Underground Cables

Presented By:
Sanjeet Kumar
Registration No.-1308143
Branch:-Electrical & Electronics Engineerin g

Introduction
The basic requirements of any underground cable to survive the
expected life period and needs. Different types of cables in used
in telecommunication networks and the parameters offered for
various utilities are discussed below.

An underground cable essentially consists of one or more

conductors covered with suitable insulation and surrounded by a
protecting cover. The interference from external disturbances
like storms, lightening, ice, trees etc. should be reduced to
achieve trouble free service. The cables may be buried directly
in the ground, or may be installed in ducts buried in the ground.

CABLE STRUCTURE

Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages
Better general appearance
No corona discharge, RI and TVI
No bush fire problems
Minimal lightning problems
Less chances of faults
Small voltage drops
Disadvantages
Maintenance cost is high
Fault location instantaneous, can have
longer repair time

Construction of Cables
Core or Conductor
A cable may have one or more than one core depending
upon the type of service for which it is intended. The
conductor could be of aluminum or copper and is
stranded in order to provide flexibility to the cable.
Insulation
The core is provided with suitable thickness of
insulation, depending upon the voltage to be withstood
by the cable.
The commonly used material for insulation are
impregnated paper, varnished cambric or rubber mineral
compound.

 Metallic Sheath
A metallic sheath of lead or aluminum is
provided over the insulation to protect the cable
from moisture, gases or others damaging liquids
Bedding
Bedding is provided to protect the metallic
sheath from corrosion and from mechanical
damage due to armoring. It is a fibrous material
like jute or hessian tape.

 Armouring
Its purpose is to protect the cable from mechanical
injury while laying it or during the course of
handling. It consists of one or two layers of
galvanized steel wire or steel tape.
Serving
To protect armouring from atmospheric
conditions, a layer of fibrous material is provided.

Properties of Insulating Material

High resistivity.
High dielectric strength.
Low thermal co-efficient.
Low water absorption.
Low permittivity.
Non inflammable.
Chemical stability.
High mechanical strength.
High viscosity at impregnation temperature.
Capability to with stand high rupturing voltage.
High tensile strength and plasticity.

Insulating Materials for Cables

Rubber
It can be obtained from milky sap of tropical trees or from oil
products.
It has the dielectric strength of 30 KV/mm.
Insulation resistivity of 10 exp 17 ohm.cm
Relative permittivity varying between 2 and 3.
They readily absorbs moisture, soft and liable to damage due to
rough handling and ages when exposed to light.
Maximum safe temperature is very low about 38 C

 Vulcanized India Rubber

It can be obtained from mixing pure rubber with mineral compounds i-e
zinc oxide, red lead and sulphur and heated upto 150 C.
It has greater mechanical strength, durability and wear resistant property.
The sulphur reacts quickly with copper so tinned copper conductors are
used.
It is suitable for low and moderate voltage cables.

 Impregnated Paper
This material has superseded the rubber, consists of chemically pulped
paper impregnated with napthenic and paraffinic materials.
It has low cost, low capacitance, high dielectric strength and high
insulation resistance.
The only disadvantage is the paper is hygroscopic, for this reason paper
insulation is always provided protective covering.

Varnished Cambric
This is simply the cotton cloth impregnated and coated with varnish.
As the varnish cambric is also hygroscopic so need some protection.
Its dielectric strength is about 4KV / mm and permittivity is 2.5 to 3.8.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

This material has good dielectric strength, high insulation resistance and high melting
temperatures.
These have not so good mechanical properties as those of rubber.
It is inert to oxygen and almost inert to many alkalis and acids.

XLPE Cables (Cross Linked Poly-ethene)

This material has temperature range beyond 250 300 C
This material gives good insulating properties
It is light in weight, small overall dimensions, low dielectric constant and high

mechanical strength, low water absorption.

These cables permit conductor temperature of 90 C and 250 C under normal and short

circuit conditions.
These cables are suitable up to voltages of 33 KV.

XLPE cable

CLSSIFICATION OF CABLES
Low tension (L.T) ----- up to 1000V
High tension (H.T) ----- up to 11, 000V
Super tension (S.T) ---- from 22KV to 33KV
Extra high tension (E.H.T) cables --- from 33KV to
66KV
Extra super voltage cables ------beyond 132KV

Extra High Tension Cable

Low Tension Cable

3- Core Cables
Belted Cables

In these cables the conductors are wrapped with oil impregnated

paper, and then cores are assembled with filler material. The assembly
is enclosed by paper insulating belt.
These can be used for voltages up to 11KV or in some cases can be
used up to 22KV.
High voltages beyond 22KV, the tangential stresses becomes an
important consideration.
As the insulation resistance of paper is quite small along the layer,
therefore tangential stress set up, hence, leakage current along the
layer of the paper insulation.
This leakage current causes local heating, resulting breaking of
insulation at any moment

3-core belted Cable

 Screened Cables
These can be used up to 33kv but in certain
cases can be extended up to 66kv.
These are mainly of two types
H-type and
S.L type cables

3- Core Cables (H-Type)

Designed by H. Hochstadter.
Each core is insulated by layer of impregnated paper.
The insulation on each core is covered with a metallic screen which
is usually of perforated aluminum foil.
The cores are laid in such a way that metallic screen make contact
with one another.
Basic advantage of H-TYPE is that the perforation in the metallic
screen assists in the complete impregnation of the cable with the
compound and thus the possibility of air pockets or voids in the
dielectric is eliminated.
The metallic screen increase the heat dissipation power of the cable.

S.L - Type: (Separate Lead)

Each core insulation is covered by its own lead
sheath.
It has two main advantages, firstly the separate
sheath minimize the possibility of core-to-core
breakdown. Secondly the, bending of cables
become easy due to the elimination of over all
sheath.
The disadvantage is that the lead sheaths of S.L
is much thinner as compared to H-Type cables,
therefore for greater care is required in
manufacturing.

 Pressurized Type Cables

In these cables, pressure is maintained above
atmosphere either by oil or by gas.
Gas pressure cables are used up to 275KV.
Oil filled cables are used up to 500KV.

3- Core Cables (Gas pressure)

Oil Filled Cables

Low viscosity oil is kept under pressure and
fills the voids in oil impregnated paper under
all conditions of varying load.
There are three main types of oil filled cables
a. Self-contained circular type
b. Self-contained flat type
c. Pipe Type cables

3- Core Cables (Oil filled)

Advantages of Oil Filled Cables

Greater operating dielectric stresses
Greater working temperature and current carrying
capacity
Better impregnation
Impregnation is possible after sheath
No void formation
Smaller size of cable due to reduced dielectric
thickness
Defect can easily be detected by oil leakage

Gas Pressure Cables

In these cables an inert gas like nitrogen is used to exert
pressure on paper dielectric to prevent void formation.
These are also termed as Compression cables
They insulated cores similar to solid type
The cable is inserted in a pressure vessel which may be a
rigid steel pipe, commonly known as pipe line
compression cable.
The nitrogen gas is filled in vessel at nominal pressure of
1.38 * 10 exp 6 N/ square meter with a maximum
pressure of 1.725 * 10 exp 6 N/ square meter.

Gas Insulated Cables (GIC)

In GIC cables high pressure sulphur hexaflouride
(SF6), fills the small spaces in oil impregnated paper
insulation and suppresses the ionization.
Most EHV and UHV lines insulated with sulphur
hexaflouride (SF6) gas are being used extensively for
voltages above 132 KV up to 1200 KV.
These cables are very popular for short lengths, river
crossings and high way crossings.

Advantages of GIC

Gas Insulated Cables have several advantages

over oil filled cables,
Efficient heat transfer hence can carry more
current.
Low dielectric loss and low capacitance
SF6 gas is non-toxic, chemically stable and noninflamable.
Terminations of GIC cables are simpler and
cheaper.

Laying of Underground Cables

The reliability of underground cable network

depends to a considerable extent upon proper
laying.
There are three main methods of Laying
underground cables
a. Direct Laying
b. Draw in system
c. Solid system

Direct Laying

This method is cheap and simple and is most likely to

be used in practice.
A trench of about 1.5 meters deep and 45 cm wide is
dug.
A cable is been laid inside the trench and is covered
with concrete material or bricks in order to protect it
from mechanical injury.
This gives the best heat dissipating conditions beneath
the earth.
It is clean and safe method

Direct Laying

Disadvantages of Direct Laying

Localization of fault is difficult

It can be costlier in congested areas where
excavation is expensive and inconvenient.
The maintenance cost is high

Grading of Cables
Since the stresses are maximum at surface of
the conductor or inner most part of the
dielectric.
The stress goes on decreasing as outer most
layer is reached.
Since the process of achieving the uniform
electrostatic stresses on the dielectric of cables
is known as Grading of cables

 The unequal distribution of stresses is undesirable

because,
if dielectric is chosen according to maximum stress
the thickness of cable increases or either this may
lead to breakdown of insulation.
The following are the two main methods of grading
Capacitance grading
Inter sheath grading

TYPES OF CABLE FAULTS

Cables are generally laid in the ground or in ducts in
the underground distribution system. For this reason,
there are little chances of faults in underground
cables. However, if a fault does occur it is difficult
to locate and repair the fault because conductors are
not visible. Nevertheless, the following are the faults
most likely to occur in underground cables
1) open circuit fault
2) short circuit fault
3)earth fault

OPEN CIRCUIT FAULTS

When there is a break in the conductor of a cable, it is
called open circuit fault.
The open circuit fault can be checked by megger. For this
purpose, the three conductors of the 3-core cable at the far
end are shorted and earthed.
The resistance between each conductor and earth is
measured by a megger and it will indicate zero resistance
in the circuit of the conductor that is not broken.
However, if the conductor is broken, the megger will
indicate infinite resistance in its circuit

SHORT CIRCUIT FAULTS

When two conductors of a multi-core cable come in
electrical contact with each other due to insulation failure, it
is called a short circuit fault.
Again, we can seek the help of a megger to check this fault.
For this purpose the two terminals of the megger are
connected to any two conductors.
If the megger gives zero reading, it indicates short circuit
fault between these conductors.
The same steps is repeated for other conductors taking two
a time.

EARTH FAULTS
When the conductor of a cable comes in contact
with earth, it is called earth fault or ground fault.
To identify this fault, one terminal of the
megger is connected to the conductor and the
other terminal connected to earth.
If the megger indicates zero reading, it means
the conductor is earthed. The same procedure is
repeated for other conductors of the cable.

Physical Limitations of Underground

Lines
The main argument against constructing underground systems
is usually financial. But costs are not the only limitation.
The laws of physics limit how physically long a power line can
be.
These limits are relatively unimportant on overhead lines but
will severely limit high voltage underground cable systems
The higher the voltage the shorter the line length must be.
The limiting effects become very important at transmission
voltages, especially 100,000 Volts and above.
Limiting effects may also be important for subtransmission
voltages, 69,000 Volts and 35,000 Volts.

Physical Limitations: The Effect of

Capacitance
o Capacitance causes current to flow even when no load is
connected to the cable. This is called line charging current.
o Underground line capacitance for power cables is far higher
than overhead line capacitance.
o
Wires are closer to each other
o
Wires are closer to the earth (within a few inches).
o
Underground lines have 20-75 times the line charging current
that an overhead line has (depending on line voltage).
o
If a line is long enough the charging current could be equal to
the total amount of current the line can carry. This will
severely limit its ability to deliver power.

Summary of Costs: Overhead vs.

Underground
Transmission: Underground may be 4-20 times
Overhead.
Sub transmission: Underground may be 4-20
times Overhead
Distribution: Underground may be 2-10 times
Overhead
New underground may be cheaper than overhead
in special conditions and costs vary greatly from
utility to utility and place to place.

Presented By:
Sanjeet Kumar
sanjeetkumar2101@gmail.com
+91-8968143473