Design of Power Cable Lines Partially Exposed to Direct Solar Radiation—Special Aspects

Abstract

Power cable lines are usually buried in the ground. However, in some cases, their ending sections are mounted along the supports of overhead lines. This leads to a situation where the cables are exposed to direct solar radiation and, consequentially, overheat. The paper presents the advanced computer modelling of power cables’ heating, considering their insolation as well as the effect of wind. The temperature and current-carrying capacity of power cables—during exposure to direct solar radiation—are evaluated. An effective method of limiting the unfavourable impact of the sun is discussed. In the presence of solar radiation, the proposed method enables a significant increase in the power cables current-carrying capacity.

Influence of Ambient Temperature on the Reliability of Overhead LV Power Lines with Bare Conductors

“…High temperatures can extensively damage products by deteriorating material properties, leading to softening, melting, sublimation, evaporation, reduced viscosity, dimensional changes, and thermal aging [29][30][31].…”

Conductor Temperature Monitoring of High-Voltage Cables Based on Electromagnetic-Thermal Coupling Temperature Analysis

“…The conductivity of the cable conductor decreases with the increase in temperature, and the relationship between its conductivity and temperature is shown in Equation (3) [22]. Equation (4) indicates that in temperature field calculations based on the law of energy conservation, the heat source in high-voltage cables mainly comes from Joule losses due to conductor currents.…”

“…Along with the development of smart grids, the stable operation of high-voltage cables, as important carriers of electric power transmission, is conducive to guaranteeing the quality of a power supply and improving the safety and reliability of power transmission lines [1][2][3]. The conductor temperature of high-voltage cables is one of the important parameters that directly determine their load capacity [4,5]. Without a comprehensive consideration of the actual operating environment of high-voltage cables, a rise in conductor temperature that exceeds the allowable value will accelerate the aging of the cable insulation, increase the leakage current, and eventually lead to insulation breakdown.…”