Calculation of the Current Carrying Capability of Duct Laying Electric Cable and Analysis of the Influential Factors

Youyuan Wang Rengang Chen Weigen Chen Jian Li Lin Du Qing Yang
State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment & System Security and New Technology Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China
Abstract- A common characteristic of modern power transmission and distribution is the extensive use of underground electric cables. Because of tight economical constraints and limitation on space availability, public utilities around the world are striving to attain higher cable current carrying capability (ampacity), by means of improved designs and, at the same time, trying to achieve better accuracy of cable parameter values so that the simulated results would match as closely as possible the reallife situation. The traditional method of computing cable ampacity is based on IEC-60287, and a much more accurate and versatile approach would use numerical method. In this paper a newer approach to duct laying cable thermal field and ampacity computation using finite element method is formulated. In this method, a temperature field distribution model was constructed to analyze the temperature distribution of duct laying electric cable area, and the linear interpolation method is employed to calculate the cable ampacity. The developed model was applied to the 8.7/15KV YJV1 400 XLPE electric cable, from the example, one can note that the duct laying cable ampacity depends on many of the installation properties and conditions, of which the soil thermal resistance, the soil temperature, the environment temperature and the external heat source exercised predominant influences. The cable ampacity increases as the soil thermal conductivity and the distance from the external heat source increases, while it decreases linearly with the increases of the environment temperature and the soil temperature.

buried cables, of which boundary conditions are always complicated. It is advised to take advantage of the finite element method here, due to its ability to layout the grid nodes arbitrarily[5-11]. Thus, a temperature field distribution model, which is used for analyzing the temperature distribution of duct laying electric cables, was constructed in this paper. It was programmed by COMSOL software, and based on the principle of heat transfer and finite element method. This model completely takes account of laying condition and complicated variable external environment, and its parameters can be updated according to the change of above influencing factors. Thereby, it can be utilized to estimate cable current carrying capacity of a higher accuracy. II. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CABLE TEMPERATURE FIELD MATHEMATICAL MODEL Establishment of the geometric model According to the structure parameters and the laying parameters of the duct laying cable, a closed domain geometric model of the duct laying cables was established in the paper. Fig 1 shows the geometric model of three-loop duct laying cables. The cable ampacity influential factors such as the external heat source, the laying way, and the soil properties are taken fully into account, and they can be changed conveniently based on the actual situation. As it is shown in Fig.1, r is the cable diameter, d1and d2 represent, respectively, the cables spacing and the distance that from the cable or heat source to the left and right borders of the model, d3 denotes the buried depth of heat source, d4, d8 denote, respectively, the distance from the upper and lower layer cables to the duct surfaces, while d5, d6 and d7 denote, respectively, the row spacing, the distance from the heat source to cable duct, and width of the intermediate channel. A.

I. INTRODUCTION The extensive usage of duct laying power cables is a typical feature of modern power transmission and distribution networks. It is practically significant to bring in a rapid and accurate real-time determination of the duct laying cable current carrying capacity, especially when confronting the complicated laying environment [1-3]. Over the past years, two methods have been developed to calculate the cable currentcarrying capability. First is the IEC60287-based thermal analysis method, which is based on the geographical position and meteorological condition of the laying region. In this method, the calculation model is simplified into one dimension. However, the correction factors can not be determined by experiments conveniently, so some errors still exist[4]. Second is the numerical calculation method, which nalyzes the temperature distribution of the cables and their laying area in the light of the theory of temperature field. This method is more effective, because it put the actual situation into consideration, which makes the result of more accuracy. Nowadays, the numerical methods such as boundary element method, finite difference method, finite volume method and the finite element method, are increasingly popular. But, there remain inevitable limitations for the first three methods when they are being applied to the case of the
978 -1-4244-7129-4/10/$26.00 2010 IEEE

Fig. 1 Geometric model of duct laying cables

B.

Determination of Boundary Conditions

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Whether heat transfer solution is implemented using finite element modeling or any other tool, a solvable heat conduction problem should also have boundary conditions well defined. The boundary conditions are very often of three common types. The first kind: T is specified on the boundary for t > 0; The second kind: the derivative of T normal to the boundary is specified on the boundary for t > 0;The third kind: a derivative of T in a direction normal to the boundary is proportional to the temperature difference with respect to the ambient on that boundary, such a condition arises when convection occurs at a boundary. The corresponding control equations are governed by the equation (1)-(3)[12]:

operating temperature , well I1 is the cable current carrying capacity, otherwise, divert to step (2); (2) If 1 < , I1 will increase by 3%, and assign it to I2, if 1 > , I1 will decrease by 3%, and assign it to I2, then

The theoretical background for the algorithm is provided as follows: (1) Assumed a current value I1, then calculated the corresponding cable core temperature 1 , if 1 equals the cable

( x, y ) | = f ( x, y) |
+ q2 = 0 n

(1) (2) (3)

Where

| = ( f ) | n

2 = , well I2 is the cable current carrying capacity, otherwise, turn to step (3); (3) In accordance with the method as step (2), the current value is calculated iteratively until meet that the cable core temperature k < , k + 1 > .
(4) Substituting

calculated the corresponding cable core temperature 1 , if

I k I k +1 k k +1 into formula (6),

IV. INSTANCE ANALYSIS

q2 denotes density of heat flow rate, f denotes fluid

and the calculated result I is the current carrying capacity.

temperature,

and represent, respectively, integral boundary

and heat transfer coefficient. Under normal circumstances, the cable horizontal temperature gradient is 0. Therefore, for the duct laying cables shown in Figure 1, the right and left borders belong to the second boundary condition; For the upper boundary, adjacent to the ambient environment of the domain given, it can be of kind 3, convective boundary; The lower boundary, which adjacent to the base, boundary condition of first, constant temperature is taken. Based on the heat transfer theory, the distance d2 can be calculated as follows[12]:

A. Establishment of the model To calculate the temperature distribution of the cable, the type of 8.7/15kV YJV 1 400 three-loop XLPE cables were taken for an example in this part. The structural parameters and the laying parameters of the cable were described, respectively, in Table 1, 2.
TABLE I
STRUCTUCTURAL PARAMETERS OF 8.7/15kV YJV1

400 XLPE CABLE

Parameter values 23.8mm 5.9mm 0.3mm 2.3mm 41.0mm

Physical quantities Conductor diameter Insulation thickness Shielding layer thickness Protective covering thickness External diameter of the cable

d 2 = re 2R
R=

(4) (5)

T
Q

Where Q denotes heat flow, R denotes thermal resistance,

T denotes temperature drop of different dielectric.

C. Loss calculation The heat resource losses, which include conductor loss, insulating layer dielectric loss, the metallic sheath loss and shielding loss, can be calculated according to the references [1315] . III. CALCULATION OF THE CURRENT CARRYING CAPABILITY Considering the linear interpolation method has the advantages of simple and fast calculation, and meets certain accuracy, so in this paper, it is adopted to calculated the cable current carrying capacity, which can be solved as the formula(6): ( ) I k + ( k ) I k +1 (6) I = k +1 k +1 k

TABLE II
LAYING PARAMETERS OF 8.7/15kV YJV1

400 XLPE CABLE

Parameter values 1.0m 0.51.0 m K/W 313K 6.0W/(m2 K) 293K

Laying condition Distance from the heat source Soil thermal resistance Air temperature Convective heat transfer Coefficient Deep soil temperature

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B. Temperature Field Distribution of the Cable Area According to the IEC-60287, the cable loss parameters were calculated. Based on these parameters and the theory of linear interpolation, the cable currentcarrying capability was finally computed, and the calculated value is 180A. Then the temperature distribution of cable area was obtained correspondingly. The finally results were shown in Fig.2 , from which one can note the abscissa is the length of upper and lower border, and the ordinate denotes the length of the right and left border, the unit is m. Fig.3 shows the temperature distribution curve of the intermediate row cables. As one can note from the curve that the intermediate cable conductor temperature of the left row is highest, this due to the cable is impacted most severely by the round cables and the heat source.

A. Analysis of the impact of soil thermal resistance As one of the principal influencing factors to the cable currentcarrying capability, soil thermal resistance effects heat dissipation of the duct laying cable directly. When the temperature of the soil around the cable duct upraised, the soil moisture migrated mostly, and the thermal resistance dropped sharply, as a result, the heat dissipation potential of the cable deteriorates, which led the cable current carrying capacity to be reduced observably. The effects of the variation of soil thermal resistance on cable ampacity are shown in Fig.4. One can appreciate, as expected, that the ampacity of the cable increases as the soil thermal resistance increases, and seems to follows a hyperbolic function.
420 400 380 360 340 320 300 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 soilthermalresistance coefficient/(m*k)/W

Fig. 4 The relationship between the cable ampacity and soil thermal resistance

B.
Fig. 2 Temperature distribution curve of the intermediate row

Analysis of impact of the ambient temperature Another principal influencing factor to the cable current carrying capability is ambient temperature, which mainly refers to the temperature of the cable surrounding medium. For duct laying cables, the air temperature is the main influencing factor that taken into account. As the air temperature higher, the capacity of heat convection between soil and air is worse, and the heat dissipation potential of the cable deteriorates accordingly, as a result, the cable carrying capacity decreases.
460 ampacity/A 440 420 400 380 360 270 280 290 300 air temperature/K 310 320

Fig. 3 Temperature distribution curve of the intermediate row

V. ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCING FACTORS TO THE CABLE CARRYING CAPACITY In this part, the 8.7/15kV YJV 1 400 single-loop XLPE cables were still taken for an example to analyze. Several installation features were varied to study their effect in the ampacity. For the cable duct laying, the following influential parameters that effect the cable ampacity are studied: the soil thermal conductivity, the air temperature, the soil temperature, and the external heat source. Finally the effect rules were shown respectively, in Fig 4 Fig 7.

Fig. 5 The relationship between the cable ampacity and air temperature

Except the air temperature, the current carrying capacities of the cable showed in the Fig.5 were calculated in the same conditions. Fig.5 shows the effect on ampacity of the air temperature, it can be noted that the ampacity reduces almost linearly with a rise of the air temperature, and the relation curve seems to a line with constant slope. C. Analysis of impact of the soil temperature For underground cables, the deep soil temperature is another important influential factor to the ampacity. As the soil

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ampacity/A

temperature higher, the heat dissipation potential of the soil deteriorates, and the conductor temperature of the cable rised accordingly, as a result, the cable carrying capacity decreases. Fig.6 shows the effect of soil temperature on the cable ampacity, it can be noted that the ampacity reduces almost linearly with a rise of the soil temperature.
400 ampacity/A 390 380 370 360 350 260 270 280 290 300 soil temperature/K 310

with the increase of the soil thermal conductivity and the distance from the external heat sources, by contrast, it decreased linearly with the increase of the environmental temperature and the soil temperature. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This paper is supported by Natural Science Foundation Project of Chongqing (CSTC, 2008BA3026). REFERENCES
[1] ZHAO Jianhua, YUAN Hongyong, ZHAO Yaxin, and FAN Weicheng, Surface Temperature Field Based Online Diagnoses Study for Power Cables Conductor Temperature. Proceedings of the CSEE, 11rd ed.,vol.19. 1999, pp.52-54. [2] GEORGE J. ANDERS. Ration of electric power cables, ampacity computation for transmission, distribution, and industrial application. IEEE Press, 1997. [3] FAN Chunli, SUN Fengrui, YANG Li, and LIU Baohua, Study on Quantitative Methods of Inspection and Breakage Diagnoses of High Voltage Line and Cable by Thermography. Proceedings of the CSEE, 18rd ed., vol.25. 2005, pp. 162-166. [4] LIANG Yongchun, LI Yanmu, LI Yanming, CHAI Jinai, WANG Zhenggang, et al, Calculation of the Static Temperature Field of Underground Cables Using Heat Charge Simulation Method. Proceedings of the CSEE, 16rd ed.,vol.28. 2008, pp. 129-134. [5] P.Vaucheret, R.A Hartlein, and W.Z Black, Ampacity Derating Factors for Cables Buried in Short Segments of Conduit. IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, 2rd ed., vol. 20. 2005, pp.560 565. [6] Hanna M A, Chikahani A Y, and Salama M.M.A, Thermal analysis of power cable in multi-layeredsoil-Part2: Practical Considerations.IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, 3rd ed., vol.8. 1993, pp.772-777,. [7] Vaucheret P, Hartlein R A, and Black W Z, Ampacity Derating Factors for Cables in Short Segment of Conduit. IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, 2rd ed., vol. 20. 2005, pp.1-6. [8] Miyagi D, Wakatsuki T, and Takahashi N, 3-D Finite Element Analysis of Current Distribution in Hts Power Cable taking account of E-J Power Caw Characteristic. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 2rd ed., vol.40. 2004, pp908-1001. [9] LIANG Yongchun, LI Yanming, CHAI Jinai, WANG Zhenggang, and LI Zhongkui, A New Method to Calculate the Steady-State Temperature Field and Ampacity of Underground Cable System, Transactions of China Electrotechnical Society, 8rd ed., vol.22. 2007, pp185-189. [10] CAO Huiling, WANG Zengqiang, LI Wenjing, LI Zhijian, and Gao Jie, Numerical computation of temperature distribution of underground cables and soil with combinatorial coordinates,Transactions of China Electrotechnical Society, 3rd ed., vol.18. 2003, pp59-63. [11] FU Chenzhao, JI Shengchang, and WANG Shishan, A Study of Transient Thermal Circuit Model for the Cable Transformer Coil Based on Finite Element Method, Transactions of China Electrotechnical Society, 2rd ed., vol.18. 2003, pp77-82. [12] TAO Wenquan, Numerical Heat Transfer. Xi'an Jiaotong University Press, 2001. [13] IEC 60287-1. Calculation of the Current Rating-Part 1: Current Rating Equations (100% Load Factor)and Calculation of Losses. 2001. [14] IEC 60287-2. Calculation of the Current Rating-Part 2: Thermal Resistance. 2001. [15] IEC 60287-3. Calculation of the Current Rating-Part 3: Sections on Operating Conditions. 1999.

Fig. 6 The relationship between the cable ampacity and soil temperature

D.

Analysis of impact of the external heat source External heat source (such as the hot water pipe or steam pipe, etc.) is another important factor that affects the cable ampacity. When external sources are laid around the cable, one hand, the soil resistance coefficient will be made increased, the other hand, the cable temperature field will be effected, as a result, the cable ampacity are decreased. Fig.7 shows the effect of external heat source on the cable ampacity, it can be noted that the ampacity increases with the increase of distance between the cable duct and the external heat source, but the increase amplitude decreases gradually.
365 ampacity/A 360 355 350 345 340 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 distance from the heat source/m 3.5

Fig. 7 The relationship between the cable ampacity and the external heat source

VI. CONCLUSIONS To put the impact factors of the cable carrying capacity into consideration completely, the paper established an duct laying cable temperature distribution model, which can analyze the cable temperature distribution and the impact of environmental factors. By the application of linear interpolation method, combined with the mathematical model built above, the paper took 8.7/15kV YJV1 400XLPE cable for an example. Furthermore, its current carrying capacity was calculated and its influencing factors were analyzed as well. The results show that the thermal conductivity of soil, the environmental temperature and the external heat source exercised predominant influences on the cable current carrying capacity. The current carrying capacity increased significantly

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