Medium-Voltage Cable Reactance Source Research

Status: source map drafted and verified against current EKX system MV variants. Implementation status: exact Southwire EPR reactance values are wired into src/lib/constants/system-cables.ts and backfilled by drizzle/0062_mv_epr_manufacturer_reactance.sql. drizzle/0063_source_backed_mv_cable_series.sql also seeds separate Southwire manufacturer series for all 122 source-backed rows: 64 exact EPR variants and 58 XLPE-family substitute variants. The substitute rows are not generic defaults; they are distinct manufacturer series with construction-specific source metadata, structured construction basis, and manufacturer_catalog_substitute source quality.

Purpose: identify trusted, publicly available manufacturer reactance values that can replace, qualify, or explicitly gap EKX's generic medium-voltage cable reactance defaults.

EKX System MV Catalog Scope

The current EKX generic system database has 12 medium-voltage cable series and 276 MV variants:

CU sizes generated by EKX: 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 250, 300, 350, 400, 500, 600, 700, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500, 1750, 2000.

AL sizes generated by EKX: 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 250, 300, 350, 400, 500, 600, 700, 750.

The row-level source map is in:

docs/research/mv-cable-reactance-source-map.csv

The source-backed Southwire import creates 12 additional manufacturer series from the same source map:

Those 122 imported variants are separate selectable manufacturer series. They do not replace the generic EKX MV-90 XLPE default series.

Source Map Result

Exact EPR Sources

Southwire's public CableTech tables are the cleanest fit for EKX MV-105 EPR. They publish inductive reactance at 60 Hz in ohm/1000 ft. The CSV converts to ohm/km using ohm_per_km = ohm_per_1000ft * 3.28084.

Shared basis note from Southwire industrial MV tables: inductive impedance is based on non-ferrous conduit with one diameter spacing center-to-center.

Import status: these 64 rows are credible manufacturer-backed values for the matching EKX EPR rows. They are present on the matching EKX EPR rows and in separate Southwire exact manufacturer series. Do not interpolate missing sizes unless EKX stores the result as estimated/generated rather than manufacturer catalog data.

XLPE-Family Substitute Sources

The public source pass did not find an exact, complete "generic MV-90 XLPE" manufacturer table that matches EKX's broad labels across every voltage, material, and size. Southwire TRXLPE sources can reduce the unknown set, but they must remain marked as substitutions. The current implementation imports these rows as separate Southwire manufacturer series, not as anonymous generic MV-90 XLPE defaults.

June 23, 2026 Follow-Up Sweep

Additional public manufacturer research did not identify an exact importable generic MV-90 XLPE table for EKX's 5 kV, 25 kV, or 35 kV default series.

• Nexans/Centelsa publishes row-level 35 kV copper MV90 XLPE/PVC reactance

values for a specific single-core copper tape-shield construction, including separate flat and trefoil formation values. This is useful substitute evidence for mv90-xlpe-cu-35kv, but not an exact EKX generic default because EKX does not encode Nexans/Centelsa construction, 100% vs 133% insulation level, or formation basis in the system series.

• Southwire SPEC 46206 publishes 5/8 kV 3/C TRXLPE inductive-reactance values.

Those values are also substitute-only for mv90-xlpe-cu because EKX's row is a generic MV-90 XLPE family rather than a specific 3/C MV-105/TRXLPE construction.

• Prysmian/General Cable utility catalog material checked in this sweep

documents dual-rated MV-90/MV-105 availability, but did not expose a matching row-level shielded MV-90 XLPE reactance table suitable for import into EKX's generic system defaults.

Import status: EKX now uses these rows as separate source-backed Southwire manufacturer series with manufacturer_catalog_substitute source quality. The generic MV-90 XLPE rows remain generic engineering defaults unless EKX later decides to model one of these specific manufacturer constructions as the default.

Main Gaps

• Small MV sizes that EKX generates but manufacturer MV tables commonly do not:

14 AWG through 3 AWG, depending on family.

• Intermediate AL kcmil values such as 300, 400, 600, and 700 in several

source families.

• Large CU values above many public tables, especially 1250 through 2000 kcmil.
• Exact generic MV-90 XLPE source tables for all EKX 5 kV, 25 kV, and 35 kV

copper/aluminum rows.

Remaining Source Families To Research

• Exact MV-90 XLPE manufacturer tables for 5 kV, 25 kV, and 35 kV copper and

aluminum rows, with construction, insulation level, shield/neutral type, and installation basis explicit enough to classify as exact rather than substitute.

• Nexans/Centelsa MV90 XLPE families beyond the currently noted 35 kV copper

evidence, especially aluminum and lower-voltage rows with a matching formation basis.

• Prysmian/General Cable shielded MV-90/MV-105 catalogs that expose row-level

reactance rather than only availability or ampacity.

• Additional public Okonite, Kerite, and utility/distribution cable catalogs

that publish row-level 60 Hz inductive reactance with enough construction metadata to support exact or substitute classification.

Storage Recommendation

Do not store these as anonymous generic reactance values.

Recommended model:

1. Keep reactancePerKm as the active calculation value.
2. Add or populate metadata for source quality:

manufacturer_catalog_exact, manufacturer_catalog_substitute, generic_engineering_fallback, or unknown.

1. Store source metadata with every source-backed value:

manufacturer, spec id, source URL, revision/update date, voltage class, insulation, conductor material, shield/neutral construction, frequency, installation/spacing basis, source units, and conversion method.

1. Preserve the original construction-assumption notes, and also store a

structured construction basis so exact and substitute rows can be compared without parsing prose.

1. Keep exact Southwire EPR values on covered generic EPR sizes and in separate

Southwire exact manufacturer series.

1. Keep XLPE/TRXLPE substitute values in separate Southwire manufacturer series

unless a future product decision creates construction-specific defaults or a visible generic fallback policy.