Safeguarding Multi-Core Cables: Ensuring Short Circuit Protection
Published 18 Sep 2023
Short circuit test showing conductors piercing through multicore cable
Safeguarding Multi-Core Cables
Ensuring Short Circuit Protection
A question Ellis Patents and Thorne & Derrick still get asked on a regular basis is ‘Is it really necessary to use cable cleats for multi-core cables?’ The assumption is that the cable’s inherent strength, with fully encapsulated cores, is sufficient to withstand short circuit forces. The short answer is ‘YES’.
Essentially, the same guidance widely accepted for protecting single-core cables, both in trefoil and single formation, also applies to multi-core cables. Unrestrained or inadequately restrained cables can undergo violent movements, potentially causing damage to nearby circuits, and infrastructure, or even endangering people.
Cable cleats are vital – cable ties alone cannot contain certain short circuit faults.
If you’re still in doubt as to whether this applies to multi-core cables, then this short-circuit test should convince you of the importance of cable cleats on multi-core cables.
As with single-core cables, evaluating multi-core cables for short circuit force withstand requires a comprehensive assessment of three essential considerations:
1. Short-Circuit Current
2. Conductor Spacing, and
3. Cable Type
Short Circuit Cable Video Fault
The below video produced by Ellis Patents shows the catastrophic outcome when multi-core cables attached to cable ladder using cable ties only are subjected to short circuit cable fault. Depending on fault levels cable cleats should be used to secure LV MV HV cables and to provide short circuit protection against disastrous cable faults, this includes the cable cleating of multi-core power cables.
Read More Here – IEC 61914 – Cable Cleats & Short Circuit Protection Calculations
Together Ellis Patents & T&D, prioritise safety and strive to ensure the utmost protection for your electrical infrastructure. If you have any questions about protecting your cable installations from short-circuit faults, we’d love to hear from you.
Ellis Patents
Ellis Patents based in the UK are world leading manufacturers of cable cleats and cable clamps used to clamp and support LV-MV-HV cables – this includes cable support and management products to provide short circuit protection for 600V, 11kV-33kV-66kV and medium/high voltage power cables in single, trefoil or bundled formation up to 400kV.
