Cable That Melted at 60% Load

Emeritus Professor Akhtar Kalam’s Electrifying Mysteries

This webinar series provides a structured examination of real-world engineering challenges. Each session will address specific, technically focused topics relevant to professional engineers.

Webinar details

Electrical cables are typically designed with conservative current ratings, making thermal failure at only 60% of rated load both puzzling and concerning. This webinar investigates a real-world case where a power cable experienced insulation failure and thermal damage well below its expected capacity.

Participants will explore the complex interplay among installation conditions, thermal environment, harmonics, proximity effects, and derating factors that are often overlooked in design. The session reveals how assumptions in cable sizing can break down under practical constraints such as poor ventilation, grouping, soil thermal resistivity, or distorted currents from modern electronic loads.

• The webinar will be recorded and will be sent out to registered attendees afterwards.
• A certificate of attendance will be provided to attendees who request one near the end of the live webinar session.
• Please note: the time stated on this event is in UTC. You will need to convert this to your own time zone.

Key takeaways from this webinar

• Understand how environmental and installation factors significantly alter cable ampacity.
• Evaluate the impact of harmonics and skin effect on conductor heating.
• Identify common errors in cable derating and grouping assumptions.
• Apply advanced thermal assessment and monitoring techniques to prevent premature failures.

Related courses

This webinar/topic relates to our school of Electrical Engineering and is particularly found in the following courses:

• Graduate Certificate in Power System Analysis and Design
• Graduate Certificate in Power Engineering
• Graduate Diploma of Engineering (Electrical Systems)
• 52892WA Advanced Diploma of Electrical and Instrumentation (E&I) Engineering in Mining
• 52883WA Advanced Diploma of Applied Electrical Engineering (Electrical Systems)
• UET60222 Advanced Diploma of ESI – Power Systems (Australia & New Zealand Only)
• Online – Bachelor of Science (Electrical Engineering)

To learn more about tuition fees, please click here.

About the presenter

Emeritus Professor Akhtar Kalam

BSc, BScEng, MS, PhD, FIET, CEng, FAIE, FIEAust, CPEng, NER, APEC Engineer, IntPE(Aus), PEV, MCIGRE, Life Senior Member of IEEE.

Professor Akhtar Kalam is a supervisor of EIT’s Doctoral students. He has worked at Victoria University since 1984 and recently associated with the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities. He is the Editor in Chief of Australian Journal of Electrical & Electronics Engineering. Further, he has Distinguished Professorship position in many national and international institutions. He has been recognized internationally and nationally for his research. He is regularly invited to deliver lectures, work on industrial projects, and examine external theses overseas. Professor Kalam is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Victoria (PEV), Fellow of EA, IET, AIE, a life Senior Member of IEEE, NER, APEC Engineer, IntPE (Aus) and a member of CIGRE AP B5 Study Committee.