Electrical Wire and Underground cables (Unit-2)

Conductor: A substance which offers low resistance to the flow of electric current is called conductor.
There are two types of conductors as per construction.

1. Bare conductor: The conductor which is not covered with insulation is known as bare
conductor.
i. Aluminium conductor
ii. Copper conductor
iii. Steel conductor
iv. Aluminium Conductor steel Reinforce(ACSR)

2. Insulated conductor: The conductor which is covered with insulation is called insulated
conductor.

Wire: A wire is a single strand conductor capable of transmitting electric power or data from one place to
another.

Cable: A single insulated conductor (solid or stranded) or two or more such conductors with their own
insulation is called cable.
Construction of Cables: Figure shows the general construction of a 3-conductor cable.

Various parts of cable are:

(i) Cores or Conductors: A cable may have one or more than one core (conductor) depending upon
the type of service. The conductors are made of tinned copper or aluminium and are usually
stranded in order to provide flexibility to the cable.
(ii) Insulation: Each core or conductor is provided with a suitable thickness of insulation, the
thickness of layer depending upon the voltage level of cable. The commonly used materials for
insulation are impregnated paper, varnished cambric or rubber mineral compound.
(iii) Metallic sheath: In order to protect the cable from moisture, gases or other damaging liquids
(acids or alkalie) in the soil and atmosphere, a metallic sheath of lead or aluminium is provided
over the insulation.
(iv) Bedding: Over the metallic sheath is applied a layer of bedding which consists of a fibrous material
like jute or hessian tape. The purpose of bedding is to protect the metallic sheath against corrosion
and from mechanical injury due to armouring.
(v) Armouring: Over the bedding, armouring is provided which consists of one or two layers of
galvanized steel wire or steel tape. Its purpose is to protect the cable from mechanical injury while
laying it and during the course of handling. Armouring may not be done in the case of some cables.
(vi) Serving: In order to protect armouring from atmospheric conditions, a layer of fibrous material
(like jute) similar to bedding is provided over the armouring. This is known as serving.

Bus-bar: A bus-bar is a metal strip in a distribution box that provides one connection point for all the
circuits.
Types of conductor as per application:

i. Solid conductor
ii. Stranded conductor
iii. Bundle conductor

Stranded conductor: All the conductors are used for overhead lines are preferably stranded in order
to increase the flexibility. For n layers stranded conductors the total number of individual wire is 3n(n
+ 1)+1 and diameter of stranded conductor is (2n + 1)d. where d is the diameter of each wire.

Bundle conductor: A bundle conductor is a conductor made up of two or more conductor called the
sub conductors per phase in close proximity compared with the spacing between phases.
The bundle conductors are used to reduce the corona loss and radio interference in transmission line.
But they have several advantages over single conductor.

1. The bundle conductors transmit bulk power reduced losses, thereby increased transmission
efficiency.
2. Since bundle conductors have higher capacitance and lower inductance in comparison with
L
single conductor, therefore bundle conductors have lower surge impedance Z c = √C

Current Rating of Copper Conductor Single Core Cable

Nominal No. and dia of wire Current Rating

area (mm) (Amps)
(mm2)

1.0 1/1.12 5
1.5 3/0.737 10
2.5 3/1.06 15
4.0 7/0.737 20
6.0 7/1.06 28
8.0 7/1.12 36
10.0 7/1.40 43
15.0 7/1.63 52
20.0 19/1.12 62
25.0 19/1.40 74
35.0 19/1.63 97
50.0 19/1.80 160

Current Rating of Aluminum conductor Single Core Cable

Nominal No. and dia of Current Rating

area (mm2) wire (mm) (Amps)

1.5 1/1.40 10
 2.5 1/1.80 15
4 1/2.24 20
6 1/2.80 27
10 1/3.55 34
16 7/1.70 43
25 7/2.24 59
35 7/2.50 69
50 19/1.80 or 7/3.00 91
70 19/2.24 134
95 19/2.50 153
120 37/2.06 165
150 37/2.24 181
185 37/2.50 209
225 37/2.80 240

Standard Wire Gauge: The Standard wire gauge (S.W.G) is an instrument which is used for
determining the size of a cable. The wire gauge commonly used in India is the British standard wire
gauge.

Wire jointing method: The following types of wire jointing are used in overhead line.
i. Simple twist joint(Solid Conductor)
ii. Married joint(Stranded Conductor)

iii. Tee- joint( Solid or Stranded for Tapping)

iv. Britannia joint(Solid or Stranded)

v. Sleeve Joint (AAC and ACSR)

 This joint is preferred for jointing AAC and ACSR conductor because it provides a good
electrical contact and sufficient mechanical strength. The sleeves is an over shaped
aluminium tube for jointing the conductor. One sleeve is used for AAC and two sleeves are
used for ACSR conductor. The bare conductor is to be inserted into the sleeve from both
side and press by mallet so that both conductors may be tightly held by sleeve. Poured hot
solder in the slots of sleeve.

vi. Compression joint(Heavy ACSR)

This type of joint is used for jointing heavy ACSR conductor. In this case there are two different operations to
be carried out. The jointing of steel core of the conductor by small steel compression sleeve and overall ACSR
conductors with the help of large aluminium compression sleeve. The outer aluminium sleeve is provided with
two holes and plugs to close them after injecting zinc chromate into the sleeve to prevent oxidation of joint.

Classification of Cables: Cables are classified according to voltage for which these are manufactured.
According to voltage cables can be divided into the following groups:

(i) Low-tension (L.T.) cables — up to 1000 V

(ii) High-tension (H.T.) cables — up o 11,000 V
(iii) Super-tension (S.T.) cables — from 22 kV to 33 kV
(iv) Extra high-tension (E.H.T.) cables — from 66 kV to 132 kV
 (v) Extra super voltage cables — beyond 132 kV

A cable may have one or more than one core depending upon the type of service for which it is intended. It
may be

(i) Single-core
(ii) Two-core
(iii) Three-core
(iv) Four-core etc.

Class of insulation: Insulation Classes based on the temperature it can sustain is classified into the following
classes:

Class-Y Insulation: Class-Y insulations can withstands a temperature of up to 90°C and it is typically made of
cotton, silk, or paper.
Class-A Insulation: Class-A insulations can withstands a temperature of up to 105°C. It is made of reinforced
Class-Y materials with impregnated varnish or insulation oil.
Class-E Insulation: Class-E insulations can withstands a temperature of up to 120°C.
Class-B Insulation: Class-B insulations can withstands a temperature of up to 130°C. This has a form that
inorganic material is hardened with adhesives. This is the first insulator using this structure.
Class-F Insulation: Class-F insulation can withstands a temperature of up to 155°C; for example, made of
Class-B materials that are upgraded with adhesives, silicone, and alkyd-resin varnish of higher thermal
endurance.
Class-H Insulation: Class-H insulations can withstands a temperature of up to 180°C. It is made of inorganic
material glued with silicone resin or adhesives of equivalent performance.
Class-C Insulation: Class-C insulations withstand a temperature of up to 180°C or higher. It is typically made
of 100% inorganic material.

Vulcanised India Rubber(V.I.R.):

i. It is prepared by mixing pure rubber with mineral matter such as zinc oxide, red lead etc., and 3 to 5%
of sulphur. The compound so formed is rolled into thin sheets and cut into strips. The rubber
compound is then applied to the conductor and is heated to a temperature of about 150ºC. The whole
process is called vulcanisation and the product obtained is known as vulcanised India rubber.
ii. Vulcanised India rubber has greater mechanical strength, durability and wear resistant property than
pure rubber.
iii. Its main drawback is that sulphur reacts very quickly with copper and for this reason, cables using VIR
insulation have tinned copper conductor. The VIR insulation is generally used for low and moderate
voltage cables.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC):

i. PVC’s relatively low cost, biological and chemical resistance and workability have resulted in it
being used for a wide variety of applications.
ii. PVC is a thermoplastic material, therefore care must be taken not to overheat it; it is suitable for
conductor temperatures up to 70°C.
iii. PVC insulated cables should not be laid when the temperature is less than 0ºC because it becomes
brittle and is liable to crack.

Properties:
i. High insulation resistance to avoid leakage current.
ii. High dielectric strength to avoid electrical breakdown of the cable.
iii. High mechanical strength to withstand the mechanical handling of cables.
iv. Non-inflammable.
v. Low cost so as to make the underground system a viable proposition.
vi. Un affected by acids and alkalies to avoid any chemical action

Applications: Low voltage copper conductor PVC cables are extensively used for domestic home appliances
wiring, house wiring and internal wiring for lighting circuits in factories, power supply for office automation, in
control, instrumentation, submarine, mining, ship wiring applications etc.

XLPE insulated power cables: XLPE is used to describe cross-linked polyethylene. It shares some properties
of polyethylene like high chemical resistance and remarkable moisture resistance. Its high thermal insulation
qualities make it suitable for use in both high voltage and temperature conditions. Common applications of
cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) are in building plumbing (or pipework) systems, as insulation for high voltage
cables, and as an alternative for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and copper tubing in water pipes.

Properties:

i. Excellent electrical, thermal and physical properties.

ii. Excellent moisture and flame resistance.

iii. Excellent resistance to crush and heat deformation.

Jointing method of underground cable: The following are the main types of cable jointing method.
i. Straight through joint
ii. Tee joint
Requirements tools for cable joint:
i. Metal pot and ladle
ii. Cutting plier
iii. Straight scissors
iv. Hacksaw
v. Knife
vi. Screw driver
vii. Ball pin hammer
viii. Blow lamp
ix. Brush
x. File
Straight through joint: This joint is made between aluminum used sheathed cables and stranded
accessories. The special solder used for tinning consists of 90% tin and 10% zinc can be very easily made up.
For sealing the cables into terminating boxes, the ordinary brass wiping gland is used and for joint stranded
lead or copper are used.
Jointing operation:
Step1: Centre Marking: cables are laid end to end allowing 7.5cm overlap on each end.
Step2: Removing the armour
Step3: preparation of lead sleeve
Step4: Soldering
Step5: Plumbing of lead sleeve
Step6: Box assembly
Tee-joint: The tee-joint is used for tapping and serving connections
Jointing operation:
Step1: Marking of cable.
Step2: Removing the armour and serving etc.
Step3: Preparing the jointing.
Step4: Joint assembly is basted with molten solder (3000C) and repeating the process for all core till
complete.
Step5: Joint assembly is now tapped up with insulating cotton tape.
Step6: Place the joint in cast iron box.
Step7: Warm the box and fill with compound if any space in the box.

iii. Laying of underground cables:

There are three main methods of laying underground cables, which are - (i) direct laying, (ii) draw-in system
and (iii) solid system. These three methods are explained below with their advantages and drawbacks.

Direct laying of underground cables

• This method is the most popular as it is simple and cheap.
• The cables to be laid using this method must have the serving of bituminised paper and hessian tape
so as to provide protection against corrosion and electrolysis.
Laying procedure
▪ A trench of about 1.5 meters deep and 45 cm wide is dug.
▪ Then the trench is covered with a 10 cm thick layer of fine sand.
 ▪ The cable is laid over the sand bed. The sand bed protects the cable from the moisture from the
ground.
▪ Then the laid cable is again covered with a layer of sand of about 10 cm thick.
▪ When multiple cables are to be laid in the same trench, a horizontal or vertical spacing of about 30
cm is provided to reduce the effect of mutual heating. Spacing between the cables also ensures a
fault occurring on one cable does not damage the adjacent cable.
▪ The trench is then covered with bricks and soil to protect the cable from mechanical injury.
Advantages
▪ Simpler and cheaper than the other two methods
▪ Heat generated in cables is easily dissipated in the ground.
Disadvantages
▪ To install new cables for fulfilling an increased load demand, completely new excavation has to be done
which costs as much as the new installation.
▪ Alterations in the cable network are not easy.
▪ Maintenance cost is higher.
▪ Identifying the location of a fault is difficult.
▪ This method can not be used in congested areas such as metro cities where excavation is too expensive.

Draw-in system

• In this method, cast iron or concrete pipes or ducts are laid underground with manholes at suitable
positions along the cable route. The cables are then pulled into the pipes from the manholes.
• Usually, an additional pipe/duct is also provided along with the three cable ducts for carrying relay
protection connections and pilot wires.
• Distance between the manholes should be such that pulling in the cables is easier. At corners or
while changing the direction of route, radius of the corners must be longer.
• The cables that are to be laid in this way need not be armoured but must be provided with the
serving of hessian and jute in order to protect them when being pulled.

Advantages
▪ Repairs, additions or alterations to the cable network can be easily made from manholes without re-
excavation.
▪ In this method, as the cables need not be armoured, the cable jointing procedure becomes simpler.
▪ Maintenance cost is quite lower.
▪ Fewer chances of fault occurrence due to the strong mechanical protection provided by the
system.
Disadvantages
▪ The initial cost is very high.
▪ Due to unfavourable conditions for dissipation of heat, current carrying capacity of the cables
is reduced.

Solid system
In this method, the cable is laid into troughing of cast iron, stoneware, asphalt or treated wood.
When the cable is laid into the position, the troughing is filled with a bituminous of asphaltic
compound and then covered over. Cables to be laid in this manner could be just lead covered as
the troughing provides a good mechanical protection.

Disadvantages:

• It is more expensive than direct laid system.

• It requires skilled labour and requires favourable weather condition.
• Due to poor heat dissipation facilities, the current caring capacity of the cable reduced.

This method is very rarely used nowadays as it is more expensive and requires skilled labour and
favourable weather conditions.

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