Extensions to the finite element method for thermal analysis of underground cable systems

Abstract

In this paper thermal analysis of underground power cables that are directly buried in the banks and placed in PVC ducts is presented. An electromagnetic finite element method is proposed to evaluate the losses generated in the conductors and in the steels, these are then used as the heat sources for thermal analysis. In thermal analysis, the inclusion of radiation heat exchanges between external cable surface and internal duct surface makes a heat transfer problem nonlinear. Hence an iterative procedure has to be adopted to find the finite element solution of the problem. Two cable systems are solved and compared. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.