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Fault Scenarios of Electrical Cables

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Fire Hazards of Electrical Cables

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Fire ((BRIEFSFIRE))

Abstract

The fault scenarios of electrical cables are key aspects of their fire risk analysis. Before any fire scenarios analysis the effects associated with current flow in cables must be described. The effects that should be taken into account (during a fire risk analysis) include skin effect, proximity effect, voltage drop, insulation resistance and Joule heating. Skin effect and proximity effect cause a non-uniform distribution of current density across the cross-section of a conductor. Voltage drop increases as temperature increases (this dependence can cause a voltage drop greater than the specified limit in a cable with a declared circuit integrity under fire conditions). The insulation resistance determines the leakage current from line (phase conductor) to protective earth (ground conductor) and a significant decrease can cause a short circuit or arc. Joule heating is determined by the conductor resistance and the square of the value of electrical current. The main fault scenarios of electrical cables that may cause a fire include short circuit, overload, increased contact resistance and electrical arc. The most dangerous scenario is an increased contact resistance because there are no protective devices that protect against this scenario. The final significant fault scenario is the loss of power to critical appliances (for example, emergency lift). This scenario only applies to cables with a declared circuit integrity.

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  1. Department of Fire Engineering, Institute of Integrated Safety, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Jána Bottu 2781/25, 917 24, Trnava, Slovakia

    Jozef Martinka

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Martinka, J. (2022). Fault Scenarios of Electrical Cables. In: Fire Hazards of Electrical Cables. SpringerBriefs in Fire. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17050-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17050-8_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-17050-8

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