Electrical All Sizing Calculation

Cable Sizing Calculation
Introduction
This article examines the sizing of electrical cables (i.e. cross-sectional area) and its implementation in various international standards. Cable sizing methods do differ across international standards (e.g. IEC, NEC, BS, etc) and some standards emphasise certain things over others. However the general principles underlying any cable sizing calculation do not change. In this article, a general methodology for sizing cables is first presented and then the specific international standards are introduced.
Why do the calculation?
The proper sizing of an electrical (load bearing) cable is important to ensure that the cable can:

Operate continuously under full load without being damaged Withstand the worst short circuits currents flowing through the cable Provide the load with a suitable voltage (and avoid excessive voltage drops) (optional) Ensure operation of protective devices during an earth fault
When to do the calculation?
This calculation can be done individually for each power cable that needs to be sized, or alternatively, it can be used to produce cable sizing waterfall charts for groups of cables with similar characteristics (e.g. cables installed on ladder feeding induction motors).
General Methodology
All cable sizing methods more or less follow the same basic six step process:
1) Gathering data about the cable, its installation conditions, the load that it will carry, etc 2) Determine the minimum cable size based on continuous current carrying capacity 3) Determine the minimum cable size based on voltage drop considerations 4) Determine the minimum cable size based on short circuit temperature rise 5) Determine the minimum cable size based on earth fault loop impedance 6) Select the cable based on the highest of the sizes calculated in step 2, 3, 4 and 5 Step 1: Data Gathering
The first step is to collate the relevant information that is required to perform the sizing calculation. Typically, you will need to obtain the following data:
Load Details
The characteristics of the load that the cable will supply, which includes:
Load type: motor or feeder Three phase, single phase or DC System / source voltage Full load current (A) - or calculate this if the load is defined in terms of power (kW) Full load power factor (pu) Locked rotor or load starting current (A) Starting power factor (pu) Distance / length of cable run from source to load - this length should be as close as possible to the actual route of the cable and include enough contingency for vertical drops / rises and termination of the cable tails

Cable Construction
The basic characteristics of the cable's physical construction, which includes:

Conductor material - normally copper or aluminium Conductor shape - e.g. circular or shaped Conductor type - e.g. stranded or solid Conductor surface coating - e.g. plain (no coating), tinned, silver or nickel Insulation type - e.g. PVC, XLPE, EPR Number of cores - single core or multicore (e.g. 2C, 3C or 4C)
Installation Conditions
How the cable will be installed, which includes:

Above ground or underground Installation / arrangement - e.g. for underground cables, is it directly buried or buried in conduit? for above ground cables, is it installed on cable tray / ladder, against a wall, in air, etc. Ambient or soil temperature of the installation site Cable bunching, i.e. the number of cables that are bunched together Cable spacing, i.e. whether cables are installed touching or spaced Soil thermal resistivity (for underground cables) Depth of laying (for underground cables)

For single core three-phase cables, are the cables installed in trefoil or laid flat?
Step 2: Cable Selection Based on Current Rating
Current flowing through a cable generates heat through the resistive losses in the conductors, dielectric losses through the insulation and resistive losses from current flowing through any cable screens / shields and armouring. The component parts that make up the cable (e.g. conductors, insulation, bedding, sheath, armour, etc) must be capable of withstanding the temperature rise and heat emanating from the cable. The current carrying capacity of a cable is the maximum current that can flow continuously through a cable without damaging the cable's insulation and other components (e.g. bedding, sheath, etc). It is sometimes also referred to as the continuous current rating or ampacity of a cable. Cables with larger conductor cross-sectional areas (i.e. more copper or aluminium) have lower resistive losses and are able to dissipate the heat better than smaller cables. Therefore a 16 mm2 cable will have a higher current carrying capacity than a 4 mm2 cable.
Base Current Ratings
Example of base current rating table (Excerpt from IEC 60364-5-52)
International standards and manufacturers of cables will quote base current ratings of different types of cables in tables such as the one shown on the right. Each of these tables pertain to a specific type of cable construction (e.g. copper conductor, PVC insulated, 0.6/1kV voltage grade, etc) and a base set of installation conditions (e.g. ambient temperature, installation method, etc). It is important to note that the current ratings are only valid for the quoted types of cables and base installation conditions. In the absence of any guidance, the following reference based current ratings may be used.
Installed Current Ratings
When the proposed installation conditions differ from the base conditions, derating (or correction) factors can be applied to the base current ratings to obtain the actual installed current ratings. International standards and cable manufacturers will provide derating factors for a range of installation conditions, for example ambient / soil temperature, grouping or bunching of cables, soil thermal resistivity, etc. The installed current rating is calculated by multiplying the base current rating with each of the derating factors, i.e.
where
is the installed current rating (A)

is the base current rating (A) are the product of all the derating factors
For example, suppose a cable had an ambient temperature derating factor of kamb = 0.94 and a grouping derating factor of kg = 0.85, then the overall derating factor kd = 0.94x0.85 = 0.799. For a cable with a base current rating of 42A, the installed current rating would be Ic = 0.799x42 = 33.6A. In the absence of any guidance, the following reference derating factors may be used.
Cable Selection and Coordination with Protective Devices Feeders
When sizing cables for non-motor loads, the upstream protective device (fuse or circuit breaker) is typically selected to also protect the cable against damage from thermal overload. The protective device must therefore be selected to exceed the full load current, but not exceed the cable's installed current rating, i.e. this inequality must be met:
Where
is the full load current (A)

is the protective device rating (A) is the installed cable current rating (A)
Motors
Motors are normally protected by a separate thermal overload (TOL) relay and therefore the upstream protective device (e.g. fuse or circuit breaker) is not required to protect the cable against overloads. As a result, cables need only to be sized to cater for the full load current of the motor, i.e.
Where
is the full load current (A)

is the installed cable current rating (A)
Of course, if there is no separate thermal overload protection on the motor, then the protective device needs to be taken into account as per the case for feeders above.
Step 3: Voltage Drop
A cable's conductor can be seen as an impedance and therefore whenever current flows through a cable, there will be a voltage drop across it, which can be derived by Ohms Law (i.e. V = IZ). The voltage drop will depend on two things:

Current flow through the cable the higher the current flow, the higher the voltage drop Impedance of the conductor the larger the impedance, the higher the voltage drop
Cable Impedances
The impedance of the cable is a function of the cable size (cross-sectional area) and the length of the cable. Most cable manufacturers will quote a cables resistance and reactance in /km. The following typical cable impedances for low voltage AC and DC single core and multicore cables can be used in the absence of any other data.
Calculating Voltage Drop
For AC systems, the method of calculating voltage drops based on load power factor is commonly used. Full load currents are normally used, but if the load has high startup currents (e.g. motors), then voltage drops based on starting current (and power factor if applicable) should also be calculated.
For a three phase system:
Where
is the three phase voltage drop (V)

is the nominal full load or starting current as applicable (A) is the ac resistance of the cable (/km) is the ac reactance of the cable (/km) is the load power factor (pu) is the length of the cable (m)
For a single phase system:
Where
is the single phase voltage drop (V)

is the nominal full load or starting current as applicable (A) is the ac resistance of the cable (/km) is the ac reactance of the cable (/km) is the load power factor (pu) is the length of the cable (m)
For a DC system:
Where
is the dc voltage drop (V)

is the nominal full load or starting current as applicable (A) is the dc resistance of the cable (/km) is the length of the cable (m)
Maximum Permissible Voltage Drop
It is customary for standards (or clients) to specify maximum permissible voltage drops, which is the highest voltage drop that is allowed across a cable. Should your cable exceed this voltage drop, then a larger cable size should be selected. Maximum voltage drops across a cable are specified because load consumers (e.g. appliances) will have an input voltage tolerance range. This means that if the voltage at the appliance is lower than its rated minimum voltage, then the appliance may not operate correctly. In general, most electrical equipment will operate normally at a voltage as low as 80% nominal voltage. For example, if the nominal voltage is 230VAC, then most appliances will run at >184VAC. Cables are typically sized for a more conservative maximum voltage drop, in the range of 5 10% at full load.
Calculating Maximum Cable Length due to Voltage Drop
It may be more convenient to calculate the maximum length of a cable for a particular conductor size given a maximum permissible voltage drop (e.g. 5% of nominal voltage at full load) rather than the voltage drop itself. For example, by doing this it is possible to construct tables showing the maximum lengths corresponding to different cable sizes in order to speed up the selection of similar type cables. The maximum cable length that will achieve this can be calculated by re-arranging the voltage drop equations and substituting the maximum permissible voltage drop (e.g. 5% of 415V nominal voltage = 20.75V). For a three phase system:
Where
is the maximum length of the cable (m)

is the maximum permissible three phase voltage drop (V)
is the nominal full load or starting current as applicable (A) is the ac resistance of the cable (/km) is the ac reactance of the cable (/km) is the load power factor (pu)
For a single phase system:
Where

is the maximum permissible single phase voltage drop (V) is the nominal full load or starting current as applicable (A) is the ac resistance of the cable (/km) is the ac reactance of the cable (/km) is the load power factor (pu)
For a DC system:
Where

is the maximum permissible dc voltage drop (V)
is the nominal full load or starting current as applicable (A) is the dc resistance of the cable (/km) is the length of the cable (m) Step 4: Short Circuit Temperature Rise
During a short circuit, a high amount of current can flow through a cable for a short time. This surge in current flow causes a temperature rise within the cable. High temperatures can trigger unwanted reactions in the cable insulation, sheath materials and other components, which can prematurely degrade the condition of the cable. As the cross-sectional area of the cable increases, it can dissipate higher fault currents for a given temperature rise. Therefore, cables should be sized to withstand the largest short circuit that it is expected to see.
Minimum Cable Size Due to Short Circuit Temperature Rise
The minimum cable size due to short circuit temperature rise is typically calculated with an equation of the form:
Where
is the minimum cross-sectional area of the cable (mm2)

is the prospective short circuit current (A) is the duration of the short circuit (s) is a short circuit temperature rise constant
The temperature rise constant is calculated based on the material properties of the conductor and the initial and final conductor temperatures (see the derivation here). Different international standards have different treatments of the temperature rise constant, but by way of example, IEC 60364-5-54 calculates it as follows:
(for copper conductors)
(for aluminium conductors)
Where
is the initial conductor temperature (deg C)

is the final conductor temperature (deg C)
Initial and Final Conductor Temperatures
The initial conductor temperature is typically chosen to be the maximum operating temperature of the cable. The final conductor temperature is typically chosen to be the limiting temperature of the insulation. In general, the cable's insulation will determine the maximum operating temperature and limiting temperatures. As a rough guide, the following temperatures are common for the different insulation materials:
Materi al PVC EPR XLPE Max Operating Temperature oC 75 90 90 Limiting Temperature oC 160 250 250
Short Circuit Energy
The short circuit energy is normally chosen as the maximum short circuit that the cable could potentially experience. However for circuits with current limiting devices (such as HRC fuses), then the short circuit energy chosen should be the maximum prospective let-through energy of the protective device, which can be found from manufacturer data.
Step 5: Earth Fault Loop Impedance
Sometimes it is desirable (or necessary) to consider the earth fault loop impedance of a circuit in the sizing of a cable. Suppose a bolted earth fault occurs between an active conductor and earth. During such an earth fault, it is desirable that the upstream protective
device acts to interrupt the fault within a maximum disconnection time so as to protect against any inadvertent contact to exposed live parts. Ideally the circuit will have earth fault protection, in which case the protection will be fast acting and well within the maximum disconnection time. The maximum disconnection time is chosen so that a dangerous touch voltage does not persist for long enough to cause injury or death. For most circuits, a maximum disconnection time of 5s is sufficient, though for portable equipment and socket outlets, a faster disconnection time is desirable (i.e. <1s and will definitely require earth fault protection). However for circuits that do not have earth fault protection, the upstream protective device (i.e. fuse or circuit breaker) must trip within the maximum disconnection time. In order for the protective device to trip, the fault current due to a bolted short circuit must exceed the value that will cause the protective device to act within the maximum disconnection time. For example, suppose a circuit is protected by a fuse and the maximum disconnection time is 5s, then the fault current must exceed the fuse melting current at 5s (which can be found by cross-referencing the fuse time-current curves). By simple application of Ohm's law:
Where
is the earth fault current required to trip the protective device within the minimum disconnection time (A)
is the phase to earth voltage at the protective device (V) is the impedance of the earth fault loop ()
It can be seen from the equation above that the impedance of the earth fault loop must be sufficiently low to ensure that the earth fault current can trip the upstream protection.
The Earth Fault Loop
The earth fault loop can consist of various return paths other than the earth conductor, including the cable armour and the static earthing connection of the facility. However for practical reasons, the earth fault loop in this calculation consists only of the active conductor and the earth conductor. The earth fault loop impedance can be found by:
Where
is the earth fault loop impedance ()

is the impedance of the active conductor ()
is the impedance of the earth conductor ()
Assuming that the active and earth conductors have identical lengths, the earth fault loop impedance can be calculated as follows:
Where
is the length of the cable (m)

and and are the ac resistances of the active and earth conductors respectively (/km) are the reactances of the active and earth conductors respectively (/km)
Maximum Cable Length
The maximum earth fault loop impedance can be found by re-arranging the equation above:
Where
is the maximum earth fault loop impedance ()

is the phase to earth voltage at the protective device (V) is the earth fault current required to trip the protective device within the minimum disconnection time (A)
The maximum cable length can therefore be calculated by the following:
Where
is the maximum cable length (m)

is the phase to earth voltage at the protective device (V) is the earth fault current required to trip the protective device within the minimum disconnection time (A)
and and
are the ac resistances of the active and earth conductors respectively (/km) are the reactances of the active and earth conductors respectively (/km)
Note that the voltage V0 at the protective device is not necessarily the nominal phase to earth voltage, but usually a lower value as it can be downstream of the main busbars. This voltage is commonly represented by applying some factor to the nominal voltage. A conservative value of = 0.8 can be used so that: Where Vn is the nominal phase to earth voltage (V)
Worked Example
In this example, we will size a cable for a 415V, 30kW three-phase motor from the MCC to the field.
Step 1: Data Gathering
The following data was collected for the cable to be sized:

Cable type: Cu/PVC/GSWB/PVC, 3C+E, 0.6/1kV Operating temperature: 75C Cable installation: above ground on cable ladder bunched together with 3 other cables on a single layer and at 30C ambient temperature Cable run: 90m (including tails) Motor load: 30kW, 415V three phase, full load current = 58A, power factor = 0.87 Protection: aM fuse of rating = 80A, max prospective fault I2t = 90 A2s , 5s melt time = 550A

Step 2: Cable Selection Based on Current Rating
Suppose the ambient temperature derating is 0.89 and the grouping derating for 3 bunched cables on a single layer is 0.82. The overall derating factor is 0.89 0.82 = 0.7298. Given that a 25 mm2 and 35 mm2 have base current ratings of 78A and 96A respectively, which cable should be selected based on current rating considerations? The installed current ratings for 25 mm2 and 35 mm2 is 0.7298 78A = 56.92A and 0.7298 96A = 70.06A respectively. Given that the full load current of the motor is 58A, then the installed current rating of the 25 mm2 cable is lower than the full load current and is not suitable for continuous use with the motor. The 35 mm2 cable on the other hand has an installed current rating that exceeds the motor full load current, and is therefore the cable that should be selected.
Step 3: Voltage Drop
Suppose a 35 mm2 cable is selected. If the maximum permissible voltage drop is 5%, is the cable suitable for a run length of 90m? A 35 mm2 cable has an ac resistance of 0.638 /km and a reactance of 0.0826 /km. The voltage drop across the cable is:
A voltage drop of 5.388V is equivalent to , which is lower than the maximum permissible voltage dorp of 5%. Therefore the cable is suitable for the motor based on voltage drop considerations.
Step 4: Short Circuit Temperature Rise
The cable is operating normally at 75C and has a prospective fault capacity (I2t) of 90 A2s. What is the minimum size of the cable based on short circuit temperature rise? XLPE has a limiting temperature of 160C. Using the IEC formula, the short circuit temperature rise constant is 111.329. The minimum cable size due to short circuit temperature rise is therefore:
Therefore, our 35 mm2 cable is still suitable for this application.

Step 5: Earth Fault Loop Impedance
Suppose there is no special earth fault protection for the motor and a bolted single phase to earth fault occurs at the motor terminals. The earth conductor for our 35 mm2 cable is 10 mm2. If the maximum disconnection time is 5s, is our 90m long cable suitable based on earth fault loop impedance? The 80A motor fuse has a 5s melting current of 550A. The ac resistances of the active and earth conductors are 0.638 /km and 2.33 /km) respectively. The reactances of the active and earth conductors are 0.0826 /km and 0.0967 /km) respectively. The maximum length of the cable allowed is calculated as:
The cable run is 90m and the maximum length allowed is 117m, therefore our cable is suitable based on earth fault loop impedance. In fact, our 35 mm2 cable has passed all the tests and is the size that should be selected.
Waterfall Charts
Example of a cable waterfall chart
Sometimes it is convenient to group together similar types of cables (for example, 415V PVC motor cables installed on cable ladder) so that instead of having to go through the laborious exercise of sizing each cable separately, one can select a cable from a precalculated chart. These charts are often called "waterfall charts" and typically show a list of load ratings and the maximum of length of cable permissible for each cable size. Where a particular cable size fails to meet the requirements for current carrying capacity or short circuit temperature rise, it is blacked out on the chart (i.e. meaning that you can't choose it). Preparing a waterfall chart is common practice when having to size many like cables and substantially cuts down the time required for cable selection.
AC UPS Sizing
Introduction
This calculation deals with the sizing of an AC uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system (i.e. rectifier, battery bank and inverter). In this calculation, it is assumed that the AC UPS is a double conversion type with a basic system topology as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 - AC UPS basic system topology
An external maintenance bypass switch and galvanic isolation transformers are other common additions to the basic topology, but these have been omitted from the system as they are irrelevant for the sizing calculation.
An AC UPS system is used to support critical / sensitive AC loads. It is typically a battery-backed system which will continue to operate for a specified amount of time (called the autonomy) after a main power supply interruption. AC UPS systems are also used as stable power supplies that provide a reasonably constant voltage and frequency output, independent of voltage input. This is particularly useful for sensitive electrical equipment on main power supplies that are prone to voltage / frequency fluctuations or instability. The AC UPS sizing calculation determines the ratings for the main AC UPS system components: 1) rectifier, 2) battery banks and 3) inverter.
In some cases, the manufacturer will independently size the system and it is only necessary to construct the AC UPS load schedule and load profile. However the calculation results will also help determine the indicative dimensions of the equipment (e.g. size of battery banks) for preliminary layout purposes.
The AC UPS sizing calculation can be done when the following prerequisite information is known:

UPS loads that need to be supported Input / Output AC voltage Autonomy time(s) Battery type
Calculation Methodology
The calculation procedure has four main steps:
1) Determine and collect the prospective AC UPS loads 2) Construct a load profile and determine the UPS design load (VA) and design energy (VAh) 3) Calculate the size of the stationary battery (number of cells in series and Ah capacity) 4) Determine the size of the inverter, rectifier/ charger and static switch Step 1: Collect the AC UPS Loads
The first step is to determine the type and quantity of loads that the AC UPS system will be expected to support. For industrial facilities, this will typically be critical instrumentation and control loads such as the DCS and ESD processor and marshalling hardware, critical workstations and HMI's, telecommunications equipment and sensitive electronics. The necessary load data should be available from the instrumentation and control engineers. For commercial facilities, UPS loads will mainly be server, data / network and telecommunications hardware.
Step 2: Load Profile, Design Load and Design Energy
Refer to the Load Profile Calculation for details on how to construct a load profile, calculate the design load ( ) and design energy ( ). The "Autonomy method" for constructing load profiles is typically used for AC UPS systems. The autonomy time is often specified by the Client (i.e. in their standards). Alternatively, IEEE 446, "IEEE Recommended Practice for Emergency and Standby Power Systems for Industrial and Commercial Applications" has some guidance (particularly Table 3-2)
for autonomy times. Sometimes a single autonomy time is used for the entire AC UPS load, which obviously makes the construction of the load profile easier to compute.
Step 3: Battery Sizing
Refer to the Battery Sizing Calculation for details on how to size the battery for the AC UPS system. The following sections provide additional information specific to battery sizing for AC UPS applications.
Nominal Battery (or DC Link) Voltage
The nominal battery / DC link voltage is often selected by the AC UPS manufacturer. However, if required to be selected, the following factors need to be considered:
DC output voltage range of the rectifier the rectifier must be able to output the specified DC link voltage DC input voltage range of the inverter the DC link voltage must be within the input voltage tolerances of the inverter. Note that the battery end of discharge voltage should be within these tolerances. Number of battery cells required in series this will affect the overall dimensions and size of the battery rack. If physical space is a constraint, then less batteries in series would be preferable. Total DC link current (at full load) this will affect the sizing of the DC cables and inter-cell battery links. Obviously the smaller the better.
In general, the DC link voltage is usually selected to be close to the nominal output voltage.
Number of Cells in Series
The number of battery cells required to be connected in series must be between the two following limits: (1) (2) where Nmax is the maximum number of battery cells
Nmin is the minimum number of battery cells Vdc is the nominal battery / DC link voltage (Vdc)
Vi,max is the inverter maximum input voltage tolerance (%) Vi,min is the inverter minimum input voltage tolerance (%) Vf is the nominal cell float (or boost) voltage (Vdc) Veod is the cell end of discharge voltage (Vdc)
The limits are based on the input voltage tolerance of the inverter. As a maximum, the battery at float voltage (or boost if applicable) needs to be within the maximum input voltage range of the inverter. Likewise as a minimum, the battery at its end of discharge voltage must be within the minimum input voltage range of the inverter. Select the number of cells in between these two limits (more or less arbitrary, though somewhere in the middle of the min/max values would be appropriate).
Step 4: UPS Sizing Overall UPS Sizing
Most of the time, all you need to provide is the overall UPS kVA rating and the UPS vendor will do the rest. Given the design load ( in VA or kVA) calculated in Step 2, select an overall UPS rating that exceeds the design load. Vendors typically have standard UPS ratings, so it is possible to simply select the first standard rating that exceeds the design load. For example, if the design load 12kVA, then the next size unit (e.g. 15kVA UPS) would be selected.
Rectifier / Charger Sizing
The rectifier / charger should be sized to supply the inverter at full load and also charge the batteries (at the maximum charge current). The design DC load current can be calculated by:
where IL,dc is the design DC load current (full load) (A)

S is the selected UPS rating (kVA) Vdc is the nominal battery / DC link voltage (Vdc)
The maximum battery charging current can be computed as follows:
where Ic is the maximum DC charge current (A)
C is the selected battery capacity (Ah) kl is the battery recharge efficiency / loss factor (typically 1.1) (pu) tc is the minimum battery recharge time (hours)
The total minimum DC rectifier / charger current is therefore: Select the next standard rectifier / charger rating that exceeds the total minimum DC current above.
Inverter Sizing
The inverter must be rated to continuously supply the UPS loads. Therefore, the inverter can be sized using the design AC load current (based on the selected UPS kVA rating). For a three-phase UPS:
For a single-phase UPS:
where IL is the design AC load current (full load) (A)

S is the selected UPS rating (kVA) Vo is the nominal output voltage (line-to-line voltage for a three phase UPS) (Vac)
Select the next standard inverter rating that exceeds the design AC load current.
Static Switch Sizing
Like the inverter, the static switch must be rated to continuously supply the UPS loads. Therefore, the static switch can be sized using the design AC load current (as above for the inverter sizing).
Worked Example
Step 1 and 2: Collect the AC UPS Loads and Construct Load Profile
Load profile for this example
For this example, we shall use the same loads and load profile detailed in the Energy Load Profile Calculation example. The load profile is shown in the figure right and the following quantities were calculated:

Design load Sd = 768 VA Design energy demand Ed = 3,216 VAh
Step 3: Battery Sizing
For this example, we shall use the same battery sizes calculated in the Battery Sizing Calculation worked example. The selected number of cells in series is 62 cells and the minimum battery capacity is 44.4 Ah. A battery capacity of 50 Ah is selected.
Step 4: UPS Sizing Overall Sizing
Given the design load of 768 VA, then a 1 kVA UPS would be appropriate.
Rectifier Sizing
Given a nominal dc link voltage of 120Vdc, the design DC load current is:
Suppose the minimum battery recharge time is 2 hours and a recharge efficiency factor of 1.1 is used. The maximum battery charging current is:
Therefore the total minimum DC rectifier / charger current is:
A DC rectifier rating of 40A is selected.
Inverter and Static Switch Sizing
Suppose the nominal output voltage is 240Vac. The design AC load current is:
An inverter and static switch rating of 5A is selected.
Template
A professional, fully customisable Excel spreadsheet template of the AC UPS calculation can be purchased from Lulu. The template is based on the calculation procedure described in this page and includes the following features:

Load schedule and automatic load profile generation Battery sizing UPS component sizing (e.g. rectifier, inverter, etc) Screenshots from AC UPS Template
UPS Configuration
Load Profile
Battery Sizing
Battery Sizing
Introduction
Stationary batteries on a rack (courtesy of Power Battery)
This article looks at the sizing of batteries for stationary applications (i.e. they don't move). Batteries are used in many applications such as AC and DC uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, solar power systems, telecommunications, emergency lighting, etc. Whatever the application, batteries are seen as a mature, proven technology for storing electrical energy. In addition to storage, batteries are also used as a means for providing voltage support for weak power systems (e.g. at the end of small, long transmission lines).
Sizing a stationary battery is important to ensure that the loads being supplied or the power system being supported are adequately catered for by the battery for the period of time (i.e. autonomy) for which it is designed. Improper battery sizing can lead to poor autonomy times, permanent damage to battery cells from over-discharge, low load voltages, etc.
The calculation can typically be started when the following information is known:

Battery loads that need to be supported Nominal battery voltage Autonomy time(s)
The calculation is based on a mixture of normal industry practice and technical standards IEEE Std 485 (1997, R2003) "Recommended Practice for Sizing Lead-Acid Batteries for Stationary Applications" and IEEE Std 1115 (2000, R2005) "Recommended Practice for Sizing Nickel-Cadmium Batteries for Stationary Applications". The calculation is based on the amperehour method for sizing battery capacity (rather than sizing by positive plates). The focus of this calculation is on standard lead-acid or nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, so please consult specific supplier information for other types of batteries (e.g. lithium-ion, nickel-metal hydride, etc). Note also that the design of the battery charger is beyond the scope of this calculation. There are five main steps in this calculation:
1) Collect the loads that the battery needs to support 2) Construct a load profile and calculate the design energy (VAh) 3) Select the battery type and determine the characteristics of the cell 4) Select the number of battery cells to be connected in series 5) Calculate the required Ampere-hour (Ah) capacity of the battery Step 1: Collect the battery loads
The first step is to determine the loads that the battery will be supporting. This is largely specific to the application of the battery, for example an AC UPS System or a Solar Power System.
Step 2: Construct the Load Profile
Refer to the Load Profile Calculation for details on how to construct a load profile and calculate the design energy, , in VAh. The autonomy time is often specified by the Client (i.e. in their standards). Alternatively, IEEE 446, "IEEE Recommended Practice for Emergency and Standby Power Systems for Industrial and Commercial Applications" has some guidance (particularly Table 3-2) for autonomy times. Note that IEEE 485 and IEEE 1115 refer to the load profile as the "duty cycle".
Step 3: Select Battery Type
The next step is to select the battery type (e.g. sealed lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, etc). The selection process is not covered in detail here, but the following factors should be taken into account (as suggested by IEEE):
Physical characteristics, e.g. dimensions, weight, container material, intercell connections, terminals application design life and expected life of cell Frequency and depth of discharge Ambient temperature Charging characteristics Maintenance requirements Ventilation requirements Cell orientation requirements (sealed lead-acid and NiCd) Seismic factors (shock and vibration)
Next, find the characteristics of the battery cells, typically from supplier data sheets. The characteristics that should be collected include:

Battery cell capacities (Ah) Cell temperature Electrolyte density at full charge (for lead-acid batteries) Cell float voltage Cell end-of-discharge voltage (EODV).
Battery manufacturers will often quote battery Ah capacities based on a number of different EODVs. For lead-acid batteries, the selection of an EODV is largely based on an EODV that prevents damage of the cell through over-discharge (from over-expansion of the cell plates). Typically, 1.75V to 1.8V per cell is used when discharging over longer than 1 hour. For short discharge durations (i.e. <15 minutes), lower EODVs of around 1.67V per cell may be used without damaging the cell.
Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) don't suffer from damaged cells due to over-discharge. Typical EODVs for Ni-Cd batteries are 1.0V to 1.14V per cell.
Step 4: Number of Cells in Series
The most common number of cells for a specific voltage rating is shown below:
Rated Voltage 12V 24V 48V 125V 250V LeadAcid 6 12 24 60 120 Ni-Cd
9-10 18-20 36-40 92-100 184200
However, the number of cells in a battery can also be calculated to more accurately match the tolerances of the load. The number of battery cells required to be connected in series must fall between the two following limits: (1) (2) where
is the maximum number of battery cells

is the minimum number of battery cells is the nominal battery voltage (Vdc)
is the maximum load voltage tolerance (%) is the minimum load voltage tolerance (%) is the cell charging voltage (Vdc) is the cell end of discharge voltage (Vdc)
The limits are based on the minimum and maximum voltage tolerances of the load. As a maximum, the battery at float voltage (or boost voltage if applicable) needs to be within the maximum voltage range of the load. Likewise as a minimum, the battery at its end of discharge voltage must be within the minimum voltage range of the load. The cell charging voltage depends on the type of charge cycle that is being used, e.g. float, boost, equalising, etc, and the maximum value should be chosen. Select the number of cells in between these two limits (more or less arbitrary, though somewhere in the middle of the min/max values would be most appropriate).
Step 5: Determine Battery Capacity
The minimum battery capacity required to accommodate the design load over the specified autonomy time can be calculated as follows:
where
is the minimum battery capacity (Ah)

is the design energy over the autonomy time (VAh) is the nominal battery voltage (Vdc) is a battery ageing factor (%) is a temperature correction factor (%) is a capacity rating factor (%)
is the maximum depth of discharge (%)
Select a battery Ah capacity that exceeds the minimum capacity calculated above. The battery discharge rate (C rating) should also be specified, approximately the duration of discharge (e.g. for 8 hours of discharge, use the C8 rate). The selected battery specification is therefore the Ah capacity and the discharge rate (e.g. 500Ah C10).
Temperature correction factors for vented lead-acid cells (from IEEE 485)
An explanation of the different factors:
Ageing factor captures the decrease in battery performance due to age.
The performance of a lead-acid battery is relatively stable but drops markedly at latter stages of life. The "knee point" of its life vs performance curve is approximately when the battery can deliver 80% of its rated capacity. After this point, the battery has reached the end of its useful life and should be replaced. Therefore, to ensure that battery can meet capacity throughout its useful life, an ageing factor of 1.25 should be applied (i.e. 1 / 0.8). There are some exceptions, check with the manufacturer. For Ni-Cd batteries, the principles are similar to lead-acid cells. Please consult the battery manufacturer for suitable ageing factors, but generally, applying a factor of 1.25 is standard. For applications with high temperatures and/or frequent deep discharges, a higher factor of 1.43 may be used. For more shallower discharges, a lower factor of 1.11 can be used. Temperature correction factor is an allowance to capture the ambient installation temperature. The capacity for battery cells are typicall quoted for a standard operating temperature of 25C and where this differs with the installation temperature, a correction factor must be applied. IEEE 485 gives guidance for vented lead-acid cells (see figure right), however for sealed lead-acid and Ni-Cd cells, please consult manufacturer recommendations. Note that high temperatures lower battery life irrespective of capacity and the correction factor is for capacity sizing only, i.e. you CANNOT increase battery life by increasing capacity.
Capacity rating factor accounts for voltage depressions during battery discharge. Lead-acid batteries experience a voltage dip during the early stages of discharge followed by some recovery. NiCds may have lower voltages on discharge due to prolonged float charging (constant voltage). Both of these effects should be accounted for by the capacity rating factor - please see the manufacturer's recommendations. For Ni-Cd cells, IEEE 1115 Annex C suggests that for float charging applications, Kt = rated capacity in Ah / discharge current in Amps (for specified discharge time and EODV).
Worked Example
Load profile for this example Step 1 and 2: Collect Battery Loads and Construct Load Profile
The loads and load profile from the simple example in the Energy Load Profile Calculation will be used (see the figure right). The design energy demand calculated for this system is Ed = 3,242.8 VAh.
Step 3: Select Battery Type
Vented lead acid batteries have been selected for this example.
Step 4: Number of Cells in Series
Suppose that the nominal battery voltage is Vdc = 120Vdc, the cell charging voltage is Vc = 2.25Vdc/cell, the end-of-discharge voltage is Veod = 1.8Vdc/cell, and the minimum and maximum load voltage tolerances are Vl,min = 10% and Vl,max = 20% respectively. The maximum number of cells in series is:
cells
The minimum number of cells in series is:
cells
The selected number of cells in series is 62 cells.

Step 5: Determine Battery Capacity
Given a depth of discharge kdod = 80%, battery ageing factor ka = 25%, temperature correction factor for vented cells at 30 deg C of kt = 0.956 and a capacity rating factor of kc = 10%, the minimum battery capacity is:
Ah
Earthing Calculation
Introduction
The earthing system in a plant / facility is very important for a few reasons, all of which are related to either the protection of people and equipment and/or the optimal operation of the electrical system. These include:
Equipotential bonding of conductive objects (e.g. metallic equipment, buildings, piping etc) to the earthing system prevent the presence of dangerous voltages between objects (and earth). The earthing system provides a low resistance return path for earth faults within the plant, which protects both personnel and equipment For earth faults with return paths to offsite generation sources, a low resistance earthing grid relative to remote earth prevents dangerous ground potential rises (touch and step potentials) The earthing system provides a low resistance path (relative to remote earth) for voltage transients such as lightning and surges / overvoltages Equipotential bonding helps prevent electrostatic buildup and discharge, which can cause sparks with enough energy to ignite flammable atmospheres The earthing system provides a reference potential for electronic circuits and helps reduce electrical noise for electronic, instrumentation and communication systems
This calculation is based primarily on the guidelines provided by IEEE Std 80 (2000), "Guide for safety in AC substation grounding". Lightning protection is excluded from the scope of this calculation (refer to the specific lightning protection calculation for more details).
The earthing calculation aids in the proper design of the earthing system. Using the results of this calculation, you can:
Determine the minimum size of the earthing conductors required for the main earth grid Ensure that the earthing design is appropriate to prevent dangerous step and touch potentials (if this is necessary)

This calculation should be performed when the earthing system is being designed. It could also be done after the preliminary design has been completed to confirm that the earthing system is adequate, or highlight the need for improvement / redesign. Ideally, soil resistivity test results from the site will be available for use in touch and step potential calculations (if necessary).
When is the calculation unnecessary?
The sizing of earthing conductors should always be performed, but touch and step potential calculations (per IEEE Std 80 for earth faults with a return path through remote earth) are not always necessary. For example, when all electricity is generated on-site and the HV/MV/LV earthing systems are interconnected, then there is no need to do a touch and step potential calculation. In such a case, all earth faults would return to the source via the earthing system (notwithstanding some small leakage through earth). However, where there are decoupled networks (e.g. long transmission lines to remote areas of the plant), then touch and step potential calculations should be performed for the remote area only.
This calculation is based on IEEE Std 80 (2000), "Guide for safety in AC substation grounding". There are two main parts to this calculation:

Earthing grid conductor sizing Touch and step potential calculations
IEEE Std 80 is quite descriptive, detailed and easy to follow, so only an overview will be presented here and IEEE Std 80 should be consulted for further details (although references will be given herein).
Prerequisites
The following information is required / desirable before starting the calculation:

A layout of the site Maximum earth fault current into the earthing grid Maximum fault clearing time Ambient (or soil) temperature at the site Soil resistivity measurements at the site (for touch and step only) Resistivity of any surface layers intended to be laid (for touch and step only)
Earthing Grid Conductor Sizing
Determining the minimum size of the earthing grid conductors is necessary to ensure that the earthing grid will be able to withstand the maximum earth fault current. Like a normal power cable under fault, the earthing grid conductors experience an adiabatic short circuit temperature rise. However unlike a fault on a normal cable, where the limiting temperature is that which would cause
permanent damage to the cable's insulation, the temperature limit for earthing grid conductors is the melting point of the conductor. In other words, during the worst case earth fault, we don't want the earthing grid conductors to start melting! The minimum conductor size capable of withstanding the adiabatic temperature rise associated with an earth fault is given by rearranging IEEE Std 80 Equation 37:
Where
is the minimum cross-sectional area of the earthing grid conductor (mm2)

is the energy of the maximum earth fault (A2s) is the maximum allowable (fusing) temperature (C) is the ambient temperature (C) is the thermal coefficient of resistivity (C - 1) is the resistivity of the earthing conductor (.cm)
is is the thermal capacity of the conductor per unit volume(Jcm - 3C - 1)
The material constants Tm, r, r and TCAP for common conductor materials can be found in IEEE Std 80 Table 1. For example. commercial hard-drawn copper has material constants:

Tm = 1084 C r = 0.00381 C - 1 r = 1.78 .cm TCAP = 3.42 Jcm - 3C - 1.
As described in IEEE Std 80 Section 11.3.1.1, there are alternative methods to formulate this equation, all of which can also be derived from first principles). There are also additional factors that should be considered (e.g. taking into account future growth in fault levels), as discussed in IEEE Std 80 Section 11.3.3.
Touch and Step Potential Calculations
When electricity is generated remotely and there are no return paths for earth faults other than the earth itself, then there is a risk that earth faults can cause dangerous voltage gradients in the earth around the site of the fault (called ground potential rises). This means that someone standing near the fault can receive a dangerous electrical shock due to:

Touch voltages - there is a dangerous potential difference between the earth and a metallic object that a person is touching Step voltages - there is a dangerous voltage gradient between the feet of a person standing on earth
The earthing grid can be used to dissipate fault currents to remote earth and reduce the voltage gradients in the earth. The touch and step potential calculations are performed in order to assess whether the earthing grid can dissipate the fault currents so that dangerous touch and step voltages cannot exist.
Step 1: Soil Resistivity
The resistivity properties of the soil where the earthing grid will be laid is an important factor in determining the earthing grid's resistance with respect to remote earth. Soils with lower resistivity lead to lower overall grid resistances and potentially smaller earthing grid configurations can be designed (i.e. that comply with safe step and touch potentials). It is good practice to perform soil resistivity tests on the site. There are a few standard methods for measuring soil resistivity (e.g. Wenner four-pin method). A good discussion on the interpretation of soil resistivity test measurements is found in IEEE Std 80 Section 13.4. Sometimes it isn't possible to conduct soil resistivity tests and an estimate must suffice. When estimating soil resistivity, it goes without saying that one should err on the side of caution and select a higher resistivity. IEEE Std 80 Table 8 gives some guidance on range of soil resistivities based on the general characteristics of the soil (i.e. wet organic soil = 10 .m, moist soil = 100 .m, dry soil = 1,000 .m and bedrock = 10,000 .m).
Step 2: Surface Layer Materials
Applying a thin layer (0.08m - 0.15m) of high resistivity material (such as gravel, blue metal, crushed rock, etc) over the surface of the ground is commonly used to help protect against dangerous touch and step voltages. This is because the surface layer material
increases the contact resistance between the soil (i.e. earth) and the feet of a person standing on it, thereby lowering the current flowing through the person in the event of a fault. IEEE Std 80 Table 7 gives typical values for surface layer material resistivity in dry and wet conditions (e.g. 40mm crushed granite = 4,000 .m (dry) and 1,200 .m (wet)). The effective resistance of a person's feet (with respect to earth) when standing on a surface layer is not the same as the surface layer resistance because the layer is not thick enough to have uniform resistivity in all directions. A surface layer derating factor needs to be applied in order to compute the effective foot resistance (with respect to earth) in the presence of a finite thickness of surface layer material. This derating factor can be approximated by an empirical formula as per IEEE Std 80 Equation 27:
Where
is the surface layer derating factor

is the soil resistivity (.m) is the resistivity of the surface layer material (.m) is the thickness of the surface layer (m)
This derating factor will be used later in Step 5 when calculating the maximum allowable touch and step voltages.
Step 3: Earthing Grid Resistance
A good earthing grid has low resistance (with respect to remote earth) to minimise ground potential rise (GPR) and consequently avoid dangerous touch and step voltages. Calculating the earthing grid resistance usually goes hand in hand with earthing grid design that is, you design the earthing grid to minimise grid resistance. The earthing grid resistance mainly depends on the area taken up by the earthing grid, the total length of buried earthing conductors and the number of earthing rods / electrodes. IEEE Std 80 offers two alternative options for calculating the earthing grid resistance (with respect to remote earth) - 1) the simplified method (Section 14.2) and 2) the Schwarz equations (Section 14.3), both of which are outlined briefly below. IEEE Std 80 also includes methods for reducing soil resistivity (in Section 14.5) and a treatment for concrete-encased earthing electrodes (in Section 14.6).
Simplified Method
IEEE Std 80 Equation 52 gives the simplified method as modified by Sverak to include the effect of earthing grid depth:
Where
is the earthing grid resistance with respect to remote earth ()

is the soil resistivitiy (.m) is the total length of buried conductors (m) is the total area occupied by the earthiing grid (m2)
Schwarz Equations
The Schwarz equations are a series of equations that are more accurate in modelling the effect of earthing rods / electrodes. The equations are found in IEEE Std 80 Equations 53, 54, 55 and 56, as follows:
Where
is the earthing grid resistance with respect to remote earth ()

is the earth resistance of the grid conductors () is the earth resistance of the earthing electrodes () is the mutual earth resistance between the grid conductors and earthing electrodes ()
And the grid, earthing electrode and mutual earth resistances are:
Where
is the soil resistivity (.m)

is the total length of buried grid conductors (m) is for conductors buried at depth for grid conductors on the surface metres and with cross-sectional radius metres, or simply
is the total area covered by the grid conductors (m2) is the length of each earthing electrode (m) is the total length of earthing electrodes (m) is number of earthing electrodes in area is the cross-sectional radius of an earthing electrode (m) and are constant coefficients depending on the geometry of the grid
The coefficient

can be approximated by the following:

(1) For depth (2) For depth (3) For depth : : :
The coefficient

can be approximated by the following:

(1) For depth (2) For depth (3) For depth : : :
Where in both cases,
is the length-to-width ratio of the earthing grid.
Step 4: Maximum Grid Current
The maximum grid current is the worst case earth fault current that would flow via the earthing grid back to remote earth. To calculate the maximum grid current, you firstly need to calculate the worst case symmetrical earth fault current at the facility that would have a return path through remote earth (call this ). This can be found from the power systems studies or from manual calculation. Generally speaking, the highest relevant earth fault level will be on the primary side of the largest distribution transformer (i.e. either the terminals or the delta windings).
Current Division Factor
Not all of the earth fault current will flow back through remote earth. A portion of the earth fault current may have local return paths (e.g. local generation) or there could be alternative return paths other than remote earth (e.g. overhead earth return cables, buried pipes and cables, etc). Therefore a current division factor must be applied to account for the proportion of the fault current flowing back through remote earth. Computing the current division factor is a task that is specific to each project and the fault location and it may incorporate some subjectivity (i.e. "engineeing judgement"). In any case, IEEE Std 80 Section 15.9 has a good discussion on calculating the current division factor. In the most conservative case, a current division factor of current flows back through remote earth. The symmetrical grid current is calculated by: can be applied, meaning that 100% of earth fault
Decrement Factor
The symmetrical grid current is not the maximum grid current because of asymmetry in short circuits, namely a dc current offset. This is captured by the decrement factor, which can be calculated from IEEE Std 80 Equation 79:
Where
is the decrement factor

is the duration of the fault (s) is the dc time offset constant (see below)
The dc time offset constant is derived from IEEE Std 80 Equation 74:
Where
is the X/R ratio at the fault location

is the system frequency (Hz)
The maximum grid current
is lastly calculated by:
Step 5: Touch and Step Potential Criteria
One of the goals of a safe earthing grid is to protect people against lethal electric shocks in the event of an earth fault. The magnitude of ac electric current (at 50Hz or 60Hz) that a human body can withstand is typically in the range of 60 to 100mA, when ventricular fibrillation and heart stoppage can occur. The duration of an electric shock also contributes to the risk of mortality, so the speed at which faults are cleared is also vital. Given this, we need to prescribe maximum tolerable limits for touch and step voltages that do not lead to lethal shocks. The maximum tolerable voltages for step and touch scenarios can be calculated empirically from IEEE Std Section 8.3 for body weights of 50kg and 70kg:
Touch voltage limit - the maximum potential difference between the surface potential and the potential of an earthed conducting structure during a fault (due to ground potential rise):
50kg person: 70kg person:
Step voltage limit - is the maximum difference in surface potential experience by a person bridging a distance of 1m with the feet without contact to any earthed object:
50kg person: 70kg person:
Where
is the touch voltage limit (V)

is the step voltage limit (V) is the surface layer derating factor (as calculated in Step 2) is the soil resistivity (.m) is the maximum fault clearing time (s)
The choice of body weight (50kg or 70kg) depends on the expected weight of the personnel at the site. Typically, where women are expected to be on site, the conservative option is to choose 50kg.
Step 6: Ground Potential Rise (GPR)
Normally, the potential difference between the local earth around the site and remote earth is considered to be zero (i.e. they are at the same potential). However an earth fault (where the fault current flows back through remote earth), the flow of current through the earth causes local potential gradients in and around the site. The maximum potential difference between the site and remote earth is known as the ground potential rise (GPR). It is important to note that this is a maximum potential potential difference and that earth potentials around the site will vary relative to the point of fault. The maximum GPR is calculated by:
Where
is the maximum ground potential rise (V)

is the maximum grid current found earlier in Step 4 (A) is the earthing grid resistance found earlier in Step 3 ()
Step 7: Earthing Grid Design Verification
Now we just need to verify that the earthing grid design is safe for touch and step potential. If the maximum GPR calculated above does not exceed either of the touch and step voltage limits (from Step 5), then the grid design is safe. However if it does exceed the touch and step voltage limits, then some further analysis is required to verify the design, namely the calculation of the maximum mesh and step voltages as per IEEE Std 80 Section 16.5.
Mesh Voltage Calculation
The mesh voltage is the maximum touch voltage within a mesh of an earthing grid and is derived from IEEE Std 80 Equation 80:
Where ::

is the maximum grid current found earlier in Step 4 (A) is the geometric spacing factor (see below) is the irregularity factor (see below)
is the effective buried length of the grid (see below) Geometric Spacing Factor Km
The geometric spacing factor
is calculated from IEEE Std 80 Equation 81:
Where
is the spacing between parallel grid conductors (m)

is the depth of buried grid conductors (m) is the cross-sectional diameter of a grid conductor (m) is a weighting factor for depth of burial = is a weighting factor for earth electrodes /rods on the corner mesh

for grids with earth electrodes along the grid perimeter or corners for grids with no earth electrodes on the corners or on the perimeter
is a geometric factor (see below) Geometric Factor n
The geometric factor
With
for square grids, or otherwise
for square and rectangular grids, or otherwise
for square, rectangular and L-shaped grids, or otherwise
Where
is the total length of horizontal grid conductors (m)

is the length of grid conductors on the perimeter (m) is the total area of the grid (m2) and are the maximum length of the grids in the x and y directions (m)
is the maximum distance between any two points on the grid (m) Irregularity Factor Ki
The irregularity factor Where
is the geometric factor derived above
Effective Buried Length LM
The effective buried length
is found as follows:
For grids with few or no earthing electrodes (and none on corners or along the perimeter):
Where

is the total length of earthing electrodes / rods (m)
For grids with earthing electrodes on the corners and along the perimeter:
Where

is the total length of earthing electrodes / rods (m) is the length of each earthing electrode / rod (m) and are the maximum length of the grids in the x and y directions (m)
Step Voltage Calculation
The maximum allowable step voltage is calculated from IEEE Std 80 Equation 92:
Where ::

is the maximum grid current found earlier in Step 4 (A) is the geometric spacing factor (see below) is the irregularity factor (as derived above in the mesh voltage calculation) is the effective buried length of the grid (see below)
Geometric Spacing Factor Ks
The geometric spacing factor
based on IEEE Std 80 Equation 81 is applicable for burial depths between 0.25m and 2.5m:
Where
is the spacing between parallel grid conductors (m)

is the depth of buried grid conductors (m) is a geometric factor (as derived above in the mesh voltage calculation)
Effective Buried Length LS
The effective buried length
for all cases can be calculated by IEEE Std 80 Equation 93:
Where

is the total length of earthing electrodes / rods (m)
What Now?
Now that the mesh and step voltages are calculated, compare them to the maximum tolerable touch and step voltages respectively. If:

, and
then the earthing grid design is safe. If not, however, then further work needs to be done. Some of the things that can be done to make the earthing grid design safe:
Redesign the earthing grid to lower the grid resistance (e.g. more grid conductors, more earthing electrodes, increasing cross-sectional area of conductors, etc). Once this is done, re-compute the earthing grid resistance (see Step 3) and re-do the touch and step potential calculations.

Limit the total earth fault current or create alternative earth fault return paths
Consider soil treatments to lower the resistivity of the soil Greater use of high resistivity surface layer materials
Worked Example
In this example, the touch and step potential calculations for an earthing grid design will be performed. The proposed site is a small industrial facility with a network connection via a transmission line and a delta-wye connected transformer.
Step 1: Soil Resistivity
The soil resistivity around the site was measured with a Wenner four-pin probe and found to be approximately 300 .m.
Step 2: Surface Layer Materials
A thin 100mm layer of blue metal (3,000 .m) is proposed to be installed on the site. The surface layer derating factor is:
Step 3: Earthing Grid Resistance
Proposed rectangular earthing grid
A rectangular earthing grid (see the figure right) with the following parameters is proposed:

Length of 90m and a width of 50m 6 parallel rows and 7 parallel columns Grid conductors will be 120 mm2 and buried at a depth of 600mm 22 earthing rods will be installed on the corners and perimeter of the grid Each earthing rod will be 3m long
Using the simplified equation, the resistance of the earthing grid with respect to remote earth is:
Step 4: Maximum Grid Current
Suppose that the maximum single phase to earth fault at the HV winding of the transformer is 3.1kA and that the current division factor is 1 (all the fault current flows back to remote earth). The X/R ratio at the fault is approximately 15, the maximum fault duration 150ms and the system nominal frequency is 50Hz. The DC time offset is therefore:
The decrement factor is then:
Fianlly, the maximum grid current is:
kA
Step 5: Touch and Step Potential Criteria
Based on the average weight of the workers on the site, a body weight of 70kg is assumed for the maximum touch and step potential. A maximum fault clearing time of 150ms is also assumed. The maximum allowable touch potential is:
The maximum allowable step potential is:
V Step 6: Ground Potential Rise (GPR)
The maximum ground potential rise is:
Load Profile
Introduction
Example of a load profile (using the autonomy method)
The energy load profile (hereafter referred to as simply "load profile") is an estimate of the total energy demanded from a power system or sub-system over a specific period of time (e.g. hours, days, etc). The load profile is essentially a two-dimensional chart showing the instantaneous load (in Volt-Amperes) over time, and represents a convenient way to visualise how the system loads changes with respect to time. Note that it is distinct from the electrical load schedule - the load profile incorporates a time dimension and therefore estimates the energy demand (in kWh) instead of just the instantaneous load / power (in kW).
Estimating the energy demand is important for the sizing of energy storage devices, e.g. batteries, as the required capacity of such energy storage devices depends on the total amount of energy that will be drawn by the loads. This calculation is also useful for energy efficiency applications, where it is important to make estimates of the total energy use in a system.
A load profile needs to be constructed whenever the sizing of energy storage devices (e.g. batteries) is required. The calculation can be done once preliminary load information is available.
Example of a load profile (using the 24 hour profile method)
There are two distinct methods for constructing a load profile:

1) Autonomy method is the traditional method used for backup power applications, e.g. UPS systems. In this method, the instantaneous loads are displayed over an autonomy time, which is the period of time that the loads need to be supported by a backup power system in the event of a power supply interruption. 2) 24 Hour Profile method displays the average or expected instantaneous loads over a 24 hour period. This method is more commonly associated with standalone power system applications, e.g. solar systems, or energy efficiency applications.
Both methods share the same three general steps, but with some differences in the details:

Step 1: Prepare the load list Step 2: Construct the load profile Step 3: Calculate the design load and design energy demand
Step 1: Prepare the Load List
The first step is to transform the collected loads into a load list. It is similar in form to the electrical load schedule, but is a little simplified for the purpose of constructing a load profile. For instance, instead of categorising loads by their load duty (continuous, intermittent or standby), it is assumed that all loads are operating continuously. However, a key difference of this load list is the time period associated with each load item: In the autonomy method, the associated time period is called the "autonomy" and is the number of hours that the load needs to be supported during a power supply interruption. Some loads may only be required to ride through brief interruptions or have enough autonomy to shut down safely, while some critical systems may need to operate for as long as possible (up to several days). In the 24 hour profile method, the associated time period is represented in terms of "ON" and "OFF" times. These are the times in the day (in hours and minutes) that the load is expected to be switched on and then later turned off. For loads that operate continuously, the ON and OFF time would be 0:00 and 23:59 respectively. A load item may need to be entered in twice if it is expected to start and stop more than once a day.
Calculating the Consumed Load VA
For this calculation, we are interested in the consumed apparent power of the loads (in VA). For each load, this can be calculated as follows:
Where
is the consumed load apparent power (VA)

is the consumed load power (W) is the load power factor (pu) is the load efficiency (pu) Examples of load lists
Autonomy method
Step 2: Construct the Load Profile
24 hour profile method
The load profile is constructed from the load list and is essentially a chart that shows the distribution of the loads over time. The construction of the load profile will be explained by a simple example:
Load profile constructed for this example
Suppose the following loads were identified based on the Autonomy Method:
Description Load (VA) 200 200 150 Autonomy (h) 4 4 6
DCS Cabinet ESD Cabinet Telecommunications Cabinet
Computer Console
90
The load profile is constructed by stacking "energy rectangles" on top of each other. An energy rectangles has the load VA as the height and the autonomy time as the width and its area is a visual representation of the load's total energy. For example, the DCS Cabinet has an energy rectangle of height 200 (VA) and width 4 (hours). The load profile is created by stacking the widest rectangles first, e.g. in this example it is the Telecommunications Cabinet that is stacked first. For the 24 Hour method, energy rectangles are constructed with the periods of time that a load is energised (i.e. the time difference between the ON and OFF times).
Step 3: Calculate Design Load and Energy Demand Design Load
The design load is the instantaneous load for which the power conversion, distribution and protection devices should be rated, e.g. rectifiers, inverters, cables, fuses, circuit breakers, etc. The design can be calculated as follows:
Where
is the design load apparent power (VA)

is the peak load apparent power, derived from the load profile (VA) is a contingency for future load growth (%) is a design margin (%)
It is common to make considerations for future load growth (typically somewhere between 5 and 20%), to allow future loads to be supported. If no future loads are expected, then this contingency can be ignored. A design margin is used to account for any potential inaccuracies in estimating the loads, less-than-optimum operating conditions due to improper maintenance, etc. Typically, a design margin of 10% to 15% is recommended, but this may also depend on Client preferences. Example: From our simple example above, the peak load apparent power is 640VA. Given a future growth contingency of 10% and a design margin of 10%, the design load is:
VA
Design Energy Demand
The design energy demand is used for sizing energy storage devices. From the load profile, the total energy (in terms of VAh) can be computed by finding the area underneath the load profile curve (i.e. integrating instantaneous power with respect to time over the autonomy or 24h period). The design energy demand (or design VAh) can then be calculated by the following equation:
Where
is the design energy demand (VAh)

is the total load energy, which is the area under the load profile (VAh) is a contingency for future load growth as defined above (%) is a design contingency as defined above (%)
Example: From our simple example above, the total load energy from the load profile is 2,680VAh. Given a future growth contingency of 10% and a design margin of 10%, the design energy demand is:
VAh
Motor Starting
Introduction
High voltage motor (courtesy of ABB)
This article considers the transient effects of motor starting on the system voltage. Usually only the largest motor on a bus or system is modelled, but the calculation can in principle be used for any motor. It's important to note that motor starting is a transient power flow problem and is normally done iteratively by computer software. However a static method is shown here for first-pass estimates only.
When a motor is started, it typically draws a current 6-7 times its full load current for a short duration (commonly called the locked rotor current). During this transient period, the source impedance is generally assumed to be fixed and therefore, a large increase in current will result in a larger voltage drop across the source impedance. This means that there can be large momentary voltage drops system-wide, from the power source (e.g. transformer or generator) through the intermediary buses, all the way to the motor terminals. A system-wide voltage drop can have a number of adverse effects, for example:
Equipment with minimum voltage tolerances (e.g. electronics) may malfunction or behave aberrantly Undervoltage protection may be tripped The motor itself may not start as torque is proportional to the square of the stator voltage, so a reduced voltage equals lower torque. Induction motors are typically designed to start with a terminal voltage >80%
This calculation is more or less done to verify that the largest motor does not cause system wide problems upon starting. Therefore it should be done after preliminary system design is complete. The following prerequisite information is required:

Key single line diagrams Preliminary load schedule Tolerable voltage drop limits during motor starting, which are typically prescribed by the client
This calculation is based on standard impedance formulae and Ohm's law. To the author's knowledge, there are no international standards that govern voltage drop calculations during motor start. It should be noted that the proposed method is not 100% accurate because it is a static calculation. In reality, the voltage levels are fluctuating during a transient condition, and therefore so are the load currents drawn by the standing loads. This makes it essentially a load flow problem and a more precise solution would solve the load flow problem iteratively, for example using the Newton-Rhapson or Gauss-Siedel algorithms. Notwithstanding, the proposed method is suitably accurate for a first pass solution. The calculation has the following six general steps:

Step 1: Construct the system model and assemble the relevant equipment parameters Step 2: Calculate the relevant impedances for each equipment item in the model Step 3: Refer all impedances to a reference voltage
Step 4: Construct the equivalent circuit for the voltage levels of interest Step 5: Calculate the initial steady-state source emf before motor starting Step 6: Calculate the system voltages during motor start
Step 1: Construct System Model and Collect Equipment Parameters
The first step is to construct a simplified model of the system single line diagram, and then collect the relevant equipment parameters. The model of the single line diagram need only show the buses of interest in the motor starting calculation, e.g. the upstream source bus, the motor bus and possibly any intermediate or downstream buses that may be affected. All running loads are shown as lumped loads except for the motor to be started as it is assumed that the system is in a steady-state before motor start. The relevant equipment parameters to be collected are as follows:
Network feeders: fault capacity of the network (VA), X/R ratio of the network Generators: per-unit transient reactance, rated generator capacity (VA) Transformers: transformer impedance voltage (%), rated transformer capacity (VA), rated current (A), total copper loss (W) Cables: length of cable (m), resistance and reactance of cable ( ) Standing loads: rated load capacity (VA), average load power factor (pu) Motor: full load current (A), locked rotor current (A), rated power (W), full load power factor (pu), starting power factor (pu)

Step 2: Calculate Equipment Impedances
Using the collected parameters, each of the equipment item impedances can be calculated for later use in the motor starting calculations.
Network Feeders
Given the approximate fault level of the network feeder at the connection point (or point of common coupling), the impedance, resistance and reactance of the network feeder is calculated as follows:
Where
is impedance of the network feeder ()

is resistance of the network feeder () is reactance of the network feeder () is the nominal voltage at the connection point (Vac) is the fault level of the network feeder (VA) is a voltage factor which accounts for the maximum system voltage (1.05 for voltages <1kV, 1.1 for voltages >1kV)
is X/R ratio of the network feeder (pu) Synchronous Generators
The transient resistance and reactance of a synchronous generator can be estimated by the following:
Where
is the transient reactance of the generator ()

is the resistance of the generator () is a voltage correction factor (pu) is the per-unit transient reactance of the generator (pu) is the nominal generator voltage (Vac) is the nominal system voltage (Vac) is the rated generator capacity (VA)
is the X/R ratio, typically 20 for nominal voltage 1kV
100MVA, 14.29 for
100MVA, and 6.67 for all generators with
is a voltage factor which accounts for the maximum system voltage (1.05 for voltages <1kV, 1.1 for voltages >1kV) is the power factor of the generator (pu) Transformers
The impedance, resistance and reactance of two-winding transformers can be calculated as follows:
Where
is the impedance of the transformer ()

is the resistance of the transformer () is the reactance of the transformer () is the impedance voltage of the transformer (pu) is the rated capacity of the transformer (VA) is the nominal voltage of the transformer at the high or low voltage side (Vac) is the rated current of the transformer at the high or low voltage side (I) is the total copper loss in the transformer windings (W)
Cables
Cable impedances are usually quoted by manufacturers in terms of Ohms per km. These need to be converted to Ohms based on the length of the cables:
Where
is the resistance of the cable {)

is the reactance of the cable {) is the quoted resistance of the cable { / km)
is the quoted reactance of the cable { / km) is the length of the cable {m) Standing Loads
Standing loads are lumped loads comprising all loads that are operating on a particular bus, excluding the motor to be started. Standing loads for each bus need to be calculated. The impedance, resistance and reactance of the standing load is calculated by:
Where
is the impedance of the standing load {)

is the resistance of the standing load {) is the reactance of the standing load {) is the standing load nominal voltage (Vac) is the standing load apparent power (VA) is the average load power factor (pu)
Motors
The motor's transient impedance, resistance and reactance is calculated as follows:
Where
is transient impedance of the motor ()

is transient resistance of the motor () is transient reactance of the motor () is ratio of the locked rotor to full load current is the motor locked rotor current (A) is the motor nominal voltage (Vac) is the motor rated power (W) is the motor full load power factor (pu) is the motor starting power factor (pu)
Step 3: Referring Impedances
Where there are multiple voltage levels, the equipment impedances calculated earlier need to be converted to a reference voltage (typically the HV side) in order for them to be used in a single equivalent circuit. The winding ratio of a transformer can be calculated as follows:
Where
is the transformer winding ratio
is the transformer nominal secondary voltage at the principal tap (Vac) is the transformer nominal primary voltage (Vac) is the specified tap setting (%)
Using the winding ratio, impedances (as well as resistances and reactances) can be referred to the primary (HV) side of the transformer by the following relation:
Where
is the impedance referred to the primary (HV) side ()

is the impedance at the secondary (LV) side () is the transformer winding ratio (pu)
Conversely, by re-arranging the equation above, impedances can be referred to the LV side:
Step 4: Construct the Equivalent Circuit
"Near" Thvenin equivalent circuit
The equivalent circuit essentially consists of a voltage source (from a network feeder or generator) plus a set of complex impedances representing the power system equipment and load impedances. The next step is to simplify the circuit into a form that is nearly the Thvenin equivalent circuit, with a circuit containing only a voltage source ( ), source impedance ( ) and equivalent load impedance ( ). This can be done using the standard formulae for series and parallel impedances, keeping in mind that the rules of complex arithmetic must be used throughout. This simplification to a "Near" Thvenin equivalent circuit should be done both with the motor off (open circuit) and the motor in a starting condition.
Step 5: Calculate the Initial Source EMF
Assuming that the system is initially in a steady-state condition, we need to first calculate the initial emf produced by the power source (i.e. feeder connection point or generator terminals). This voltage will be used in the transient calculations (Step 6) as the initial source voltage. Assumptions regarding the steady-state condition:

The source point of common coupling (PCC) is at its nominal voltage The motor is switched off All standing loads are operating at the capacity calculated in Step 2 All transformer taps are set at those specified in Step 2 The system is at a steady-state, i.e. there is no switching taking place throughout the system
Since we assume that there is nominal voltage at the PCC, the initial source emf can be calculated by voltage divider:
Where
is the initial emf of the power source (Vac)

is the nominal voltage (Vac) is the source impedance () is the equivalent load impedance with the motor switched off ()
Step 6: Calculate System Voltages During Motor Start
It is assumed in this calculation that during motor starting, the initial source emf calculated in Step 5 remains constant; that is, the power source does not react during the transient period. This is a simplifying assumption in order to avoid having to model the transient behaviour of the power source. Next, we need to calculate the overall system current that is supplied by the power source during the motor starting period. To do this, we use the "Near" Thevenin equivalent circuit derived earlier, but now include the motor starting impedance. A new equivalent load impedance during motor starting will be calculated. The current supplied by the power source is therefore:
Where
is the system current supplied by the source (A)

is the initial source emf (Vac) is the equivalent load impedance during motor start () is the source impedance ()
The voltage at the source point of common coupling (PCC) is:
Where
is the voltage at the point of common coupling (Vac)

is the initial source emf (Vac) is the system current supplied by the source (A) is the source impedance ()
The downstream voltages can now be calculated by voltage division and simple application of Ohm's law. Specifically, we'd like to know the voltage at the motor terminals and any buses of interest that could be affected. Ensure that the voltages are acceptably within the prescribed limits, otherwise further action needs to be taken (refer to the What's Next? section).
Worked Example
The worked example here is a very simple power system with two voltage levels and supplied by a single generator. While unrealistic, it does manage to demonstrate the key concepts pertaining to motor starting calculations.
Step 1: Construct System Model and Collect Equipment Parameters
Simplified system model for motor starting example
The power system has two voltage levels, 11kV and 415V, and is fed via a single 4MVA generator (G1). The 11kV bus has a standing load of 950kVA (S1) and we want to model the effects of starting a 250kW motor (M1). There is a standing load of 600kVA at 415V (S2), supplied by a 1.6MVA transformer (TX1). The equipment and cable parameters are as follows:
Equipment Parameters
= 4,000 kVA = 11,000 V
Generator G1
= 0.33 pu = 0.85 pu
Generator Cable C1
Length = 50m Size = 500 mm2
(R = 0.0522 \km, X = 0.0826 \km)

11kV Standing Load S1

= 950 kVA = 11,000 V = 0.84 pu = 250 kW = 11,000 V = 106.7 A = 6.5 pu = 0.85 pu = 0.30 pu Length = 150m Size = 35 mm2
Motor M1
Motor Cable C2
(R = 0.668 \km, X = 0.115 \km)
= 1,600 kVA = 11,000 V = 415 V = 0.06 pu = 12,700 W = 0%
Transformer TX1
Transformer Cable C3
Length = 60m Size = 120 mm2
(R = 0.196 \km, X = 0.096 \km)

415V Standing Load S2

= 600 kVA = 415 V = 0.80 pu
Step 2: Calculate Equipment Impedances
Using the patameters above and the equations outlined earlier in the methodology, the following impedances were calculated:
Equipment Resistanc e () 0.65462 0.00261 106.98947 Reactance () 9.35457 0.00413 69.10837
Generator G1 Generator Cable C1 11kV Standing Load S1
Motor M1 Motor Cable C2 Transformer TX1 (Primary Side) Transformer Cable C3 415V Standing Load S2
16.77752 0.1002 0.60027
61.02812 0.01725 4.49762
0.01176 0.22963
0.00576 0.17223
11kV will be used as the reference voltage. The only impedance that needs to be referred to this reference voltage is the 415V Standing Load (S2). Knowing that the transformer is set at principal tap, we can calculate the winding ratio and apply it to refer the 415V Standing Load impedance to the 11kV side:
The resistance and reactance of the standing load referred to the 11kV side is now, R = 161.33333 and X = 121.00 .
Step 4: Construct the Equivalent Circuit
Equivalent circuit for motor starting example
The equivalent circuit for the system is shown in the figure to the right. The "Near" Thevenin equivalent circuit is also shown, and we now calculate the equivalent load impedance included): in the steady-state condition (i.e. without the motor and motor cable impedances
Similarly the equivalent load impedance during motor starting (with the motor impedances included) can be calculated as as follows:
Step 5: Calculate the Initial Source EMF
"Near" Thevenin equivalent circuit for motor starting example
Assuming that there is nominal voltage at the 11kV bus in the steady-state condition, the initial generator emf can be calculated by voltage divider:
Vac Step 6: Calculate System Voltages During Motor Start
Now we can calculate the transient effects of motor starting on the system voltages. Firstly, the current supplied by the generator during motor start is calculated:
Next, the voltage at the 11kV bus can be found:
Vac (or 87.98% of nominal voltage)
The voltage at the motor terminals can then be found by voltage divider:
Vac (or 87.92% of nominal voltage)
The voltage at the low voltage bus is:
Vac, then referred to the LV side = 359.39Vac (or 86.60% of nominal voltage)
Any other voltages of interest on the system can be determined using the same methods as above. Suppose that our maximum voltage drop at the motor terminals is 15%. From above, we have found that the voltage drop is 12.08% at the motor terminals. This is a slightly marginal result and it may be prudent to simulate the system in a software package to confirm the results.
Short Circuit Calculation
Introduction
This article looks at the calculation of short circuit currents for bolted three-phase and single-phase to earth faults in a power system. A short circuit in a power system can cause very high currents to flow to the fault location. The magnitude of the short circuit current depends on the impedance of system under short circuit conditions. In this calculation, the short circuit current is estimated using the guidelines presented in IEC 60909.
Calculating the prospective short circuit levels in a power system is important for a number of reasons, including:

To specify fault ratings for electrical equipment (e.g. short circuit withstand ratings) To help identify potential problems and weaknesses in the system and assist in system planning To form the basis for protection coordination studies
The calculation can be done after preliminary system design, with the following pre-requisite documents and design tasks completed:
Key single line diagrams Major electrical equipment sized (e.g. generators, transformers, etc) Electrical load schedule Cable sizing (not absolutely necessary, but would be useful)
This calculation is based on IEC 60909-0 (2001, c2002), "Short-circuit currents in three-phase a.c. systems - Part 0: Calculation of currents" and uses the impedance method (as opposed to the per-unit method). In this method, it is assumed that all short circuits are of negligible impedance (i.e. no arc impedance is allowed for). There are six general steps in the calculation:

Step Step Step Step Step Step
1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:
Construct the system model and collect the relevant equipment parameters Calculate the short circuit impedances for all of the relevant equipment Refer all impedances to the reference voltage Determine the Thvenin equivalent circuit at the fault location Calculate balanced three-phase short circuit currents Calculate single-phase to earth short circuit currents
Step 1: Construct the System Model and Collect Equipment Parameters
The first step is to construct a model of the system single line diagram, and then collect the relevant equipment parameters. The model of the single line diagram should show all of the major system buses, generation or network connection, transformers, fault limiters (e.g. reactors), large cable interconnections and large rotating loads (e.g. synchronous and asynchronous motors). The relevant equipment parameters to be collected are as follows:
Network feeders: fault capacity of the network (VA), X/R ratio of the network Synchronous generators and motors: per-unit sub-transient reactance, rated generator capacity (VA), rated power factor (pu) Transformers: transformer impedance voltage (%), rated transformer capacity (VA), rated current (A), total copper loss (W) Cables: length of cable (m), resistance and reactance of cable ( ) Asynchronous motors: full load current (A), locked rotor current (A), rated power (W), full load power factor (pu), starting power factor (pu) Fault limiting reactors: reactor impedance voltage (%), rated current (A)

Step 2: Calculate Equipment Short Circuit Impedances
Using the collected parameters, each of the equipment item impedances can be calculated for later use in the motor starting calculations.
Network Feeders
Given the approximate fault level of the network feeder at the connection point (or point of common coupling), the impedance, resistance and reactance of the network feeder is calculated as follows:
Where
is impedance of the network feeder ()

is resistance of the network feeder () is reactance of the network feeder () is the nominal voltage at the connection point (Vac) is the fault level of the network feeder (VA) is a voltage factor which accounts for the maximum system voltage (1.05 for voltages <1kV, 1.1 for voltages >1kV)
is X/R ratio of the network feeder (pu) Synchronous Generators and Motors
The sub-transient reactance and resistance of a synchronous generator or motor (with voltage regulation) can be estimated by the following:
Where
is the sub-transient reactance of the generator ()

is the resistance of the generator () is a voltage correction factor - see IEC 60909-0 Clause 3.6.1 for more details (pu) is the per-unit sub-transient reactance of the generator (pu) is the nominal generator voltage (Vac) is the nominal system voltage (Vac) is the rated generator capacity (VA)
is the X/R ratio, typically 20 for nominal voltage 1kV
100MVA, 14.29 for
100MVA, and 6.67 for all generators with
is a voltage factor which accounts for the maximum system voltage (1.05 for voltages <1kV, 1.1 for voltages >1kV) is the power factor of the generator (pu)
For the negative sequence impedance, the quadrature axis sub-transient reactance the direct axis sub-transient reactance .
can be applied in the above equation in place of also applies for
The zero-sequence impedances need to be derived from manufacturer data, though the voltage correction factor solid neutral earthing systems (refer to IEC 60909-0 Clause 3.6.1).
Transformers
The positive sequence impedance, resistance and reactance of two-winding distribution transformers can be calculated as follows:
Where
is the positive sequence impedance of the transformer ()

is the resistance of the transformer () is the reactance of the transformer ()
is the impedance voltage of the transformer (pu) is the rated capacity of the transformer (VA) is the nominal voltage of the transformer at the high or low voltage side (Vac) is the rated current of the transformer at the high or low voltage side (I) is the total copper loss in the transformer windings (W)
For the calculation of impedances for three-winding transformers, refer to IEC 60909-0 Clause 3.3.2. For network transformers (those that connect two separate networks at different voltages), an impedance correction factor must be applied (see IEC 60909-0 Clause 3.3.3). The negative sequence impedance is equal to positive sequence impedance calculated above. The zero sequence impedance needs to be derived from manufacturer data, but also depends on the winding connections and fault path available for zero-sequence current flow (e.g. different neutral earthing systems will affect zero-sequence impedance).
Cables
Cable impedances are usually quoted by manufacturers in terms of Ohms per km. These need to be converted to Ohms based on the length of the cables:
Where
is the resistance of the cable {)

is the reactance of the cable {) is the quoted resistance of the cable { / km) is the quoted reactance of the cable { / km)
is the length of the cable {m)
The negative sequence impedance is equal to positive sequence impedance calculated above. The zero sequence impedance needs to be derived from manufacturer data. In the absence of manufacturer data, zero sequence impedances can be derived from positive sequence impedances via a multiplication factor (as suggested by SKM Systems Analysis Inc) for magnetic cables:
Asynchronous Motors
An asynchronous motor's impedance, resistance and reactance is calculated as follows:
Where
is impedance of the motor ()

is resistance of the motor () is reactance of the motor () is ratio of the locked rotor to full load current is the motor locked rotor current (A) is the motor nominal voltage (Vac)
is the motor rated power (W) is the motor full load power factor (pu) is the motor starting power factor (pu)
The negative sequence impedance is equal to positive sequence impedance calculated above. The zero sequence impedance needs to be derived from manufacturer data.
Fault Limiting Reactors
The impedance of fault limiting reactors is as follows (note that the resistance is neglected):
Where
is impedance of the reactor ()

is reactance of the reactor() is the impedance voltage of the reactor (pu) is the nominal voltage of the reactor (Vac) is the rated current of the reactor (A)
Positive, negative and zero sequence impedances are all equal (assuming geometric symmetry).
Other Equipment
Static converters feeding rotating loads may need to be considered, and should be treated similarly to asynchronous motors. Line capacitances, parallel admittances and non-rotating loads are generally neglected as per IEC 60909-0 Clause 3.10. Effects from series capacitors can also be neglected if voltage-limiting devices are connected in parallel.
Where there are multiple voltage levels, the equipment impedances calculated earlier need to be converted to a reference voltage (typically the voltage at the fault location) in order for them to be used in a single equivalent circuit. The winding ratio of a transformer can be calculated as follows:
Where
is the transformer winding ratio

is the transformer nominal secondary voltage at the principal tap (Vac) is the transformer nominal primary voltage (Vac) is the specified tap setting (%)
Using the winding ratio, impedances (as well as resistances and reactances) can be referred to the primary (HV) side of the transformer by the following relation:
Where
is the impedance referred to the primary (HV) side ()

is the impedance at the secondary (LV) side () is the transformer winding ratio (pu)
Conversely, by re-arranging the equation above, impedances can be referred to the LV side:
Step 4: Determine Thvenin Equivalent Circuit at the Fault Location
Thvenin equivalent circuit
The system model must first be simplified into an equivalent circuit as seen from the fault location, showing a voltage source and a set of complex impedances representing the power system equipment and load impedances (connected in series or parallel). The next step is to simplify the circuit into a Thvenin equivalent circuit, which is a circuit containing only a voltage source ( ) and an equivalent short circuit impedance ( ). This can be done using the standard formulae for series and parallel impedances, keeping in mind that the rules of complex arithmetic must be used throughout. If unbalanced short circuits (e.g. single phase to earth fault) will be analysed, then a separate Thvenin equivalent circuit should be constructed for each of the positive, negative and zero sequence networks (i.e. finding (
Step 5: Calculate Balanced Three-Phase Short Circuit Currents
and
).
The positive sequence impedance calculated in Step 4 represents the equivalent source impedance seen by a balanced three-phase short circuit at the fault location. Using this impedance, the following currents at different stages of the short circle cycle can be computed:
Initial Short Circuit Current
The initial symmetrical short circuit current is calculated from IEC 60909-0 Equation 29, as follows:
Where
is the voltage factor that accounts for the maximum system voltage (1.05 for voltages <1kV, 1.1 for voltages >1kV) is the nominal system voltage at the fault location (V) is the equivalent positive sequence short circuit impedance () Peak Short Circuit Current
is the initial symmetrical short circuit current (A)
IEC 60909-0 Section 4.3 offers three methods for calculating peak short circuit currents, but for the sake of simplicity, we will only focus on the X/R ratio at the fault location method. Using the real (R) and reactive (X) components of the equivalent positive sequence impedance , we can calculate the X/R ratio at the fault location, i.e.
The peak short circuit current is then calculated as follows:
Where
is the peak short circuit current (A)

is the initial symmetrical short circuit current (A) is a constant factor,
Symmetrical Breaking Current
The symmetrical breaking current is the short circuit current at the point of circuit breaker opening (usually somewhere between 20ms to 300ms). This is the current that the circuit breaker must be rated to interrupt and is typically used for breaker sizing. IEC 60909-0 Equation 74 suggests that the symmetrical breaking current for meshed networks can be conservatively estimated as follows:
Where
is the symmetrical breaking current (A)

is the initial symmetrical short circuit current (A)
More detailed calculations can be made for increased accuracy (e.g. IEC 60909-0 equations 75 to 77), but this is left to the reader to explore.
DC Short Circuit Component
The dc component of a short circuit can be calculated according to IEC 60909-0 Equation 64:
Where
is the dc component of the short circuit current (A)

is the initial symmetrical short circuit current (A) is the nominal system frequency (Hz) is the time (s) is the X/R ratio - see more below
The X/R ratio is calculated as follows:
Where
and
are the reactance and resistance, respectively, of the equivalent source impedance at the fault location ()
is a factor to account for the equivalent frequency of the fault. Per IEC 60909-0 Section 4.4, the following factors should be used based on the product of frequency and time ( ):
<1 <2. 5
0.27
0.15 0.09 2 0.05 5
<5 <12 .5
Step 6: Calculate Single-Phase to Earth Short Circuit Currents
For balanced short circuit calculations, the positive-sequence impedance is the only relevant impedance. However, for unbalanced short circuits (e.g. single phase to earth fault), symmetrical components come into play. The initial short circuit current for a single phase to earth fault is as per IEC 60909-0 Equation 52:
Where
is the initial single phase to earth short circuit current (A)
is the voltage factor that accounts for the maximum system voltage (1.05 for voltages <1kV, 1.1 for voltages >1kV) is the nominal voltage at the fault location (Vac) is the equivalent positive sequence short circuit impedance () is the equivalent negative sequence short circuit impedance () is the equivalent zero sequence short circuit impedance ()
Worked Example
System model for short circuit example
In this example, short circuit currents will be calculated for a balanced three-phase fault at the main 11kV bus of a simple radial system. Note that the single phase to earth fault currents will not be calculated in this example.
Step 1: Construct the System Model and Collect Equipment Parameters
The system to be modelled is a simple radial network with two voltage levels (11kV and 415V), and supplied by a single generator. The system model is shown in the figure to the right. The equipment and cable parameters were collected as follows:
Equipment
Parameters = 24,150 kVA

Generator G1
= 11,000 V = 0.255 pu = 0.85 pu
Generator Cable C1
Length = 30m Size = 2 parallel circuits of 3 x 1C x 500 mm2
(R = 0.0506 \km, X = 0.0997 \km)

= 500 kW = 11,000 V = 200.7 A = 6.5 pu = 0.85 pu = 0.30 pu
Motor M1
Motor Cable C2
Length = 150m Size = 3C+E 35 mm2
(R = 0.668 \km, X = 0.115 \km)

= 2,500 kVA = 11,000 V = 415 V = 0.0625 pu = 19,000 W = 0%
Transformer TX1
Transformer Cable C3
Length = 100m Size = 3C+E 95 mm2
(R = 0.247 \km, X = 0.0993 \km)

= 90 kW = 415 V = 1,217.3 A = 7 pu = 0.8 pu = 0.30 pu
Motor M2
Motor M3
= 150 kW = 415 V = 1,595.8 A
= 6.5 pu = 0.85 pu = 0.30 pu
Step 2: Calculate Equipment Short Circuit Impedances
Using the patameters above and the equations outlined earlier in the methodology, the following impedances were calculated:
Equipment Generator G1 Generator Cable C1 11kV Motor M1 Motor Cable C2 Transformer TX1 (Primary Side) Transformer Cable C3 415V Motor M2 415V Motor M3 Resistanc e () 0.01785 0.000759 9.4938 0.1002 Reactance () 1.2390 0.001496 30.1885 0.01725
0.36784 0.0247 0.0656 0.0450
3.0026 0.00993 0.2086 0.1432
We will model a fault on the main 11kV bus, so all impedances must be referred to 11kV. The two low voltage motors need to be referred to this reference voltage. Knowing that the transformer is set at principal tap, we can calculate the winding ratio and apply it to refer the 415V motors to the 11kV side:
The 415V motor impedances referred to the 11kV side is therefore:

Equipment 415V Motor M2 415V Motor M3 Resistanc e () Reactance ()
46.0952
146.5735
31.6462
100.6284
Step 4: Determine Thvenin Equivalent Circuit at the Fault Location
Using standard network reduction techniques, the equivalent Thvenin circuit at the fault location (main 11kV bus) can be derived. The equivalent source impedance is:
Step 5: Calculate Balanced Three-Phase Short Circuit Currents Initial Short Circuit Current
The symmetrical initial short circuit current is:
kA Peak Short Circuit Current
The constant factor
at the fault location is:
Therefore the symmetrical peak short circuit current is:
kA Symmetrical Breaking Current
The symmetrical breaking current is:

kA
Solar System Sizing
Introduction
Solar PV array
This calculation outlines the sizing of a standalone solar photovoltaic (PV) power system. Standalone PV systems are commonly used to supply power to small, remote installations (e.g. telecoms) where it isn't practical or cost-efficient to run a transmission line or have alternative generation such as diesel gensets. Although this calculation is biased towards standalone solar PV systems, it can also be used for hybrid systems that draw power from mixed sources (e.g. commercial PV, hybrid wind-PV systems, etc). Loads must be adjusted according to the desired amount that the solar PV system will supply. This calculation is based on crystalline silicon PV technology. The results may not hold for other types of solar PV technologies and the manufacturer's recommendations will need to be consulted.
This calculation should be done whenever a solar PV power system is required so that the system is able to adequately cater for the necessary loads. The results can be used to determine the ratings of the system components (e.g. PV array, batteries, etc).
The following pre-requisite information is required before performing the calculation:

Loads required to be supported by the solar PV system Autonomy time or minimum tolerable downtime (i.e. if there is no sun, how long can the system be out of service?) GPS coordinates of the site (or measurements of the solar insolation at the site) Output voltage (AC or DC)

The calculation is loosely based on AS/NZS 4509.2 (2002) "Standalone power systems - System design guidelines". The methodology has the following six steps:
Step 1: Estimate the solar irradiation available at the site (based on GPS coordinates or measurement) Step 2: Collect the loads that will be supported by the system Step 3: Construct a load profile and calculate design load and design energy Step 4: Calculate the required battery capacity based on the design loads Step 5: Estimate the output of a single PV module at the proposed site location Step 6: Calculate size of the PV array
Step 1: Estimate Solar Irradiation at the Site
World solar irradiation map
The first step is to determine the solar resource availability at the site. Solar resources are typically discussed in terms of solar radiation, which is more or less the catch-all term for sunlight shining on a surface. Solar radiation consists of three main components:
Direct or beam radiation is made up of beams of unscattered and unreflected light reaching the surface in a straight line directly from the sun Diffuse radiation is scattered light reaching the surface from the whole sky (but not directly from the sun) Albedo radiation is is light reflected onto the surface from the ground
Solar radiation can be quantitatively measured by irradiance and irradiation. Note that the terms are distinct - "irradiance" refers to the density of the power that falls on a surface (W / m2) and "irradiation" is the density of the energy that falls on a surface over some period of time such as an hour or a day (e.g. Wh / m2 per hour/day). In this section, we will estimate the solar radiation available at the site based on data collected in the past. However, it needs to be stressed that solar radiation is statistically random in nature and there is inherent uncertainty in using past data to predict future irradiation. Therefore, we will need to build in design margins so that the system is robust to prediction error.
Baseline Solar Irradiation Data
The easiest option is to estimate the solar irradiation (or solar insolation) by inputting the GPS coordinates of the site into the NASA Surface Meteorology and Solar Resource website. For any given set of GPS coordinates, the website provides first pass estimates of the monthly minimum, average and maximum solar irradiation (in kWh / m2 / day) at ground level and at various tilt angles. Collect this data, choose an appropriate tilt angle and identify the best and worst months of the year in terms of solar irradiation. Alternatively, for US locations data from the National Solar Radiation Database can be used. The minimum, average and maximum daytime temperatures at the site can also be determined from the public databases listed above. These temperatures will be used later when calculating the effective PV cell temperature. Actual solar irradiation measurements can also be made at the site. Provided that the measurements are taken over a long enough period (or cross-referenced / combined with public data), then the measurements would provide a more accurate estimate of the solar irradiation at the site as they would capture site specific characteristics, e.g. any obstructions to solar radiation such as large buildings, trees, mountains, etc.
Solar Irradiation on an Inclined Plane
Most PV arrays are installed such that they face the equator at an incline to the horizontal (for maximum solar collection). The amount of solar irradiation collected on inclined surfaces is different to the amount collected on a horizontal surface. It is theoretically possible to accurately estimate the solar irradiation on any inclined surface given the solar irradiation on an horizontal plane and the tilt angle (there are numerous research papers on this topic, for example the work done by Liu and Jordan in 1960). However, for the practical purpose of designing a solar PV system, we'll only look at estimating the solar irradiation at the optimal tilt angle, which is the incline that collects the most solar irradiation. The optimal tilt angle largely depends on the latitude of the site. At greater latitudes, the optimal tilt angle is higher as it favours summertime radiation collection over wintertime collection. The Handbook of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering suggests a linear approximation to calculating the optimal tilt angle:
Where
is the optimal tilt angle (deg)

is the latitude of the site (deg)
The handbook also suggests a polynomial approximation for the solar irradiation at the optimal tilt angle:
Where
is the solar irradiation on a surface at the optimal tilt angle (Wh / m2)
is the solar irradiation on the horizontal plane (Wh / m2) is the optimal tilt angle (deg)
Alternatively, the estimated irradiation data on tilted planes can be sourced directly from the various public databases listed above.
Solar Trackers
Solar trackers are mechanical devices that can track the position of the sun throughout the day and orient the PV array accordingly. The use of trackers can significantly increase the solar irradiation collected by a surface. Solar trackers typically increase irradiation by 1.2 to 1.4 times (for 1-axis trackers) and 1.3 to 1.5 times (for 2-axis trackers) compared to a fixed surface at the optimal tilt angle.
Non-Standard Applications
A solar irradiation loss factor should be used for applications where there are high tilt angles (e.g. vertical PV arrays as part of a building facade) or very low tilt angles (e.g. North-South horizontal trackers). This is because the the solar irradiation is significantly affected (detrimentally) when the angle of incidence is high or the solar radiation is mainly diffuse (i.e. no albedo effects from ground reflections). For more details on this loss factor, consult the standard ASHRAE 93, "Methods of testing to determine the thermal performance of solar collectors".
Step 2: Collect the Solar Power System Loads
The next step is to determine the type and quantity of loads that the solar power system needs to support. For remote industrial applications, such as metering stations, the loads are normally for control systems and instrumentation equipment. For commercial applications, such as telecommunications, the loads are the telecoms hardware and possibly some small area lighting for maintenance. For rural electrification and residential applications, the loads are typically domestic lighting and low-powered apppliances, e.g. computers, radios, small tv's, etc.
Step 3: Construct a Load Profile
Refer to the Load Profile Calculation for details on how to construct a load profile and calculate the design load ( ) and design energy ( ). Typically, the "24 Hour Profile" method for constructing a load profile is used for Solar Power Systems.
Step 4: Battery Capacity Sizing
In a solar PV power system, the battery is used to provide backup energy storage and also to maintain output voltage stability. Refer to the Battery Sizing Calculation for details on how to size the battery for the solar power system.
Step 5: Estimate a Single PV Module's Output
It is assumed that a specific PV module type (e.g Suntech STP070S-12Bb) has been selected and the following parameters collected:

Peak module power, Nominal voltage Open circuit voltage Short circuit current (Vdc)
(W-p) (Vdc) (Vdc) (A) (% per deg C) (%)
Optimum operating voltage
Optimum operating current (A) Peak power temperature coefficient
Manufacturer's power output tolerance
Manufacturers usually quote these PV module parameters based on Standard Test Conditions (STC): an irradiance of 1,000 W / m2, the standard reference spectral irradiance with Air Mass 1.5 (see the NREL site for more details) and a cell temperature of 25 deg C. Standard test conditions rarely prevail on site and when the PV module are installed in the field, the output must be de-rated accordingly.
Effective PV Cell Temperature
Firstly, the average effective PV cell temperature at the installation site needs to be calculated (as it will be used in the subsequent calculations). It can be estimated for each month using AS\NZS 4509.2 equation 3.4.3.7:
Where
is the average effective PV cell temperature (deg C)

is the average daytime ambient temperature at the site (deg C)
Standard Regulator
For a solar power system using a standard switched charge regulator / controller, the derated power output of the PV module can be calculated using AS\NZS 4509.2 equation 3.4.3.9(1):
Where
is the derated power output of the PV module using a standard switched charge controller (W)
is the daily average operating voltage (Vdc) is the module output current based on the daily average operating voltage, at the effective average cell temperature and solar irradiance at the site - more on this below (A) is the manufacturer's power output tolerance (pu) is the derating factor for dirt / soiling (Clean: 1.0, Low: 0.98, Med: 0.97, High: 0.92)
To estimate , you will need the IV characteristic curve of the PV module at the effective cell temperature calculated above. For a switched regulator, the average PV module operating voltage is generally equal to the average battery voltage less voltage drops across the cables and regulator.
MPPT Regulator
For a solar power system using a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charge regulator / controller, the derated power output of the PV module can be calculated using AS\NZS 4509.2 equation 3.4.3.9(2):
Where
is the derated power output of the PV module using an MPPT charge controller (W)
is the nominal module power under standard test conditions (W) is the manufacturer's power output tolerance (pu) is the derating factor for dirt / soiling (Clean: 1.0, Low: 0.98, Med: 0.97, High: 0.92) is the temperature derating factor - see below (pu)
The temperature derating factor is determined from AS\NZS 4509.2 equation 3.4.3.9(1):
Where
is temperature derating factor (pu)

is the Power Temperature Coefficient (% per deg C) is the average effective PV cell temperature (deg C) is the temperature under standard test conditions (typically 25 deg C)
Step 6: Size the PV Array
The sizing of the PV array described below is based on the method outlined in AS/NZS 4509.2. There are alternative sizing methodologies, for example the method based on reliability in terms of loss of load probability (LLP), but these methods will not be further elaborated in this article. The fact that there is no commonly accepted sizing methodology reflects the difficulty of performing what is an inherently uncertain task (i.e. a prediction exercise with many random factors involved).
MPPT Controller
The number of PV modules required for the PV array can be found by using AS\NZS 4509.2 equation 3.4.3.11(2):
Where
is the number of PV modules required

is the derated power output of the PV module (W) is the total design daily energy (VAh) is the oversupply coefficient (pu) is the solar irradiation after all factors (e.g. tilt angle, tracking, etc) have been captured (kWh / m2 / day) is the efficiency of the PV sub-system (pu)
The oversupply coefficient is a design contingency factor to capture the uncertainty in designing solar power systems where future solar irradiation is not deterministic. AS/NZS 4509.2 Table 1 recommends oversupply coefficients of between 1.3 and 2.0.
The efficiency of the PV sub-system is the combined efficiencies of the charge regulator / controller, battery and transmission through the cable between the PV array and the battery. This will depend on specific circumstances (for example, the PV array a large distance from the battery), though an efficiency of around 90% would be typically used.
Worked Example
A small standalone solar power system will be designed for a telecommunications outpost located in the desert.
Step 1: Estimate Solar Irradiation at the Site
From site measurements, the solar irradiation at the site during the worst month at the optimal title angle is 4.05 kWh/m2/day.
Step 2 and 3: Collect Loads and Construct a Load Profile
Load profile for this example
For this example, we shall use the same loads and load profile detailed in the Energy Load Profile Calculation example. The load profile is shown in the figure right and the following quantities were calculated:
Design load Sd = 768 VA Design energy demand Ed = 3,216 VAh
Step 4: Battery Capacity Sizing
For this example, we shall use the same battery sizes calculated in the Battery Sizing Calculation] worked example. The selected number of cells in series is 62 cells and the minimum battery capacity is 44.4 Ah.
Step 5: Estimate a Single PV Module's Output
A PV module with the following characteristics is chosen:

Peak module power, Nominal voltage Vdc
W-p % per deg C %
Peak power temperature coefficient Manufacturer's power output tolerance
Suppose the average daytime ambient temperature is 40C. The effective PV cell temperature is:
deg C
An MPPT controller will be used. The temperature derating factor is therefore:
Given a medium dirt derating factor of 0.97, the derated power output of the PV module is:
Step 6: Size the PV Array
Given an oversupply coefficient of 1.1 and a PV sub-system efficiency of 85%, the number of PV modules required for the PV array is:
10.9588 modules
For this PV array, 12 modules are selected.

Standard Regulator
The number of PV modules required for the PV array can be found by using AS\NZS 4509.2 equation 3.4.3.11(1):
Where
is the number of PV modules required

is the derated power output of the PV module (W) is the total design daily energy (VAh) is the oversupply co-efficient (pu) is the solar irradiation after all factors (e.g. tilt angle, tracking, etc) have been captured (kWh / m2 / day) is the coulombic efficiency of the battery (pu)
The oversupply coefficient is a design contingency factor to capture the uncertainty in designing solar power systems where future solar irradiation is not deterministic. AS/NZS 4509.2 Table 1 recommends oversupply coefficients of between 1.3 and 2.0. A battery coulombic efficiency of approximately 95% would be typically used.
Computer Software
It is recommended that the solar PV system sized in this calculation is simulated with computer software. For example, HOMER is a free software package for simulating and optimising a distributed generation (DG) system originally developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Screenshots from HOMER software
PV Output
Battery Output
Standard IEC Ratings
Introduction
Most IEC rated equipment have standard sizes that correspond to full sets or subsets of Renard numbers, especially from the four preferred series of Renard numbers outlined in ISO-3: R5, R10, R20 and R40.
Transformers
For transformer ratings under 10MVA, IEC 60076-1 suggest preferred values based on the R10 series: 10, 12.5, 16, 20, 25, 31.5, 40, 50, 63, 80, 100, and multiples of 10n. For example, the preferred transformer sizes from 500kVA to 4000kVA are: 500, 630, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3150, 4000.
Motors and Generators

IEC 60072-1 Table 7 suggests the following preferred ratings (based on a subset of the R40 series) for motors (in KW) and generators (in kVA):
0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.7 1.8 1.1 1.5 2.2 3* 6 9 2 8 5 7 5 5 * 20* 22 25* 30 32* 37 40* 45 50 55 * 45 0 47 5 63* 75 3.7 4* 5.5 6.3* 7.5 10 11 * 15 0 80 0 16 0 85 0 13 15 * 18 5 90 0 17* 18. 5
80 90 * 56 0
100 11 125 13 * 0 * 2
20 220 250 0 95 100 0 0
28 0
30 0
31 5
33 5
35 5
37 5
40 0
42 5
50 0
53 0
60 67 75 630 710 0 0 0
(*) Note that these are "secondary series" ratings and are only to be used in cases of special need.
Cables
Standard cable sizes (in mm2) are as follows:
0. 5 0.7 1. 1 5 5 2. 1 4 6 5 0 1 6 2 5 3 5 5 0 7 0 9 5 12 0 15 0 18 5 24 0 30 0 40 0 50 0 63 0 80 0 100 0
LV Motor Data (IEC)
The following typical low voltage motor characteristics can be used as a quick reference data set when specific information is not available. The data is based on Toshiba TEFC, heavy duty, high efficiency general purpose motors operating at 50Hz. Full Load Current (A) kW RP M Frame Size At 415 V 1 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.9 1.8 1.8 At 400 V 1 1.2 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.9 1.8 1.8 No Efficiency (%) Locked Torque (% F/L) Load Rotor Curren Curren Locke Pul Brea Full At t at k 75 50 t (% 380 415V d l Loa % % F/L) Rotor Up -dow d V (A) n 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.8 1.6 1.1 1.1 580 458 411 392 600 474 771 543 300 395 370 260 330 345 414 295 290 360 352 149 302 320 387 280 345 385 369 314 345 330 440 310 Power Factor (pu) Full Loa d 75 % 50 %
Rotor GD dB(A) (kg.m2 at 1m )
0.3 2870 D71M 7 0.3 1405 7 0.3 7 935 D71 D80 D71 D80 D80 D80 D80
0.95 1.2 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.9 1.8 1.9
72.7 70.3 64.6 0.75 0.65 0.52 0.002 70 67.6 60.6 0.65 0.56 0.44 0.004
54 46 48 54 48 50 64 48
65.7 62.6 55.4 0.59 0.49 0.39 0.016 70.1 70.1 66.4 0.87 0.82 0.73 0.002 74.4 73.7 69.3 0.79 0.71 0.58 0.01
0.5 2805 5 0.5 1410 5 0.5 5 935
72.1 69.7 63.5 0.58 0.48 0.37 TBA 76.5 75.3 69.3 0.8 74.5 74.4 70.6 0.8 0.71 0.59 0.007 0.72 0.59 0.011
0.7 2840 5 0.7 1400 5
0.7 5 0.7 5 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 3 3 3
935 700 2830
D90S 100L D80
2 2.2 2.3 2.5 3
2 2.3 2.4 2.6 3 3.5 3 3.4 3.6 4.7 4.2 4.6 5.4 5.6 5.8 6.4 7
2.1 2.4 2.5 2.6 3.2 3.7 3.2 3.5 3.7 4.9 4.5 4.8 5.6 5.9 6 6.6 7.2
1 2 1 1.4 2.1 2.4 0.9 1.7 2.1 2.6 1.1 2.3 3.5 4.1 1.8 3.4 4.6
490 360 739 620 540 440 759 636 583 420 775 656 654 520 786 762 529
248 200 366 301 298 230 312 310 295 240 345 288 315 200 225 390 220
228 164 292 245 276 205 215 303 270 170 266 246 280 200 172 370 212
258 220 370 310 308 230 305 340 310 230 312 297 330 250 305 394 275
78 73 78.1
78.4 75.5 0.69
0.6
0.48 0.022
49 47 64 50 48 51 65 50 51 53 64 53 55 57 68 52 53
72.7 68.7 0.67 0.58 0.47 0.028 78 74.4 0.87 0.82 0.71 0.008 0.7 0.57 0.019
1425 D90S 940 705 D90L
81.4 81.9 79.7 0.77
78.9 78.7 75.3 0.66 0.57 0.44 0.028 74.6 73.4 69 0.62 0.53 0.42 0.034 0.87 0.79 0.014
D100L 3.4 2.9 3.3
2850 D90S 1420 D90L 940 690
84.1 84.8 82.9 0.9
81.7 82.3 80.4 0.79 0.72 0.59 0.022 81.9 82.3 80 74.3 85 74 0.73 0.65 0.52 0.052
D100L 3.6 D112 M 4.5 4
70.1 0.62 0.53 0.42 0.076
2810 D90L
86.9 86.8 0.91 0.89 0.81 0.016
1415 D100L 4.5 940 710 D112 M 5.2
82.8 83.6 81.9 0.82 0.75 0.63 0.041 81.6 81.6 78.6 0.71 0.62 0.5 0.07
D132S 5.4
79.8 79.3 75.8 0.73 0.65 0.52 0.132 85.8 86.9 85.9 0.9 0.88 0.8 0.045
2890 D100L 5.6 1420 D100L 6.3 960 D132S 7
85.1 85.5 83.8 0.79 0.72 0.59 0.059 82.2 81.7 78.9 0.73 0.64 0.52 0.123
3 4 4 4 4 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 11
710 2890 1420 960 705
D132 M D112 M D112 M D132 M D160 M
7.2 7.6 7.8 8.8 9.6 11 11
7.5 7.8 8.1 9.1 10 11.5 11.5 12
7.9 8 8.5 9.5 10.5 12 12 12.5 13
5 2.7 3.7 5.3 5.4 4.6 5 5.7 6.9 5.6 6 9.3 10 7.6
510 763 769 591 480 582 600 678 500 697 648 565 550 725
260 240 310 245 180 220 254 240 170 226 296 255 180 250
250 152 252 225 195 180 230 215 190 185 269 240 195 200
320 350 345 290 280 273 268 252 260 305 318 305 280 305
81
80.7 77.7 0.74 0.66 0.53 0.207
58 68 56 54 57 74 61 53 60 74 61 64 61 77
85.9 86.5 85.2 0.89 0.86 0.77 0.051 85.5 86.3 85.3 0.83 0.77 0.65 0.072 84.7 84.7 82.6 0.75 0.67 0.54 0.148 82 86.4 81 86 79 0.71 0.66 0.59 0.372 0.75 0.66 0.064
2880 D132S 1440 D132S 965 710
83.2 0.8
86.1 86.3 84.6 0.82 0.77 0.67 0.129 87.2 87.8 87 0.77 0.7 0.59 0.255 0.57 0.087 0.179
D132 11.5 M
D160 11.9 12.4 M
84.1 84.4 82.5 0.79 0.73 0.61 87.6 87.4 85.2 0.84 87.2 87.3 85.1 0.84 86.1 86 84 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7
2910 D132S 14.2 14.7 15.5 1445 960 715 D132 14.5 M D160 M 17 15 17 15.5 17.5
0.74 0.67 0.54 0.575 0.9
D160L 16.1 16.7 17.6 20 20.5 21
83.9 83.7 81.1 0.79 0.73 0.62
2925 D160
89.1 88.9 86.8 0.86 0.82 0.73 0.167
M 11 11 11 15 15 15 15 1460 965 720 2920 D160 M D160L D180L D160 M 21 24 24 27 22 24 23 25 9.5 15 17 5.7 11.1 21.1 18.9 8.7 10.4 17.8 23.3 12.4 12.7 16 714 600 520 715 727 638 530 813 676 688 460 833 725 643 295 327 230 255 295 216 195 318 242 225 184 290 255 230 240 232 210 208 225 175 180 226 196 220 148 230 208 200 330 336 280 318 315 265 240 355 258 310 214 360 272 270 88.4 87.9 85.7 0.83 0.78 0.67 0.346 88.6 88.4 86.4 0.71 0.62 0.5 87 87 85 0.75 0.7 0.62 0.86 1.42 67 66 62 78 68 66 65 77 75 70 64 84 76 71
24.9 26.2 27.5 28.5 28 30 29.5 31
89.4 89.3 87.6 0.88 0.85 0.78 0.215 89.5 89.6 88 0.86 0.81 0.72 0.485 1.53 1.84
1455 D160L 27.5 975 730 D180L D200L 29 30 32 34
88.5 88.9 88.1 0.82 0.77 0.67 89.4 89.8 88.4 0.78 0.74 0.62 91.6 91.7 90.6 0.9
31.4 32.8 33 35 38 34 37 38
18. 2925 D160L 5 18. D180 1465 5 M 18. 5 18. 5 22 22 22 975 735 2945
0.87 0.81 0.259
90.3 91.2 90.8 0.87 0.84 0.77 0.676 89.9 90.1 89 0.79 0.73 0.61 1.133
D200L 37.5
D225S 35.4 36.7 38.7 D180 M 39 40 42 40 41 43 42 43 45
91.7 91.7 91.2 0.79 0.76 0.67 2.515 90.7 90.2 87.5 0.87 0.84 0.76 0.504 90.3 90.7 89.7 0.87 0.84 0.76 0.856 90.4 91.1 90.8 0.83 0.79 0.69 1.333
1460 D180L 970 D200L
22 30 30 30 30 37 37 37 37 45 45 45 45 55 55 55
735
D225 45.2 45.8 48.2 M 52 52 55 61 54 54 58 63 65 67 69 73 79 82 84 90 95 100 103 56 57 60 67 68 70.5 72.5 77 82 86 88 95 99 105 108
28.5 13.1 14.5 19.9 32 15.5 21 25.7 39 19.1 25.5 34 54 20.5 35.1 42.8
510 748 708 682 585 744 715 627 560 750 731 645 560 791 833 715
230 242 250 223 210 250 265 255 210 274 262 258 170 235 280 295
205 167 179 144 180 185 195 190 160 194 194 182 160 207 183 207
250 315 273 242 230 295 288 285 210 296 315 305 230 320 350 315
91.6 91.8 88.9 0.75 0.71 0.62
3.02
66 88 77 71 70 85 79 74 72 83 80 74 72 88 83 76
2945 D200L 1460 D200L 975 736 D225 M D250S
91.5 91.2 89.5 0.88 0.87 0.82 0.758 91.6 92.4 92.3 0.88 0.85 0.79 91.4 91.9 91.4 0.84 91 0.8 0.71 1.09 2.16 4
90.6 89.2 0.75 0.69 0.66
2940 D200L 62.5 1470 D225S 980 735 2950 1470 980 730 D250S D250 M D225 M D225 M D250 M D280S 65 67 70 76 80 82 87 91 99
92.3 92.3 91.2 0.89 0.88 0.83 0.902 92.3 92.6 91.9 0.86 0.83 0.76 1.682 91.5 92.2 91.8 0.85 0.81 0.72 92.2 92 91.2 0.8 0.76 0.66 0.88 0.83 3.18 4.7 1.18 2 3.6 7.1 2.32 2.95 7.45
92.9 92.7 91.2 0.9
92.6 92.9 92.4 0.86 0.82 0.75 92.3 92.6 92 0.83 0.79 0.69
92.1 92.1 90.8 0.81 0.76 0.66 93.3 93.2 91.5 0.91 0.9 0.85
2950 D250S 1475 D250S 980
93.2 93.3 92.6 0.83 0.81 0.72 92.7 92.8 91.9 0.83 0.78 0.68
D280S 100
55 75 75 75 75 90 90 90 90
730 2955 1475 985 730
D280 M D250 M D250 M D280 M
104 125 134 132
108 129 137 136 143 158 156 156 171 196 189 203 205 220
114 135 141 142 151 165 164 156 181 201 198 214 215 240
62 23.9 50.3 51.2 86.9 44.5 42.8 52.2 98 71.1 54.9 71 110 46.3
560 824 705 659 610 692 763 510 610 773 796 588 615 625
170 273 232 270 185 235 260 150 160 269 250 188 155 222
155 236 202 203 165 188 202 134 150 220 180 160 140 188
240 385 305 302 230 315 296 230 240 322 298 260 230 285
92
91.8 90.1 0.81 0.74 0.67
9.8 2.67 4.12 9.42 18.4 4.65 6.86 12.6 23.2 5.92 8.23 15.1 26 9.05
74 86 81 76 74 83 87 75 74 85 87 75 74 83
93.9 93.8 92.2 0.89 0.87 0.81 93.5 93.7 93 0.84 0.79 0.7
93.5 93.8 92.9 0.85 0.81 0.71 92.1 92 91.1 0.82 0.76 0.69
D315S 138
2955 D280S 154 1470 D280S 150 987 730 D315S 156 D315 M D280 M D280 M D315 M D315 M 165 194 184 196 197
94.3 94.3 93.4 0.87 0.84 0.77 94.4 94.6 93.9 0.89 0.86 0.81 94.4 94.5 93.9 0.86 0.83 0.75 93 95.1 92.4 91.7 0.82 0.76 0.68 95 94 0.83 0.79 0.7
110 2970 110 1470 110 986 110 730
94.7 94.9 94.3 0.88 0.86 0.79 95 95.1 94.5 0.85 0.82 0.73
93.8 93.6 92.8 0.83 0.78 0.69 95 95.1 94.2 0.92 0.91 0.87
132 2955 D315S 220
132 1485 D315S 227 132 2965 150 1480 150 980 D315 M D315 M D315 M 240 246 260
231 249 255 273
239 263 269 287
79.8 41 58.5 101
758 629 587 692
210 156 232 208
178 123 197 166
290 275 237 275
95.3 95.2 94.6 0.85 0.82 0.73 95.5 95.7 95.3 0.92 0.91 0.87 95 95 95.1 93.8 0.9 95.2 94.9 0.84 0.89 0.84 0.8 0.71
15.2 10.3 17.5 20
83 85 82.5 81

Electrical All Sizing Calculation

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What are the general steps involved in cable sizing calculations?

What are the general steps involved in cable sizing calculations?

What key data is required to perform a cable sizing calculation?

What key data is required to perform a cable sizing calculation?

Cable Sizing Calculation

When to do the calculation?

The basic characteristics of the cable's physical construction, which includes:

How the cable will be installed, which includes:

Step 2: Cable Selection Based on Current Rating

Example of base current rating table (Excerpt from IEC 60364-5-52)

is the installed current rating (A)

is the full load current (A)

is the full load current (A)

For a three phase system:

is the three phase voltage drop (V)

For a single phase system:

is the single phase voltage drop (V)

is the dc voltage drop (V)

Maximum Permissible Voltage Drop

is the maximum length of the cable (m)

For a single phase system:

is the maximum length of the cable (m)

is the maximum length of the cable (m)

is the minimum cross-sectional area of the cable (mm2)

(for copper conductors)

(for aluminium conductors)

is the initial conductor temperature (deg C)

Initial and Final Conductor Temperatures

Short Circuit Energy

is the earth fault loop impedance ()

is the impedance of the earth conductor ()

is the length of the cable (m)

Maximum Cable Length

is the maximum earth fault loop impedance ()

The maximum cable length can therefore be calculated by the following:

is the maximum cable length (m)

The following data was collected for the cable to be sized:

Step 2: Cable Selection Based on Current Rating

Step 3: Voltage Drop

Therefore, our 35 mm2 cable is still suitable for this application.

Example of a cable waterfall chart

Figure 1 - AC UPS basic system topology

where IL,dc is the design DC load current (full load) (A)

The maximum battery charging current can be computed as follows:

where Ic is the maximum DC charge current (A)

For a single-phase UPS:

where IL is the design AC load current (full load) (A)

Static Switch Sizing

Load profile for this example

Design load Sd = 768 VA Design energy demand Ed = 3,216 VAh

Step 3: Battery Sizing

Therefore the total minimum DC rectifier / charger current is:

A DC rectifier rating of 40A is selected.

Inverter and Static Switch Sizing

An inverter and static switch rating of 5A is selected.

Stationary batteries on a rack (courtesy of Power Battery)

Why do the calculation?

Step 2: Construct the Load Profile

9-10 18-20 36-40 92-100 184200

is the maximum number of battery cells