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Version 6.10
IEEE Exact Voltage Drop Formulae
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Purchase Volts The following sections are the ANSI / IEEE Std 141 formulae used by Volts for voltage drop computations.
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Volts Informative For AC circuits, where AC resistance and inductive reactance are considered, the following is the IEEE Std 141 exact voltage drop
Downloads formula.

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where:
Branch Circuit Load Calcs
Vd = Voltage drop (Line to Neutral)
Circuit Layout
V = Voltage (source)
Cable Tray Fill
Circuit Load Analysis I = Current in amperes (A)
Conduit Fill R = AC Resistance from NEC® Chapter 9 Table 9 (Ohms to Neutral)
Device and Metal Box Fill X = AC Reactance from NEC® Chapter 9 Table 9 (Ohms to Neutral)
Efficiency Factor        distance (L) is considered from the Resistance & Reactance Tables
Motor Ampacity and       where Ohms per unit / 1000 * L in same unit = R or X
Characteristics  θ = Angle of Phase Offset = Arc Cosine (device or circuit Power Factor)
Motor Startup Ampacity
Ohm’s Law Line to Line is computed by Line to Neutral VD / Sqrt(3).
Power Factor
Power Factor Correction DC Circuits
Resistor Color Codes
Series Location Voltage
Drop
Transformer Sizing
Unit Conversions where:
Utility Transformer Values Vd = Voltage drop
Wireway Fill R = DC Resistance from NEC® Chapter 9 Table 8
L = Distance
Databases I = Current in amperes (A)
Cables
K = Material Resistivity constant - 12.9 for Cu & 21.2 for Al
Circuit Breakers
CM = Circular mils of conductor
Conductors
Device and Metal Boxes
Ambient Temperature
Fuses
Items
Additionally, ambient temperature is considered with the following ratio of temperatures formula. This formula is used to adjust the
Chapter 9 Table 9 values from 75ºC to the installation ambient temperature in Celsius (C).
Reports
Arc Blast Pressure
Arc Flash Labels
Custom Reports
One Line Diagrams R2 = New Conductor Resistance
Panel Schedules
R1 = Original Conductor Resistance
Report PDF Samples
K = Material Resistivity
Short Circuit Analysis
T2 = Ambient Temperature in Celsius (TA)
Surge Protection Analysis

Eddy Currents
Formulae & Methods
Voltage Drop Formulae
Eddy currents are induced currents in surrounding magnetic or non-magnetic metal. These currents create heating in the metal
Conductor Sizes
and therefore act as an energy loss that translates into an increase in resistance of the circuit. NEC® Chapter 9, Table 9
Ohm's Law Formulae
segregates conduits into three groups, PVC, Aluminum and Steel to account for the added resistance with each of the three
SI Units
conduit group types. PVC, being non-metallic, does not produce any eddy currents and therefore has the least resistance value of
the three. Steel and Aluminum conduit, being metallic, do produce eddy currents and their respective resistance values are
reflective of this.

Volts utilizes these factors in determining the correct conductor size and voltage drop computations.

It simply cannot be any easier or more accurate to obtain the correct information the first time.

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Reprinted with permission from NFPA 70 2008, NEC® copyright© 2008, National Fire Protection Association.
This is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject which is represented only Volts is a registered trademark of Dolphins Software
by the standard in its entirety. The title National Electric Code® and the acronym NEC® are registered Dolphins Software   All Rights Reserved
trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).