Cable Size Current Carrying Capacity ((better)) -
“Hot enough to anneal the copper,” Marco grunted. “Now it’s soft as butter. Can’t carry a fraction of its rated load.”
Lena looked at the old 25mm² cable, then at her clipboard. “But the spec sheet says this cable is rated for 100 amps. The press only draws 85 at full load. We were within the number.” cable size current carrying capacity
“She got too hot, didn’t she, Marco?” asked Lena, the new junior engineer. She held the specs in her hand, fresh from the office upstairs. “Hot enough to anneal the copper,” Marco grunted
“Rule one,” he said. “Respect the derating factors. Rule two—there is no rule two. Just don’t trust a cable in a vacuum.” “But the spec sheet says this cable is rated for 100 amps
He pulled a fresh roll of 70mm² cable from his cart. “This is what we need. It has the copper cross-section to lower the resistance, produce less heat per amp, and survive the group and the heat. Bigger cable, more copper, more surface area to shed the heat.”