AERIAL BUNCHED CABLES

AND
TYPICAL FAILURES

S.RAMAPRASATH
JOINT DIRECTOR ( Retd )
CENTRAL POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE
BANGALORE
 AERIAL BUNCHED CABLES
AND
TYPICAL FAILURES

Introduction
Salient features of ABC
Design of ABC :
LVABC & MVABC
Typical failures of ABC
Condition monitoring of ABC
Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION

Distribution of Electrical Power:

1. Over Head Lines

2. Under Ground Power cables

3. Insulated Conductors:

Covered Conductors

Aerial Bunched Cables

Salient features of Aerial Bunched Cables ( ABC )
1. Aesthetic Look

2. Installation - trees

3. Customer safety

4. Insulators and cross arms

5. Minimum maintenance

6. Lesser clearances

7. Short circuit of conductors

8. Road cutting avoided

9. Third party damage

10. Anchored on to buildings

Challenge : Fault location

 DESIGN OF AERIAL BUNCHED CABLES

LV ABC: 3 Phase conductors + 1 Neutral / Messenger conductor

+ 1 Lighting conductor
Phase conductors : Conductor IS 8130 / IEC 60228
Insulation : PE or XLPE
Neutral conductor: Aluminium alloy IS 398 ( Part 4 )
Cross-sectional area based on phase conductor size
Current in neutral Un-balanced load- Insulated neutral

Lighting conductor: 16 Sq mm Insulated Aluminium conductor

IS : 14255: 1995
Design of MVABC:
Conductor : IS 8130 and Insulation : XLPE

Each phase is insulated & screened -outer sheath PVC or PE

Three phase conductor + One insulated neutral conductor +

One lighting conductor ( Optional )

 TYPICAL FAILURES OF ABC

1. Crack on the outer surface of ABC

2. Copper metallic screen damage

3. Burnt outer sheath

4. Burnt outer sheath due to animal bites

5. Dislodged straight through joint

 Crack on the outer surface of ABC

Outer sheath Exposed to UV rays

LVABC: Crack of insulation-
LVABC: insulation-moisture enters the
insulation-- oxidation of conductor
insulation
Increase in Conductor Resistance :
I2R losses
MVABC : Outer sheath PVC / PE Crack of
Density
Cu + H2O outer sheath

Increase in resistance of metallic screen: I2R losses

In case of fault Fault current damages the copper
screen-- Total damage of MVABC
screen
 Requirement of Copper Metallic Screen
Cross sectional area of Screen:
A= x dm x b
d m : Mean diametre of the metallic screen (mm)
b : Nominal thickness of the metallic screen (mm)
Calculation for 11 kV 70 Sq mm MVABC
Table 1
Thickness of Cross sectional area of S.C rating of
metallic screen metallic screen metallic screen
( mm) ( Sq mm) ( Amps)
0.02 1.11 143

0.035 1.93 250

0.05 2.76 356

0.1 5.52 712

 Calculations for a 11 kV MVABC for different
conductor sizes
( Copper screen thickness 0.05 mm)
Table 2
Phase CSA of Short circuit Short circuit Percentage
conductor copper current of current of I SC current
size screen copper conductor of screen
( Sq mm) ( Sq mm) screen ( kA) to I SC
( Amps) current of
conductor
(%)

70 2.76 356 6.58 5.4

95 3.01 388 8.93 4.3

150 3.45 445 14.1 3.2

240 4.03 520 22.56 2.3

Failure of copper metallic screen
 Importance of Cross sectional area of metallic
screen
Electrical installation in ships
IEC 60092- 352 : 2005-09
Part 352: Choice and Installations of Electric Cables
Table 2 : Sizes of Earth Continuity Conductors and Equipment
Earthing Connectors

For Fixed Installations :

Conductor 16 Sq mm, the minimum CSA of earth conductor
equal to CSA of phase conductor

Conductor > 16 Sq mm, the minimum CSA of earth conductor

equal to 50 % CSA of phase conductor

Part 350 : General Construction and test equipments

 TYPICAL CROSS SECTIONAL AREAS OF METALLIC SCREENS (POWER
CABLES)
Sl No Voltage Conductor
Cross sectional Cal Calculated Isc (kA) Isc (kA)
rating (CSA)
Sq.mm area of metallic Isc Of metallic screen cond/
Metallic
screen (sq.mm) (kA)
of screen
Pb Cu Al condu Pb Cu Al Total
.
1 66 240 356 203 --- 34.3 8.5 26.2 -- 34.7 34.3/
(Cu) 3 34.73

2 33 3x300 -- 9 728 28.2 -- 1.16 33.5 34.7 28.2/

(Al) 34.7
GI-W GI-W

3 33 3x300 -- 9 185 28.2 -- 1.16 8.54 9.7 28.2/9.7

(Al)
GI -S GI-S

4 33 3x300 -- 9 829 28.2 -- 1.16 38.1 39.2 28.2/

- 6 39.26
(Al)
GI -W GI-W

5 33 3x400 -- 15 829 37.6 -- 1.94 38.1 40 37.6/40

(Al)
GI -W GI -
W

6 11 3x150 -- 9 105 14.1 -- 1.16 4.86 6.02 14.1/

(Al) 6.02
GI -S GI
Strip
 Resistance of metallic screens
Cable rating Metallic Resistance

3 x 400 Sq mm 33kV XLPE Cu screen : 1.3 m / m

Insulated GIWA : 0.35 m / m
Cu strip screen + GI Round wire Both in parallel: 0.33 m / m
armour

3 x 150 Sq mm 11 kV XLPE Cu Screen : 3.0 m / m

Insulated Cu strip screen + GI GI Strip : 1.5 m / m
strip armour Both in parallel: 1.1 m / m

1 x 630 Sq mm 132 kV XLPE Al W Armour : 50 / m

Insulated Pb sheathed + Cu wire Cu Wire Screen: 200 / m
screen + Al wire Armour Pb sheath : 350 / m
All in parallel : 40 / m
 Burnt outer sheath and Damage of outer sheath
due to animal bites
Outer sheath : PE or PVC
PE sheath: Smell fruity Rodents ( Squirrels )
Exposure of outer sheath : UV Rays & Animal bites
Copper screen + Water : Increase in metallic resistance
higher I2R heating and when the fault current flows
damages the MVABC
 Dislodged straight through joint
Failure of a phase conductor Joint made
Joint loads the ABC and pulls the outer jacket of the joint :
Enhances the Tensile stress of the joint pulling out of the
outer tubing of the joint
Crimping of ferrule : I2R over heating of the joint
Failure of Termination & earthing of ABC at ends
Improper selection and crimping of lugs
Dimensions of lugs and ferrules:
Concentration of stresses at termius point
Fault in the cable: ISC to the cable ends
Condition Monitoring of ABC

Tests to check the healthiness of ABC:

1. Conductor Resistance

2. Metallic Screen Resistance

3. Insulation resistance

4. Capacitance
 Conductor Resistance

ABC circuit isolated at both ends

One end shorted with a cable- Proper Bolts

At the other end between the phases
Conductor Resistance measured

Digital Micrometer- Heavy duty dc current source

Calculated value : ___ / km @ 20oC

For eg 240 Sq mm Aluminium conductor :

0.125 / km @ 20oC
Measured value : IS 8130 / IEC 60228
Checks the crimping of ferrules and lugs:
Quality of workman ship of jointer
 Insulation Resistance
Megger Insulation Resistance

Insulation Resistance : Calculate Volume Resistivity ( )

= 2 x x R x L / 2.3 log10 ( D / d ) -cm

Where : Volume Resistivity in -cm

R : Insulation Resistance in
L : Length of the cable in cms
D : Diametre of the insulation below the insulation
screen in mm
d : Diametre over the conductor screen in mm

d D

IR 1/ L
Higher the : Lower the tan
 Table
Volume
Core Resistivity ( ) tan
-cm ( 10-3 )
( 1014 )
Red 1756 0.47
Yellow 4.2 27.27
Blue 2.3 66.47

A typical value of Volume Resistivity and VLF tan

Cable : 3 X 300 Sq mm 11 kV XLPE Cable of Length 1.9 kMs
 Tan : 66.47 x 10 -3

70 70

60 60
tan d ( 10-3 ) )

50
50

40
40 Tan : 27.27 x 10-3
30
30

20
20
Tan : 0.47 x 10-3
10
10
0
1756 4.2 4.2 2.3

1756 ( 1014 ) 2.3

Tan verses Volume Resistivity

 Importance of I R
Insulation Resistance :

MVABC:
More realistic
Measured at ends of the cable
Measured between conductor and copper metallic
screen

LVABC:
Measured between phase conductors and between
phase conductor and neutral conductor
 Metallic Screen Resistance
Identical to conductor resistance
measurement

Checks the integrity of the copper screen

ISC : Copper screen nearest ground

Oxidation of copper screen : R

Measured value of copper screen compared

with GTP

Indirectly checks the CSA of copper screen

 Capacitance Measurement
Cable : Construction is tubular
Cylindrical Electrodes
Capacitance : Cross sectional area and voltage rating
( Thickness of insulation)

C = 0.024 x r / log10 ( D/ d ) F / km

where r : Permittivity of XLPE insulation ( = 2.3 )

11 kV MVABC 240 Sq mm MVABC

Conductor Capacitance Cable Capacitance

CSA ( Sq mm) ( F / km) Voltage
Rating (kV) (F / km)
70 0.25 11 0.40

95 0.28 22 0.27
150 0.34
33 0.2
240 0.4
 CONCLUSION
Design of Aerial Bunched Cable:
Every component Quality check
Finished Cable

Installation of ABC : Visual Inspection

Integrity of Metallic Copper Screen: I sc
Effectiveness of Earthing

Failure analysis
Condition Monitoring Tests
Reliability of Aerial Bunched Cable