Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 7, No.
2, April 1992
CALCULATION OF SECONDARY CABLE LOSSES AND AMPACITY
IN THE PRESENCE OF HARMONICS
A. P. Sakis Meliopoulos
School of Electrical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia 30332
A B S T R A C T : Harmonics in secondary distribution cable
systems cause increased ohmic losses and increased operating
temperatures. The computation of losses and operating tempera-
ture is very complex. This paper presents a simplified procedure
for computing ohmic losses in secondary distribution cable
systems by extending the Neher-McGrath model for 60 Hz losses.
Specifically, simplified formulae are given for evaluating ohmic
losses due to harmonics. These results are subsequently used to
compute the cable ampacity or the derating factor due to
harmonics. The overall method is simple to follow and can be
performed with a hand-held calculator. A typical example is
given in the paper.
1. INTRODUCTION
During the past decade, changing lifestyles, urban growth, and
advancements in technology have caused a proliferation of new
and additional electrical devices into the home and workplace
[7,8]. Many of these devices cause electric current and voltage
waveform distortion or, alternatively. they generate harmonics.
The harmonic currents, when small in magnitude, can cause
telephone interference, but rarely significantly effect the
ampacity of cable systems rated 600 volts and below. However,
when the magnitude of harmonic current exceeds approximately
5% to 10% of the fundamental 60 Hz current, then the harmonic
losses in the service conductors can be excessive and may require
derating of the cable.
Power grid connected electric devices which generate harmonic
currents in the power circuit include fluorescent light ballast
transformers, induction motors, incandescent light dimmers,
overexcited transformers, arc welding equipment, AC/DC rotary
converters, battery chargers, computers, and any type of device
that utilizes rectified AC power to drive DC equipment [2,3].
Due to the increased use of most of this equipment, many low
voltage supply systems are corrupted with high levels of
harmonic currents, especially low harmonic order currents. The
effects of these harmonics on cable ampacity are examined in
this paper.
91 WM 250-1 PWRD A paper recommended and approved
by the IEEE Insulated Conductors Committee of the
IEEE Power Engineering Society for presentation at
the IEEE/PES 1991 Winter Meeting, New York, New York,
February 3-7, 1991. Manuscript submitted
August 31, 1990; made available for printing
December 11, 1990.
451
M. A. Martin, 3r.
M&E Technology, Inc.
Marietta, Georgia 30067
2. EFFECTS O F HARMONIC CURRENTS
When significant harmonic currents are present in low voltage
supply systems, additional I*R losses occur in the phase or line
conductors as well as the neutral conductor. Significant harmonic
currents may be present in secondary circuits of three-phase delta
or wye-connected transformers and single-phase transformers.
Zero sequence harmonic currents flow in the phase conductors,
add in the neutral resulting in even higher harmonic current flow
in the neutral. Thus, the harmonic current flow in the neutral
must be considered in the design of the supply system.
The presence of harmonic currents in the supply conductors
affects the ampacity of the supply system because of the
additional I2R losses. The determination of ohmic losses is
complicated by the fact that the resistance of the cables is
frequency dependent. Specifically, the resistance is increased
with frequency because of the skin effect and proximity effect in
the conductors and proximity effect from metallic conduit (if
present). The effects of harmonic currents in the neutral conduc-
tors can be evaluated with the same methods as for the phase or
line conductors. However, the harmonic current magnitudes may
be different in the neutral conductors due to non-cancellation of
zero sequence harmonic currents and the cancellation of the
positive and negative sequence harmonic currents. Thus, the
neutral becomes an additional heat generating conductor and must
be considered in the ampacity calculation for three-phase wye-
connected and single-phase circuits.
In summary, harmonics generate additional ohmic losses in
secondary distribution systems which affect the ampacity of the
cables.
3. NEC AMPACITY TABLES
In Article 310 of the 1990 National Electric Code from notes to
the ampacity tables, Note 1OC points out the concern for
harmonic currents. However, the ampacity ratings shown in
Tables 310-16 through 310-19 and 310-69 through 310-84 do
not include any derating for the presence of harmonic currents.
Furthermore, if the tables are used to rate three-phase four-wire
wye-connected power circuits with harmonic currents present,
then an additional current-carrying conductor, i.e. the neutral,
would have Lo be considered in the heat generation because these
tables are based o n three or less current-carrying conductors.
The classic Neher-McGrath [l] equation, which is shown in
Section 310-15-B of NEC, can be used to calculate ampacities for
600 volt cable systems. This equation is applicable to systems
with fundamental frequency currents only. This paper presents an
extension of the Neher-McGrath equation for computing the
effects of harmonics on the ampacity of cables. The proposed
452
method will be discussed in more detail in the following sections
of this paper.

4. CABLE TYPES AND CONFIGURATIONS

This paper addresses the calculation of the effects of harmonics where: I, : the rms value of the electric current, i.e.
in 600 volt class cable utilized in secondary distribution
systems. These cables may be arranged in metallic or PVC
conduit as it is illustrated in Figure la. or in individual or PVC I L= c
tlEN
I,
conduit (one per phase and neutral) as it is illustrated in
Figure lb.
Here we shall concentrate on the computation of the cable ac
resistance at a specific harmonic, i.e. rac(n). This resistance is
affected by the skin effect, proximity effect to other conductors,
and proximity effect to metallic conduit. One can write:

where: a ( n ) : contribution to ac resistance due to skin effect

xs,(n) : contribution to ac resistance due to proximity of
other conductors
x,(n) : contribution to ac resistance due to proximity of
pipe or conduit

The expressions for x,(n), x,,(n), and xcp(n) were derived for a
frequency n60 Hz, using the same assumptions and approxima-
tions as the same expressions given in reference [l] for 60 Hz
currents. Additional values have been developed through research
work sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute [9]. The
derived equations are as follows:

FIGURE 1. TYPICAL 600 V CABLE CIRCUITS The contribution to the ac resistance due to the skin effect is
given by the formula:
5. MODEL DESCRIPTION

The ampacity of the cable is determined by the ohmic losses of

the cable systems and the ability of its surroundings to remove
the heat generated by the ohmic losses. Models to describe the
heat transfer around cable circuits exist in the literature [1,4,6]. where: k={-
These models donot reflect the presence or absence of harmonic a : conductor radius
currents. Thus discussion of these models is not necessary. On p : conductor permittivity
the other hand, the ohmic losses are dependent upon the presence CT : conductor conductivity
and magnitude of harmonic currents. This section describes the n : harmonic order
computational procedure for evaluating ohmic losses in the
presence of harmonics. It is assumed that the electric current
flow in a cable conductor is known. The functions M,(ka), Ml(ka), 8,(ka), Q1(ka) are given in
Table 1.

The contribution to ac resistance increase due to proximity to

other conductors is given by the formula:
where: i(t) : the total instantaneous current in the conductor
in(t) : the instantaneous value of the n* harmonic current + 0.312
x,(n) = F(xp)(+T( l.18
n : the harmonic order (n=l is the fundamental) F(sp) + 0.27 (6)

In general the ohmic losses of the cable are given with: where:
xp = at the n* harmonic
s
k = m
where: rac(n) : the cable resistance at the nth harmonic
I,, : the rms value of the nth harmonic current D, : conductor diameter
k, : empirical factor from Table 2
One can define an effective ac resistance based on the total ohmic
losses:
 TABLE 1. MODULUS AND PHASE OF THE MODIFIED BESSEL FUNCTIONS 453
- - _ _
2 elw z eOw elw
,000 loo00 ,000
M1b)
-
oooo 135 00 1 30 1. 0430
-
73 75
M+Z)

b548 147 07
025 1 0000 009 Oi25 135 00 1 35 1.0500 7 5 54 6808 ire 02
om 1 OOOO .036 0250 135 02 1 40 1. 0506 27 37 7070 148 w
075 1 OOOO 001 0375 135 04 1 45 1.0672 29 26 7333 150 00
100 1 OOOO . 143 OS00 135 07 1 M 1. 0767 31 19 7598 151 04
125 i 0000 ,724 0625 135 11 1 59 1.0871 33 16 7866 152 12
150 1 OOOO .322 07SO 136 16 1 60 1.0984 35 17 0136 153 23
175 1 0000 ,439 0875 135 22 1 65 1.110s 37 22 8408 154 3e
200 1 OOOO 573 1000 135 29 1 70 1. 1242 39 30 me4 is5 55
-
250 H
225
%+&
1 0001 1250
135
135
36
45
1 75
1 00 -?A1 1 12 4%70 8962
9244
156
i5e
76
00
275 1375 135 34 1 03 45 9530 159 27
300 1 O001 1 289 1500 135 64 1 90 1 1 w2 47 88 9819 160 57
325 1 0002 1 513 1625 135 76 1 95 1 1 I85 MOB 1 0113 161 90
350 1 0002 1 754 1750 135 08 2 00 1 2 !VO 52 29 1 0412 163 17
375 1 0003 1014 1075 136 01 205 1. 1 w 54 51 1 0715 164 66

%%w
4 00 1 0004 2 191 7000 136 12 2 10 1. 1 4 1 56 74 I 1024 166 oe
425 1 0005 2 587 2125 136 29 2 15 I.1 186 58 Pe 1 1339 167 53
4 50 1 0006 2 900 2250 136 45 2 20 1. 3 !46 61 22 1 1659 169 00
-
500
475 oooe
0010
3 231
3 579 +% 63 4 6
65 71
525 0012 3 946 2676 67 V5
550 0014 4 330 2751 137 17 2 40 1 4429 70 19
575 0017 4 731 2076 137 37 2 50 1 3111 74 6 5
600 0020 3 152 300 1 137 58 2 60 I 5855 79 09
625 0024 3 309 3126 137 80 2 70 1 6665 03 50
650 0028 6 044 3252 138 03 2 80 1 7541 e7 e7
675 0032 6 517 3377 130 26 2 90 1 8486 91 21
700 0037 7 007 3502 138 51 3 00 1 9502 96 52
- 725
750
0043
0049
7 515
e 040
-
362e
3753
138
139
76
03
3 io
3 20
2 0592
2 1760
100 79
105 03
775 0056 e 582 3879 139 30 3 30 2 3009 109 25
eo0 0064 9 141 4004 139 50 3 40 0 4342 113 4 3
825 0072 9 718 4130 139 e7 3 50 2 5764 117 60
e 50 0081 10 312 4256 140 17 3 60 2 7280 121 75
e75 0091 10 923 4382 140 *a 3 70 2 0894 125 e7
900 0102 11 550 4308 140 80 3 80 3 0613 129 99
925 0114 12 194 4634 141 12 3 90 3 2443 134 10
138 iv
- 975
1 000
950 0127
0140
0153
12
13
14
e55
533
226
4760
-
4ee6
5013
141
141
142 16
46
00
4
4 50
5 00
00 3 4391
4 6179
6 2312
-
158 59
178 93
1 025 0171 14 936 3140 142 sa sm e 4473 iw 2e
1 os0 oiee 15 612 5267 142 09 6 00 1 1 5008 219 63 IO 8502 313 4J
1 075 0207 16 403 5394 143 27 6 50 15 7170 239 96 14 8961 333 46
1 100 0227 17 160 552i 143.63 7 00 a i 5478 260 29 20 5002 353 51
1 125 0248 17 933 5640 144 o b 7 M 29 6213 2eo 61 ze 2736 373 59
1 150 0270 10 720 5776 $44 46 e 00 40 e175 300 92 39 0696 393 69
1 175 0294 19 523 5904 144 e7 e 50 54 3581 321 22 $4 0007 413 82
1 200 0320 ZG 340 6032 145 29 7 00 77 9564 341 52 74 974.1 433 94
1 225 0347 21 172 6161 1 4 5 73 9 30 ioe 003e 361 e1 I04 0822 454 1 1
1 250 0376 12 017 6290 146 17 10 U0 149 0476 382 10 1 4 4 6708 474 2e
- - -
TABLE 2. RECOMMENDED VALUES OF k, AND kp

bwrocric m d . . ........... .None.. ............... .None.. ............ I . 0 .............;::

Cooaavc rwuod.. .Tin or Jloy. ...........Noor.. ............ l . 0 .............
............Noor..
Oacraow round.. ........... ................Y a . . ............. l . O .............O. .
Campm m d .
Canmet m a
..............
l...........Nooe..
.
................Yea. ..............1 .0 ............ .o . o
.Nom.. ................None.. ............ 0.435. ........... .O . 8
k p w t =mal
-put -cod..
.........
.. .Tin Of ......... .NOOC..
..........Nooe..................
UOT.. ........... .O. I .............O. 7
Ya.............. .O. 435. ............O. 37
Compact Itnor.. ..............Nooe.. ................Yea.. ............. 1 .O.. ...........(moote)

NWn:
1. T& tem W m t d denotes a apmdmd madoctor *hi& hu W robjaecd to -0s M di m a t -
bg prsar a d u to thc emplomd on paper porrr r r b l r
2. R u n m i t y &sa 00 cornpet cooducton -7 b. rJI0 U ooe-ball of tbu tor ocnm rouod
L * t b r - W MmdiMLL(iOOch9ebem.
1. R d m i W d m 01 mnIJu md- PT b eppmstmatd by. ..Lac the d a e fw amccaaie
mand -doctor d rk nme w i o a r l u m and Tk 4 dinmeter d tbr .noulu
type .nd L)U -rrl d 6e?~I ttom rb.unmr d m the akin d m but. for a riven rd.l &or. ends
h f u o k im .
IIincrar io p o x h i i n .

4 T h d a m Llrtcd &ore l a compact -MI rdw (0 folv -ot coo1tmctioma. Tbe oneated.
Euted d u u ( l u y J.0 be &eo U appliabk to lout -88t LDmmC! r g m c n u l with b U o w con tap
-rJy 0.75 iocb dar). l o r ~~~rolitrd-tmstd.* rrmeac hDUow pocc 0ornp.n agmenul limited
Y dam (.dloer & u d 4 .J.r d 039 and 0.33 W r c l T .

Reproduced from Reference 1.

 454

The harmonic signature can be also d e f i e d for a distorted voltage.

&(x), Ml(x), O,(x), 01(x) are Bessel functions from
Table 1 The harmonic current signature completely determines the distorted
current. Given the harmonic signature, the losses in a cable system
S : conductor separation distance
can be computed by the following procedure.
n : harmonic order
Step 1 Determine the electric current flowing in each cable, i.e.
The contribution to the ac resistance increase due to proximity to a
determine the harmonic signature in each cable.
metallic non-magnetic pipe or conduit is given by the formula:
Step 2 For each cable conductor and each harmonic, perform the
following computations:

- Compute x, (n)
- Computer xsp(n)
where: s = (Dp - D,)/ 2 for wide triangular spacing - Computer s p ( n ) if in metallic conduit
= 0.578 D, for close triangular spacing - Compute r&).
n : order of harmonic
r, : pipe or conduit dc resistance in Ohmsheter Step 3 Apply Equation (2) to compute total losses.
D,, : mean diameter of pipe
In order to facilitate the computations, the spreadsheet shown in
Q : outside cable insulation diameter
Figures 2-5is suggested.
Dp : inside diameter of pipe or conduit
5.3 Derat ine Due t o Harmonic$
The contribution to the ac resistance increase due to proximity to a
steel pipe or magnetic conduit is given by the formula: Derating factors due to the presence of harmonics can be defined only
for a specified harmonic signature. The derating factor is defined as
follows:

Given a harmonic signature {IB,a 1 , a3. as,a7, ...), the

for close triangular arrangement derating factor, k, is defined as the number k such that an
identical cable carrying undistorted electric current of 11 =
0.34s + 0.175 Dp o.3048 106
%(n) = ct I6 a1Igk has the same losses as the cable carrying the electric
rdc (9)
current with the given harmonic signature.
for cradled arrangement
This definition provides a computational method for the deratinl
where: a = 1.7 for steel pipe factor as follows: Given a harmonic signature {IB,al.a3,as,...)
= 0.8 for iron conduit the total ohmic losses, Plos,. are computed assuming an arbitrary basc
n : harmonic order current, for example, IB = 100 Amperes. Subsequently, tht
S : axial spacing between adjacent cables fundamental current 11 is computed which alone will yield equal tota
D, : inside diameter of pipe or conduit losses. The derating factor is:
rdc : cable dc resistance in ohms/meter

5.2 Calculation of Ohmic Losses

Mathematically, this procedure can be expressed as follows:
The calculation of cable ohmic losses for a cable carrying a distorted
electric current is performed by computing the losses at each
harmonic and summing the results. In order to systemize the
procedure, the definition of harmonic signature is introduced.

Thus the derating factor is:

Harmonic current signature is defined as the sequence (IB,a1 , a3,a5,
a,, ...I, where IB is the base rms value (it can be arbitrarily selected),
and ai is the per unit value of the i* harmonic with respect to the
base IB .
v Rw
Note that the derating factor is always less than 1.
The relationship of the rms value and the harmonic signature is as
follows:
 455

For three phase systems, the derating factor is defined by

assuming that a three phase balanced current is flowing in
the system. An approximate and conservative expression
for the derating factor in this case is:

where: rlcSA(l) : the ac resistance of phase A conductor at

fundamental frequency
the ac resistance of phase B conductor at
fundamental frequency FIGURE 2 RESISTANCE AND OHMIC LOSS CALCULATIONS FOR PHASE A

r-
the ac resistance of phase C conductor at
fundamental frequency
Harmonic
-
Electrlc Skln Proxlmlty Proxlmlty AC Losses
the total ohmic losses in the system, Slgnaturi Current Erfect to t o Plpel Reslstance
(Amperes Factor conductors Conduit
including losses due to harmonics in all
conductors I 'S 'SP ' CD

350 A __ __
a l I ~ : the magnitude of the fundamental
350 A 000735 001370 000107 00001078 132034
frequency electric current in the three
phase cable system 80 A 0 08549 0 I2886 0 00964 0 0001 29 0 0826

12 A 0 22029 0 25290 0 02679 0 0001582 0 0228

When the above approximation for derating the cable
ampacity is not accurate enough or when significant zero
sequence harmonic currents are present in the neutral, then
- 12 A 0 37462 0 34704 0 0525 I 0 000 187 I 0 02694

the classic Neher-McGrath equation [l] for ampacity must be TOTALS - I

rms

-
employed for re-rating the cable.
0 233
- 359 43 r
ac.efr
OOOOIO~ I 4 079

FIGURE 3 RESISTANCE AND OHNIC LOSS CALCULATIONS FOR PHASE B

I=4 7 k i l o a m p e r e s
Rdc (1+Yc) Rca'
Hannonlc Electrlc Skin Proximity Proximity AC Loases
Errect to to piDe, Reslstawe
Factor conductors conauit o~msmter
where: Tc : maximum operating temperature of (Amperes1
'S 'SO 'CD
conductor ('C)
TA : ambient earth temperature ('C)
_. __ __ -_
Rdc : D-Cresistance of conductor (microhms per Fmdamental I 1.0 350 A 000735 002129 000107 00001086 133014

0 08549 0 2039 I 0 00964 0 000 I37 0 8768

foot)
Y, : increase in resistance due to skin and 0 22029 0 40942 0 02679 0 000 I75 0 0252

proximity effects 037462 057620 005251 000021 00304

-
Rea'
*I
: effective thermal resistance between
conductor and ambient for the conductor
loss* TOTALS r
ac,erf
-o 000 1096 I 4 2338

-
*include terms: Rsd': thermal resistance between cable
and conduit FIGURE 4. RESISTANCE AND OHMIC LOSS CALCULATIONS FOR PHASE C
-
R d ' : thermal resistance of conduit (non-
metallic conduit)
- Harmonlc Electrlc Skln Proxlmlty Proxlmlty AC Losses
Re' : thermal resistance between conduit Sl$mature Cwrent
(AmperesI
Erfect
Fact or
to t o Plot/
Conductors Conduit
Reslstance

and ambient earth '5 ' SD ' CP

Base 35OA -- ._
For cable ratings where harmonic currents are effective in
Fundamental 00 OA 000735 0011360 OOOlO7 00001074 00
increasing the resistance of three or less current carrying
3rd Harmonic 0 6857 240 A 0 08549 010626 000964 00001267 72971
conductors, then the Rdc(l+Y,) term should be replaced with
5th Harmonic 0 0 OA 022029 020697 002679
r.,,,,ff x .3048 x 106. However. if zero sequence harmonic 00001508 00

currents are present in the neutral (wye connected loads), 7th Harmontc oo OA 037462 028155 005251 00001752 00

then a forth heat generation per 3 phase circuit must be THD P

considered in the ampacity calculations. This is easily I rms 105s
TOTALS
accomplished by increasing the n' term to 4 in the following 240 0 r ac,er,- oooo1267 72971
equations:
FIGURE 5 RESISTANCE AND OHMIC LOSS CALCULATIONS FOR NEUTRAL
456 -
~~t = n'A
1 + (B+CTm)Ds' eq. 41, ref. [ l ] PI, = 49.7679 watts/meter

ExamDle 2 . Consider the secondary three phase distribution

circuit of Example 1. Assume that the circuit feeds an electric
eq. 40, ref. [ l ] load with the relative harmonic content as above. Compute the
cable ampacity derating due to the presence of harmonics. For

-
Rei = 0.012 pen' x log % + (LF)log
[ De
[ep]] eq. 44,
ref [ l ]
this purpose use eq. 13.

Solutioq: Upon substitution into eq. 13, the derating factor is

computed to be:

6. SAMPLE CALCULATIONS

The proposed computational procedure will be demonstrated with

two examples. IRMs = 394 x 338 = 302 amperes

Consider a secondary circuit consisting of three For the ampacity rating of 338 amperes from NEC Table
500 kcmil 600 V aluminum cables and one 500 kcmil 600 V B-310-7, the recalculated ampacity for Example 1 is 312 amperes
aluminum neutral cable. (92% of NEC rating). Comparison between the two methods
indicates that the approximation of 302A (89.4% of NEC rating)
Cable Parameters (eq. 13) is more conservative than the recalculated ampacity of
312 amperes (eq. 14). Either method will result in ampacity
(1) Class B 37 strand (compressed) ratings that are correct when harmonics are present in the circuit.
(2) Insulation thickness - 95 mils
(3) Conductor diameter - 89 mils 7. CONCLUSIONS
NEC Calculated Ampacitv
Harmonics in secondary distribution cable systems generate
increased ohmic losses and increased operating temperatures.
(1)* Cable in conduit (Table 310-16) - 350 Amperes This paper presented a set of simplified equations for computing
(2)* Cable in buried conduit (Table B-310-7) - 338 Amperes the total ohmic losses in a secondary distribution cable system
with distorted electric currents. These equations can be subse-
*These ratings are for three cables and one conduit.
quently used to compute the required derating factor for the cable
system because of the presence of harmonics. The computation
The secondary circuit is placed in metallic non-magnetic conduit
procedure has been organized in a 'spreadsheet' like method and
in a close triangular arrangement. The mean diameter of the pipe can be performed with a handheld calculator. A typical example
is 4 inches, its thickness is 0.125 inches, and its resistance is
of these computations is included in the paper.
0.0031 ohms/meter. The three phase system carries the
following electric current:
Engineers who currently use computer programs to calculate cable
ampacities can easily substitute rac,eff (eq. 3) for the A-C resis-
(1) Fundamental - 350 A (positive sequence)
tance term normally used in their programs. Moreover, when
(2) Third harmonic - 80 A (zero sequence)
zero sequence harmonic currents are present in the neutral
(3) Fifth harmonic - 12 A (negative sequence)
conductor, the n' term (eqs. 40, 41, & 44) can be increased as
(4) Seventh harmonic - 12 A (positive sequence)
necessary to further refine the ampacity calculation.
Compute the cable losses per unit length of the cable. Assume a
close configuration. Compute separately the 60 Hz losses and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
the total losses.
The simplified procedure for computing cable system losses
Solution: First, the harmonic signature for each of the four presented in this paper has evolved from a rigorous computer
cables is computed, yielding: based model of cable distribution systems which has been devel-
oped under EPRI sponsorship (computer model SMECC) [5]. The
Phase A : H.S. = (350A. 1.0, 0.2285, 0.0343, 0.0343) authors express their appreciation to the Electric Power Research
Phase B : H.S. = (350A, 1.0, 0.2285, 0.0343, 0.0343) Ins ti tu te.
Phase C : H.S. = (350A. 1.0, 0.2285, 0.0343, 0.0343)
Neutral : H.S. = (350A, 0.0, 0.6857. 0.0, 0.0 ) The calculations for the example cited in the paper were
performed by the first author's students as a special assignment.
Next, the ohmic losses for each cable are computed as it is The participating students were: B. Chung, S. S. Davidson,
illustrated in the spreadsheets of Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 . The U. A. Deutsch, W. R. Hatton. R. Mills, T. W. Paul, J. A. Tabler.
quantities xS, xsp, and xCp, appearing in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, Y. Tang, F. Xia, and F. Zhang.
have been computed by direct substitutions into the equations
presented in this paper. The total power loss is computed by
summing the results in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5.
 ~

REFERENCES
J. H. Neher, M. H. McGrath, "The Calculation of the
Temperature Rise and Load Capability of Cable Systems,"
AIEE Transactions, vol. 76, pp. 752-772. October 1957.
EPRI Report EL-1627, "Study of Distribution System Surge
and Harmonic Characteristics," 1980.
A. P. Sakis Meliopoulos, K. R. Chakravarthi, T. Ortmeyer.
"Effects of Harmonics on Power System Equipment and
Loads," IEEE Tutorial Course, Power System Harmonics,
84EH0221-2-PWR.
J. Zaborsky, J. W. Rittenhouse, Electric Power
Transmission, 1969.
457
5. A. P. Meliopoulos, Jean-Francois Masson, "Modeling and
Analysis of URD Cable Systems," presented at the 1989
T&D Conference, Paper 89TD 359-1 PWRD.
6. A. P. Meliopoulos. power Syst em Grou& ' e Transientt,
Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1988.
7. IEEE Std 519, IEEE Guide for Harmonic Control and
Reactive Compensation of Static Power Converters.
8. Ray P. Strattford, "Harmonic Pollution on Power Systems -
A Change in Philosophy," IEEE Transactions on Industry
Applications, vol. IA-16, no. 5, pp. 617-623, Sept./Oct.
1980.
9. EPRJ Report EL-I 125. "Determination of AC Conductor and
Pipe Loss in Paper-Type Cable Systems," July 1979.

BIOSKETCHES
-
A. P. Sakis
Meliopoulos (M '76, SM
'83) was born in Katerini,
Greece, i n 1949. He
received the M.E. and E.E.
diploma from the National
Technical Unviersity of
Athens, Greece, in 1972;
the M.S.E.E. and Ph.D.
degrees from the Georgia
Institute of Technology in
1974 and 1976,
respectively. In 1971, he
worked for Western Electric
In Atlanta, Georgia. In 1976, he joined the faculty of Electrical
Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, where he is
presently a Professor. He is active in teaching and research in
the general areas of modeling, analysis, and control of power
systems. He has made significant contributions to power system
grounding, harmonics, and reliability assessment of power
systems. He is the author of the book Power Svstems Grounding
and Transients, Marcel Dekker, June 1988, and the forthcoming
monograph, Numerical Solution Methods of Algebraic Eauations.
EPRI Monograph Series. Dr. Meliopoulos is a member of the
Hellenic Society of Professional Engineers and the Sigma Xi.

M. A. Martin, Jr. (M '68, SM '82) received his BSET degree

from Southern Technical Institute in 1978. Mr. Martin was
formally supervisor of the Georgia Power Company Research
Laboratory, where he participated in various industry research
projects. Mr. Martin is now President of M&E Technology, Inc.
which was founded in 1982. He has authored numerous technical
papers and is currently a member of the Insulated Conductor
Committee, Electric Insulation Society, and the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers.
 458
Discussion , Pipe or Conduit

Ajit Hiranandani M.S.E., P.E., Member IEEE: The Detroit Edison

Company, Detroit, Michigan
This paper provides a useful simplified method of calculation of sec-
ondary cable losses and ampacity in the presence of harmonics using the
Neher-McGrath model.
I have the following comments with regard to this paper: Equation (13) Phase conductors
of this paper is an expression for the derating of ampacity assuming
balanced three phase currents are flowing in each phase of the system. The
author states that when eqn. (13) is not accurate enough or when signifi- R
cant zero sequence current is present in the neutral, the classic Neher-Mc-
Grath model must be used for rating the cable. The Neher-McGrath
equation is
4
I= d(Tc - Ta)/Rdc(l + Yc)R:a (A) /
Neutral Conductor
Ta
is based on the calculation of ampacity for balanced or equal loading
between all cables in the system, including the current carrying neutral at Fig. 1. Calculation of phase and neutral conductor ampacities in presence of
fundamental power frequency. This condition usually does not exist harmonics.
when harmonic currents are flowing especially in the relationship of the
phases to the neutral. Hence the problem of sizing of neutrals in presence
of harmonics is of great importance. For critical systems such as computer loading, [I]. Equations 5 & 38 of this paper can be used for the solution of
systems or emergency services proper rating is required to avoid cable steady state temperatures and ampacities of this system with harmonics
overheating in the presence of harmonics for greater reliability. A wye VI.
connected three phase system can also present a source of harmonics in the
neutral current.
The calculation of derating factor using Neher-McGrath formula [2] is
not applicable to an unbalanced power system. Equation (A) applies to a
group of cables with effective dia.Ds which may not apply when cables
are not arranged in1 a circle. At the present time neither the National
Electric Code [3] (Table 310-16) or IEEE Std for Power Cable Ampacities
[4] do not provide derating factors for harmonic heating in power cables.
The more correct and rigorous method is the use of THE A-H GENER-
ALIZED AMPACITY MODEL (by A. Hiranandani) as developed in the
paper Calculation of Conductor Temperatures and Ampacities of Cable
Systems Using a Generalized FDM Method IEEE Transactions on
Power Delivery-Jan. 1991, Vol. 6, No. 1 [l] can be applied for the
calculation of cable ampacities in any cable system even with unbalanced

Q l, Q2, Q3 & Q4 is the heat generated per unit length of each cable that
where includes heating due to fundamental and harmonic components.
L
For this system from ref. [l], eqn. 2A l/R,i = -(El/R,j + I/R,a)
+
Hence, l / R l l = -(1/RI2 l/R13+ l/R14 + l/Rla)

1/R22 = (1/R21 + 1/R23 + 1/R24 + 1/R2a)

1 1/R33 = (1/R31 + 1/R32 + 1/R?4 + lR3a)

1/R44 = (1/R41 + 1/R42 + 1/R43 + 1/R40) (E)

and Refer to equations 17 to 23 in ref [ 11 for computation of R 12, R 13, R 14,

R,,, Rm, RA,
i#j Prom ref. [I], eqn. B- 1
In example 1 of the paper under discussion applying the A-H AMPAC- RI, = (k1/27r) In (Rl/rl),
ITY MODEL, N = 5 including the ambient node. If L = N - 1 = 5 - 1
= 4 and eqn. B becomes R,, = (k2/27r) In (R2/r2),
R,, = (k3/27r) In (R3/r3) + kct
R4a = ( k 4 / 2 ~ In
) (R4/r4) + k,t (F)

where kl, k2, k3 and k4 are the thermal resistivities of conductor

insulation R I , R,, R,, R4 are the outside radii of cables, r l , r2, r3, r4 are
inside radii of the cable or equivalent conductor. K, is the thermal

conductivity of conduit and t its thickness. Wd is dielectric loss in cable
insulation per unit length. R,,, R , and R,, are thermal resistances of the
cable system as defined in [ 11.
Since Q,, Q2, Q3 & Q4 are known, we can now solve for T I ,
T,, . . . T,, the ave. conductor temperatures including harmonic heating
and for a given loading using equation (B). On the other hand cable
ampacities I,, I,, I, and amapcity of neutral conductor I, can be calcu-
lated from equation (C) for a given conductor temperature distribution.
Using equation (C) for ampacities of the system,
[jl
14
I , , I,, I, = ampacities of phase conductors
I, = INeutra,= ampacity of neutral conductor
T, , T2, T3 & T4 are design temperatures of conductors 1, 2, 3 & 4
The deviation of the Neher-McGrath model [2] from the rigorous A-H
GENERALIZED AMPACITY MODEL [l] will be more dominant as
phase and neutral unbalance due to harmonics increases.
Note that equation (C) reduces to equation (A) for a single cable since
the 1/R,, terms reduce to zero.
References
[I] Ajit Hiranandani Calculation of Conductor Temperatures and Am-
pacities of Cable Systems using a Generalized Finite Difference
Model IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery Vol. 6, Number 1,
Jan. 1991.
[2] J. J. Neher, M. H. McGrath The Calculation of the Temperature
Rise and Load Capability of Cable Systems AIEE Transactions,
vol. 76, pp 752-772, Oct. 1957.
[3] National Electric Code Handbook 1990 (NFPA).
[4] Power Cable Ampacities, Vol. 1 Copper and Aluminum Conductors.
IPCEA Publication p46-426, Second Printing, 1978.
Manuscript received February 25, 1991.
A. Ernst, (Underground Systems, Inc., Armonk, NY): This paper draws
attention to the phenomenon of losses due to harmonics on power distribu-
tion systems. Two questions are addressed: 1) What is the magnitude of
these losses? and 2) How do the additional losses due to harmonics affect
temperature rise and/or current ratings of these conductors?
In relation to item 1) equations 7 and 8 of the paper are stated to
compute the contribution to the ac resistance increase due to proximity
to a metallic pipe. The factors computed by these equations in fact
account for the losses in the pipe itself. Further, in the case of a magnetic
pipe there is an additional component of loss in the conductors due to the
proximity of the magnetic pipe. (This pipe proximity effect is accounted
for in reference 1 of the paper by increasing the conductor skin and
proximity loss factors by 70%. Alternately reference A of this discussion
gives specific equations for this loss). Would the authors please supply
references for the frequency dependence of the pipe losses.
As for item 2) above, the authors have suggested a derating factor to
account for additional losses in phase conductors based on the total
computed conductor loss compared with the fundamental frequency loss.
This is reasonable. However losses in the neutral conductor are accounted
for by employing a factor of 4 in place of 3 for temperature rise from
cable 0.d. to ambient. In the example given, the harmonic losses in the
neutral are 50%of those in the phase conductors and a factor of 3.5 would
be more appropriate. It is suggested that each phase be handled separately
in computing ampacity and temperature rise for situations such as de-
scribed by this paper.
Reference
[AI Calculating Ac/Dc Resistance Ratios for High-pressure Oil-Filled
Cable Designs, Vol. 1, Designers Guide, EPRI EL-3977, v.1,
April 1985
Manuscript received March 4, 1991.
459
A. P. Sakis Meliopoulos and M. A. Martin, Jr.: The authors would like
to thank Messrs. Hiranandani and Ernst for their valuable comments on
the subject. We are in full agreement with Mr. Hiranandani that a fully
tested and reliable computer program is always the best way for accurate
computations of cable temperature rise and cable ampacity especially in
the presence of harmonics. In our paper we have presented approximate
formulae which are good for hand calculations of cable ampacity in the
presence of harmonics. We have tested these formulae with a computer
program and found they they provide a reasonably accurate method useful
to practitioners who don not have a computer program available. It should
be also mentioned that analytical models such as the one presented in this
paper provide a better feel and intuition for the physical system than
computer programs. It is apparent that Mr. Hiranandani may have devel-
oped an effective computer program for ampacity calculations under
unbalanced loading. We agree that if the heat sources Q, in his discussion
include heating due to fundamental and harmonic components, then his
method will be applicable to the problem addressed in our paper. How-
ever, Mr. Hiranandanis paper does not provide any guidance how the
heat sources are to be computed in the presence of harmonics. We would
like also to point out that for a four conductor feeder, the ampacity
calculation problem in the presence of harmonics is not stated in the way
suggested by the last equation of Mr. Hiranandanis discussion. Normally
one does not know the design temperatures. Indeed what is normally
known is the harmonic signature and an allowable temperature for all
conductors. Then one seeks the maximum fundamental current which will
not cause any of the conductors to exceed the allowable temperature.
Regarding Mr. Ernsts question about equations (7) and (8), these
equations were derived for losses in magnetic and nonmagnetic pipes
when power frequencies other than 60 Hz are present. Specifically, the
principle of similitude [l], [2] and empirical formulae were used to derive
these equations. The principle of similitude states that the increase of the
resistance due to skin effect type phenomena depend on the variable
sqrt(f)/rd, only, where sqrt(.) is the square root of the argument. The 70%
additional losses as suggested by Neher and McGrath can apply on top of
these equations. Incidentally, the factor a! for steel pipe should be 1.0 in
equations (8) and (9) of the paper.
With reference to the example in the paper, we selected a 3rd harmonic
current of 80 Amperes, which resulted in a loss in the neutral of
approximately 50% of that in the phase conductors. In addition we treated
this loss as a 4th heat generator for the harmonics in the neutral conductor.
Mr. Ernst suggests that a more appropriate factor of 3.5 could be used in
equations (40), (41), and (44) (of Neher-McGrath) in lieu of the factor 4,
which was used in the example. While Mr. Ernst suggestion is certainly
valid, we selected 4 for two reasons (a) the Neher-McGrath equation
suggests that the number of heat generating conductors should be used and
most importantly (b) because it is possible that odd triple harmonics other
than the 3rd may be present at times other when the harmonic signature is
measured. In addition, the magnitude of the 3rd harmonic currents may
also be greater than when measured and the most practical approach is to
increase the number of heat generation terms to 4 rather than something
less. Consequently, while in the example of the paper the use of the factor
4 in the Neher-McGrath equations seems to be conservative, in other cases
(when the heat generated in the neutral exceeds the heat in the phase
conductor) may be not. Our suggestion is to use the proposed method and
equations of our paper.
References
[l] H. B. Dwight, Skin Effect in Tabular and Flat Conductors, AIEE
Transactions, p. 1379, 1918.
[2] J. Zaborszky, and J. Rittenhouse, Electric Power Transmission,
The Rensselaer Bookstore, Troy, N.Y., 1969.
Manuscript received October 11, 1991,