Thermal analysis of underground power cables using two dimensional finite element method

Use of underground power distribution has grown significantly over the years with the rapid increase in demand for electric energy and the trend for large infra-structures and vast expansion of highly-populated metropolitan areas. Such approximations and assumptions lead to inaccuracies in the calculations and often force cable engineers to use un-necessarily large safety factors and overly conservative designs, this paper is presented using the finite-element method to calculate the steady-state temperatures at various points of the cable system. Using these loss distributions as an input for finite element analysis, more accurate temperature distributions can be obtained. The model is applied to 6.6 kV 3-core underground cables. The temperature distribution has been determined considering convection from the surface.