Phil has asked this question about whether three four-core cables in parallel can be used in place of two larger cable to help solve handling issues. It has been answered by the ECA (Theme - Distribution Equipment including Cable Management):
This Q & A is one of thousands posted in our Technical Expertise area, and answered on a daily basis by our Voltimum Experts.
Question: We have a 400kW electrical machine to feed at 0.8 power factor TP/N to a distance of 127m. Is it possible to parallel up three smaller sub-main feeder cables, rather than using two larger cables?
The reason I’d like to do this is because of the difficulty man-handling the larger cables on-site.
And if this is OK, what are the formulas with regard to volt drop in three parallel cables?
Answer: Yes, subject to the cables all being of the same size and installed in the same route, this arrangement should be fine.
The volt drop calculation result would then need to be divided by three.
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