Underground Raceway Calculations - Advanced

The purpose of these exercises is to use ETAP to model and examine the adequacy of an
existing underground raceway design. Then propose a number of options for correction of
deficiencies found in the design.

In these exercises you will model cross sections A, B, and C and determine the worst case
scenario. Then using the ETAP calculation modules, you will investigate possible solutions for
the problems found.

Overall configuration of the underground raceway systems:

Cross section A: Underground raceway with fill Rho of 90 and 6 conduits

This raceway is designed to withstand a building structure

Cross section B: Direct buried cables

Cross section C: Direct buried conduits, direct buried cables, and a heat source

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 1 of 14

Underground Raceway Calculations- Exercise 1

Objectives:
Obtain cable loading from load flow calculation results
Add existing and new cables to underground raceway systems
Add existing and new directly buried cables
Understand the relationship between multiple UGS presentations
Performing steady state temperature calculations to determine the worst case scenario

1. Open the UGS Project-1 project

2. Select the OLV1 presentation. Go to the Loading page of the following cable editors and
record the existing Operating Loads.

Cable 22 = 0 A
Cable 23 = 0 A
Cable 24 = 0 A

3. To update the Operating Loads based on the Load Flow Analysis results go to the Load
Flow Study Case editor and check the Update Cable Load Ampacity option.

Run Load Flow!

Then check the Operating Loads of the same cables and record them.

Cable 22 = 131 A
Cable 23 = 115 A
Cable 24 = 158.2 A

4. Open the existing UGS presentation titled Cross Section-A.

Route the existing Cable24 in Section A, in Cond1 to Cond6.

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 2 of 14

 Cond6 includes Cable26 with the following specifications. This cable is not part of the
one-line diagram.

Cable 26 requirements:

Cable 26 Operating Load: 100 A/Phase, 1 Conductor/Cable

5. Perform Steady State Temperature calculations and record all cable loading and
temperatures in Table 1.

6. Based on the calculation results are the cable sizes, ampacity, and temperatures adequate?
Describe your findings.
Yes! All calculated cable temperatures are below the alarm temperature of 90C.

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 3 of 14

7. Go to UGS presentation titled Cross Section-B. This cross section consists of four (4) direct
buried cables.

Route the existing Cable22 and Cable23 in Section A, in Loc1 and Loc2.

Loc3 includes Cable5 with the following specifications. This cable is not part of the one-line
diagram.

Cable5 requirements:

Cable 5: Operating Load: 300 A/Phase, 2 Conductor/Cable

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 4 of 14

 Loc4 includes Cable6 with the following specifications. This cable is not part of the one-line
diagram.

Cable6 requirements:

Cable6: Operating Load: 200 A/Phase, 1 Conductor/Cable

8. Perform Steady State Temperature calculations and record all cable loading and
temperatures in Table 1.

9. Are the cable sizes, ampacity, and temperatures adequate? Describe your findings.
Yes! All calculated cable temperatures are below the alarm temperature of 90C.

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 5 of 14

10. Create a new UGS and model the Cross Section C per following requirements:

Notes:
The same cables and conduits in the Cross Section A are buried in the Cross Section C.
What is the easiest method to simulate Section A Buried?
The easiest method is to copy and paste the existing Section B raceway. Then delete the
copied cables and retrieve cables Cable24 and Cable26. Modify the fill Rho to 120
C.cm/Watt.

11. Perform Steady State Temperature calculations and record all cable loading and
temperatures in Table 1.

12. Are the cable sizes, ampacity, and temperatures adequate? Describe your findings.
No! Cable5, Cable6, and Cable26 exceed the alarm temperature of 90C. Possible solutions
are reducing loading or increase cable sizes.

13. For Cable24, the operating load is 158.2 A. What is operating load per each conductor?
158.2 / 2conductor/phase = 79.08 A

14. Which cross section presents the worst case scenario and therefore should be considered
for cable temperature calculations?
Section C

15. Activate the Cross Section-B UGS presentations. Go to the direct buried editor and change
the width from 30 to 40. Note the error message and explain the problem.
If the width is expanded to 40 then section B will overlap the
section A in the cross section C. UGS presentations are aware
of relative distances.

16. Additional Exercise – Use one revision to manually adjust the load amps of the overheated
cables and determine the appropriate load current.

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 6 of 14

 Table 1. Steady State Temperature Calculations

Loading Steady State Steady State Steady State

Cable ID Size
(Amp) Temp. (°C) Temp. (°C) Temp. (°C)
Section A Section B Section C

Cable24-1A 4/0 79.08 49.12 N/A 72.62

Cable24-1B 4/0 79.08 47.15 N/A 62.67
Cable24-1C 4/0 79.08 48.62 N/A 61.30
Cable24-2A 4/0 79.08 64.96 N/A 67.27
Cable24-2B 4/0 79.08 49.35 N/A 89.46
Cable24-2C 4/0 79.08 47.06 N/A 67.74
Cable26-1C 2 100.00 66.01 N/A 90.61
Cable26-1B 2 100.00 66.01 N/A 90.61
Cable26-1A 2 100.00 66.01 N/A 90.61

Cable22-1A 4/0 130.99 N/A 61.17 81.44

Cable22-1B 4/0 130.99 N/A 61.17 81.44
Cable22-1C 4/0 130.99 N/A 61.17 81.44
Cable23-1A 4/0 115.08 N/A 63.12 83.68
Cable23-1B 4/0 115.08 N/A 63.12 83.68
Cable23-1C 4/0 115.08 N/A 63.12 83.68
Cable5-1A 250 150.00 N/A 70.07 92.95
Cable5-1B 250 150.00 N/A 70.07 92.95
Cable5-1C 250 150.00 N/A 70.07 92.95
Cable5-2A 250 150.00 N/A 70.07 92.95
Cable5-2B 250 150.00 N/A 70.07 92.95
Cable5-2C 250 150.00 N/A 70.07 92.95
Cable6 250 200.00 N/A 68.39 94.85

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 7 of 14

Underground Raceway Calculations- Exercise 2

Analysis: Ampacity Calculations

Objectives:
Understand the two ETAP Ampacity Calculation Methods
Determine the optimal cable ampacities for given cables
Use the ampacity calculation results for cable loading evaluation in the load flow analysis
Determine the optimal ampacity of cables with a number of cables with fixed ampacities

Open the UGS Project-2 project. Run Steady State Temperature calculations for the
presentations titled Cross Section-C. Temperatures for a number of cables exceed the alarm
temperature of 90C. Let’s consider various feasible options for reducing cable temperature in
the Cross Section C:

1. What is the optimal ampacity of cables, should the maximum temperature of cables do not
exceed the Alarm Temperature? Record your findings in Table 2.
Run Uniform Ampacity Calculations.

2. From the Cable Ampacity Study Case Editor, check the “Update
Currents from Ampacity Ca.” option and run Uniform Ampacity
Calculations.

3. Verify that the Allowable Ampacity is updated for the existing cables in the one-line diagram
and record them in the table below. The Allowable Ampacity field is located in the Cable
Editor, Ampacity Page.

Allowable Ampacity (Alert)

Cable ID
UGS Calculated
Cable22 142
Cable23 142
Cable24 242.1

4. Select the “UGS Calculated” option from the Ampacity Page of the cable editors for all the
existing UGS cables and run Load Flow.

5. Check the “Branch Loading” output report and verify that cable loadings are not exceeded.

Cable ID Ampacity Loading %

Cable22 142.02 130.99 92.23
Cable23 142.02 115.08 81.03
Cable24 242.11 158.15 65.32

6. What is the optimal ampacity of cables, if loading of Cable22, Cable23, and Cable24 should
stay fixed? Record your findings in Table 2.

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 8 of 14

 Table 2. Uniform Ampacity Calculations

Uniform Uniform
Loading Fixed
Cable ID Size Ampacity Ampacity
(Amp) Current
(Amp) (Amp)
Cable24-1A 4/0 79.08 121.06 F 79.08
Cable24-1B 4/0 79.08 121.06 F 79.08
Cable24-1C 4/0 79.08 121.06 F 79.08
Cable24-2A 4/0 79.08 121.06 F 79.08
Cable24-2B 4/0 79.08 121.06 F 79.08
Cable24-2C 4/0 79.08 121.06 F 79.08
Cable26-1C 2 100.00 81.35 87.44
Cable26-1B 2 100.00 81.35 87.44
Cable26-1A 2 100.00 81.35 87.44

Cable22-1A 4/0 130.99 142.02 F 130.99

Cable22-1B 4/0 130.99 142.02 F 130.99
Cable22-1C 4/0 130.99 142.02 F 130.99
Cable23-1A 4/0 115.08 142.02 F 115.08
Cable23-1B 4/0 115.08 142.02 F 115.08
Cable23-1C 4/0 115.08 142.02 F 115.08
Cable5-1A 250 150.00 153.24 164.71
Cable5-1B 250 150.00 153.24 164.71
Cable5-1C 250 150.00 153.24 164.71
Cable5-2A 250 150.00 153.24 164.71
Cable5-2B 250 150.00 153.24 164.71
Cable5-2C 250 150.00 153.24 164.71
Cable6 250 200.00 114.39 122.96

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 9 of 14

Analysis: Cable Sizing

Objectives:
Determine the optimal cable sizes for the given ampacities
Determine the optimal cable sizes for the given ampacities and fixed cable sizes

7. If reduction of cable loading is not an option, size the cables so that the maximum cable
temperature remains below the alert temperature? Record your findings in Table 3.

8. What are the optimal cable sizes, if replacing Cable22, Cable23, and Cable24 is not an
option? Record your findings in Table 3.

9. From the Study Case Editor, select “Size from Cable Sizing Calc.” and run Cable Sizing.
Verify that calculated cable sizes are updated for all applicable UGS presentations.

Table 3. Cable Sizing Calculations

Cable Sizing
Loading Cable Sizing Fixed
Cable ID Size Results
(Amp) Results Sizes
With Fixed Sizes
Cable24-1A 4/0 79.08 2/0 F 4/0
Cable24-1B 4/0 79.08 2/0 F 4/0
Cable24-1C 4/0 79.08 2/0 F 4/0
Cable24-2A 4/0 79.08 2/0 F 4/0
Cable24-2B 4/0 79.08 2/0 F 4/0
Cable24-2C 4/0 79.08 2/0 F 4/0
Cable26-1C 2 100.00 1 1
Cable26-1B 2 100.00 1 1
Cable26-1A 2 100.00 1 1

Cable22-1A 4/0 130.99 1/0 F 4/0

Cable22-1B 4/0 130.99 1/0 F 4/0
Cable22-1C 4/0 130.99 1/0 F 4/0
Cable23-1A 4/0 115.08 1/0 F 4/0
Cable23-1B 4/0 115.08 1/0 F 4/0
Cable23-1C 4/0 115.08 1/0 F 4/0
Cable5-1A 250 150.00 350 250
Cable5-1B 250 150.00 350 250
Cable5-1C 250 150.00 350 250
Cable5-2A 250 150.00 350 250
Cable5-2B 250 150.00 350 250
Cable5-2C 250 150.00 350 250
Cable6 250 200.00 500 500

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 10 of 14

Underground Raceway Calculations- Exercise 3

Analysis: Transient Temperature Calculations

Objectives:
Enter load profiles for cables
Perform Transient Temperature Calculations and study the plots and output reports

1. Open the UGS Project-3 project.

2. Activate the UGS1 presentation, which has the following characteristics:

o The four (4) conduits are directly buried since the Rho of the fill material and soil are
both 90 C.cm/W.
o Ambient temperature is 25C.
o The “Initial /Steady State Amp” is selected to be “Load
Profile”.

3. What is the initial loading of all cables?

Zero!

4. Run Transient Temperature Calculation for 8 hours for steps of 10 minutes.

5. View the temperature plot for all cables. What is the temperature for all cables?
Cables have no load and their temperature is the same as the ambient temperature, which
is 25C.

6. Enter the following load profiles:

Cable6 0-80 minutes=156 A 80-150 minutes=300 A 150 -480 minutes =156 A

Cable8 0-2 hours=234 A 2-5 hours=500 A 5-8 hours=234 A
Cable9 0-5 hours=102 A 5-7 hours=50 A 7-8 hours=102 A

7. Run Transient Temperature Calculation, view the plots and comment on results.
Plots show rise and fall of temperature as a result of rise and fall of their operating current.

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 11 of 14

Additional Analysis: Uniform Temperature Calculations

Objectives:
Perform uniform temperature calculations
Compare the results with steady state calculation loading and temperature.

8. Run uniform temperature calculations and determine ampacity of cables for the condition
that all cables reach just below the alarm temperature.

Record the results in Table 4 and compare the cable ampacity with operating current used
in steady state calculations.

Table 4. Uniform Temperature Calculations

Steady State Temp. Uniform Temp. Calc.

Current Temp. Current Temp.
Cable ID
(Amp) (C) (Amp) (C)
Cable6-1A 156 55.56 203.77 90.00
Cable6-1B 156 55.56 203.77 90.00
Cable6-1C 156 55.56 203.77 90.00
Cable8-1A 234 49.01 358.85 83.29
Cable8-1B 234 49.01 358.85 83.29
Cable8-1C 234 49.01 358.85 83.29
Cable9-1A 102 39.45 229.31 74.10
Cable9-1B 102 41.48 229.31 77.67
Cable9-1C 102 37.8 229.31 69.88

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 12 of 14

 Underground Raceway Calculation Notes

Raceway Width and Height Ratio

Based on the Neher-McGrath calculation method, and as indicated in Appendix II of “The
Calculation of the Temperature Rise and Load Capability of Cable System,” formulas used for
determining the geometric factor Gb for duct bank apply to Y/X ratios less than 3; where the X
and Y quantities are the smaller and larger dimensions of the duct bank cross section,
respectively.

According to IEC 60287-2-1, section 2.2.7.3, formulas for external thermal resistance of the
duct are only valid for Y/X ratios less than 3; where the X and Y quantities are the shorter and
longer dimensions of the duct bank cross section, respectively.

Cables with De-Energized Conductors

For a DC or a single-phase cable branch, it is possible that some of the cable conductors may
not carry current. For example, consider that a single-phase branch needs five conductors per
phase to carry its load. Since a single-phase circuit has a forward and a return path, it requires
ten conductors in total. If for some reason three-conductor cables are used for this branch,
four, three-conductor cables will be needed, which equals a total of twelve conductors. This
leaves two of the twelve conductors as non-current-carrying (de-energized) conductors. ETAP
will spread non-current-carrying conductors among individual cables for the branch. In this
case, two of the four cables will have only two conductors carrying current. In the Cable
Temperature section of the output report, ETAP reports the number of energized conductors
for each individual cable.

Voltage Used for Calculating Cable Dielectric Losses

Since the cable dielectric losses are directly related to the voltage applied on the insulation
layer, the cable operating voltage should be used for this calculation. In ETAP, if a cable is a
branch cable or an equipment cable, the nominal kV of the cable terminal bus will be used.
For an underground cable (no terminal bus), the cable rated voltage is used. In the report, the
voltage applied on the insulation layer is printed under the “Insulation Layer kV” column.

Modeling of DC Cables
A DC cable is handled in a similar way to that of an AC cable in cable derating calculations.
However, since the current flowing through and the voltage applied on a DC cable are DC
current and voltage, the losses in an AC cable due to AC current nature do not apply to a DC
cable. These losses include loss due to conductor proximity and skin effect, losses in shield,
sheath, and armor layer, loss in a steel conduit, and cable die-electric loss. For a DC cable, all
these losses are equal to zero.

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 13 of 14

Points for Discussion:

Exercise 1

A. Cables in the UGS presentations can be one-line view (OLV) branch/equipment cables
or UGS cables. Learn how to route OLV cables in conduits.
B. Cable current for UGS can be user entered or ETAP updated.
C. What is the relationship between branch loading and conductor loading when a cable
has multiple conductors per phase?
D. The parameters that effect temperature calculations for a given configuration are the
following: ampacity, size, and temperature.

Exercise 2

A. What are the differences between the two ampacity calculation methods?
B. What are the Cable Ampacity options and usage?
C. Revision can be used to hold results for cables’ new ampacities and sizes.

Exercise 3

A. Thermal source, resistance and capacitance.

B. What is meant by initial loading?

ETAP Workshop Notes ©2010 Operation Technology, Inc. Page 14 of 14