resistance Ohm/km

Cable Reactance Ohm/km

Nc

Number of cables running in parallel.

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 7 OF 11
REV 1

The maximum length of cable which can be used maintaining the prescribed voltage drop limits is
calculated as follows:

m running =

m starting =

x1000 (m)

Vd x N C
3 xI m xR cosr X sin r

Vd x N C
3 xI lrc xR cosst X sin st

x1000 (m)

The permissible running and starting voltage drops are 5% and 15% respectively.
2

When feeding a 300 HP motor with 1R X 3C X 25 mm cable the maximum running and starting lengths
are:

mrunning

4000 x5 x 1
x1000
3 x 41x0.927 x0.84 0.146 x0.54 x100

= 3283 m.

mstarting

4000 x15 x 1
x1000
3 x 266 .5 x0.927 x0.22 0.146 x0.975 x100

= 3778 m.

Based on the above calculations it is concluded that a fuse protected 300 HP motor feeder can be fed
2
with a single run of 3 core 25 mm cable to a maximum length of 3283 m satisfying the running and the
starting voltage drops. As suggested above the same cable would not be suitable for feeding the same
motor feeder in the event the feeder is circuit breaker protected.

LV Motor Feeder Cable Sizing Calculation

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 8 OF 11
REV 1

Sizing of 460 volt motor feeder cables shall take into account the following parameters:
a)
b)

Current carrying capacity of the cable.

Voltage drop in the cable.

These cables are sized to account for the minimum thermal rating required by applying the de-rating
factors based on the laying conditions and the voltage drop limitations.
SIZING CRITERION A
Cables feeding a single motor used in a continuous duty application shall have an ampacity of not less
than Service Factor times the motors full load current rating.
Therefore the cable should be chosen such that the normal ampacity meets this criterion.

Normal Ampacity required =

FLC
xS .F
DF

(A)

Where,
FLC

Motor Full Load Current.

S.F

Motor Service Factor 1.15 ( as per RT7D-0613-00 clause 2.2)

D.F

De-rating factor (based on cable laying conditions)

The motor full load current can be calculated as follows :

kW
3xkVxP.Fxefficien cy

(A)

Where,
kW

Rated kW of the motor.

Cable Operating Voltage.

P.F

Motor Power Factor.

De-rating Factor
a)
b)
c)

Ambient air temperature factor (50 degree C)

Grouping factor for multi core cables laid in air
Overall de-rating factor

=
=
=
=
=

0.82
1
aXb
0.82 X 1
0.82.

Now for a 10 HP motor feeder the following calculation demonstrates the selection of cable cross
section based on SIZING CRITERION A:

The motor full load current can be calculated as:

kW
3xkVxP.Fxefficien cy

(A)

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 9 OF 11
REV 1

7 .5
3 x0.46 x0.84 x.895

12.5 (A) (7.5kW is the rating of the motor)

Now the cable ampacity required to feed the above motor is calculated as:

Ampacity required =

FLC
xS .F
DF

(A)

12.5
x1.15
0.82

= 17.53 (A).
2

1RX 4CX 2.5 mm cable has a non de-rated ampacity of 33 ampere. This is the minimum cable size
available for LV feeders.
2

Based on the calculations above it can be concluded 1RX 4CX 2.5 mm cable can feed 10 HP motor
feeder.

SIZING CRITERION B

The cable impedence causes a voltage drop at the load terminal, the same needs to be arrested within
the permissible limits. The following checks are performed towards achieving the above. For motor
feeders voltage drop criteria needs to be checked for both running and starting conditions.

Voltage drop in a motor feeder can be expressed as follows:

Vd running =

3xI m R cosr X sin r xL

1000 x N C

(V)

Vd starting =

3xI lrc R cosst X sin st xL

1000 x N C

(V)

Where,
Im

Rated current of motor.

Ilrc

Locked Rotor current of the motor.

cosr

Motor power factor for running condition.

cosst

Motor starting power factor.

Cable Resistance Ohm/km

Cable Reactance Ohm/km

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

Nc

PAGE 10 OF 11
REV 1

Number of cables running in parallel.

The maximum length of cable which can be used maintaining the prescribed voltage drop limits is
calculated as follows:

m running =

m starting =

x1000 (m)

Vd x N C
3 xI m xR cosr X sin r

Vd x N C
3 xI lrc xR cosst X sin st

x1000 (m)

The permissible running and starting voltage drops are 5% and 15% respectively.
2

When feeding a 10 HP motor fed with 1RX 4CX 2.5 mm cable the maximum running and stating
lengths are:

m running =

460 x 1x5
x1000
3 x12.50 x9.45 x0.84 0.121x0.54 x100

=132.87 m

m starting =

460 x 1x15
x1000 m
3 x81x9.45 x0.54 0.121x0.84 x100

= 94.5 m

Based on the comparison made between the length based on voltage drop, the maximum cable length is
taken as the shorter of the two. So based on the calculations above it can be concluded that a 10 HP motor
2
can be fed by a 1RX 4CX 2.5 mm cable up to a maximum length of 94.5 m.

LV cable short circuit capabilities:

The cable short circuit current capabilities is based upon the adiabatic equation given by
2

T=( k X s )/I

Where cable withstand capability is given by (k X s ) = A

CABLE SIZING CALCULATION

AND REPORT FOR MV AND LV
MOTOR FEEDERS

PAGE 11 OF 11
REV 1

Where k is the cable insulation thermal constant (143 for XLPE insulated cables) and s is the cable cross
2
section in mm .
The cable of chosen cross-section and the short circuit capacity is checked to determine if it is capable of
withstanding the let-through energy of the connected protective device.
2

Now for feeding a 15 HP motor with a 2.5 mm it can be checked that the cable withstand for 0.005 sec is
2
5.06 kA, while the fuse let through current stands at 5.7 kA. So the only restriction is 2.5 mm cable can feed
motors up to 10 HP.

7. Cable Selection Chart :

Cables are selected by locating the motor kW rating under the relevant Data column, then by viewing
horizontally, the first record displayed that exceeds the known cable route length is selected. Viewing up this
column indicates the minimum allowable cable size.
The following formula is used within the spreadsheet.
The cable current carrying capacity after applying a de-rating factor is compared with the Motor FLC. (In
case of motors, this is normally set to Service Factor times the motor full load current)
ICABLE x F > ITHS
ICABLE
F
ITHS

Cable current rating

De-rating factor
Thermal relay setting

If the duty exceeds the cable de-rated capability then a =T= is displayed in the chart.
For Breaker fed MV motors a =T= is also displayed even if the short circuit capability of the cable is
exceeded.
For motor feeders, the spreadsheet determines whether the starting conditions or the running conditions
determine the maximum permissible cable, this is denoted by a {s} or {r} alongside the figures on the sheet.
For the motor feeders, the criterion which determines the maximum permissible cable length is displayed by
the side as
(=T=) when the thermal limit of the cable is exceeded and a larger cable is required,
(=L=) when the cable exceeds the specified maximum length
Also
{S} when voltage drop at starting dictates the length (for motors).
{R} when voltage drop at running condition determines the length (for motors).