Measurement & Modelling Investigations INTO Practical Cable Separations in an Urban Metro Environment

Typical Cable Management System (CMS) design uses multi-compartment metallic trunking with low voltage power and communications/data cables running in adjacent compartments. In many commercial deployments no other physical separation distance between power and communications cables is implemented, the assumption being that the trunking provides electromagnetic shielding to limit the level of voltage coupling between cables. However, the trunking used is not designed specifically for Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) and has unknown shielding properties. This study has examined whether this arrangement will be adequate for the control of induced voltages in the context of a complex urban metro environment.