Optimization of Ampacity for the Unequally Loaded Power Cables in Duct Banks

This paper presents a method of the ampacity optimization for power cables in duct banks under unequal loads. The ampacities of power cables were calculated on the basis of IEC 60287 standard, then the thermal field distribution of the duct banks was computed by means of finite element analysis (FEA). On this basis, an optimization method was proposed to maximize the loading capacity of the cable group. The ampacities and thermal fields under two optimization layouts were recalculated and compared with the original layout. The results showed that the thermal field can be improved effectively and the ampacity can be increased remarkably by appropriate layout optimization.