Ampacity of bundled PVC house wiring cables in a conduit pipe based on experimental and theoretical considerations

Flexible PVC Cables form the major part of Power distribution system within residential buildings, industrial buildings, and other commercial institutions. The ampacity of power cable depends upon the cross sectional area of conductor and the laying and installation of the cable in service. Generally two or more number of PVC cables are bundled together and inserted as a bundle in a conduit pipe for connecting to various load points. As the bundling of cables produce more heat than a single PVC Cable, and dissipation of heat is poor, the ampacity of these cables reduces considerably. Hence the exact selection of sizes and no. of cables are essential to avoid overheating of those cables and the resulting fire havocs.

PVC House wiring cables consists of copper conductor extruded with PVC insulation and are installed generally through a conduit pipe in a bundled manner. The steady state current rating of these cables depends on the way the heat generated in the cable due to current and the heat transmitted to the cable surface & then dissipated to the surroundings. The maximum conductor temperature is limited by the type of insulating material used. In this paper theoretical and experimental results of steady state ampacity ratings of bundles of house wiring PVC Cables laid in conduit pipes are compared.