Accurate Assessment of Thermal Field and Ampacity of Underground Power Cables

A newer approach to cable thermal field and ampacity computations using a proposed concept of perturbed finite-element analysis is formulated. This approach involves the use of derived sensitivity coefficients associated with various cable parameters of interest and using such sensitivity coefficients to achieve optimal cable performance. The technique is applied to both design phase and operational aspects of power cable buried in a complex media of soils, heat sources and sinks as well as variable boundary conditions