Performance of underground power cables under extreme soil

and environmental conditions

A. A. AL-OHALY
King Saud University, P.O.Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia
ABSTRACT
The use of underground power cables in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has grown
signicantly over the past three decades as a result of urban expansion and increased
infrastructure activities. Most cable design and operation guidelines are based on
international publications, which use design, soil, and environmental parameters
developed for harsh climates in calculating the cable ampacity. However, in KSA,
extreme soil and environmental conditions exist where the ambient temperature
sometimes exceeds 508C and the very dry soil in the summer produces high thermal
resistance. Under such conditions, the environmental and soil parameters signicantly
inuence the current-carrying capability of the power cable. In most previous
publications, the eects of such parameters have traditionally been studied individually
with one parameter being varied while all others are xed at their respective nominal
values. In this paper, a novel analysis is presented where multi-parameter eects are
examined simultaneously using traditional y-x plots. This new approach has revealed
several important characteristics of the cable performance under design, operation and
environmental parameter changes. The new approach has been applied to a practical
cable system in the Saudi power grid and the results obtained conrmed the usefulness of
the technique developed.
Keywords: Power systems; Sensitivity analysis, Thermal analysis; Underground
cables.
INTRODUCTION
A common characteristic of modern power transmission and distribution grids
is the extensive use of underground power cables (Neher & McGrath 1957,
Symm 1969). The question of how the power cables are optimized for best
performance has become of utmost importance, especially under the present
conditions which encourage cost savings and high service quality. Signicant
design and operating cost reductions could be achieved via optimizing cable
performance under various loading and soil conditions. In this regard, advanced
computer-aided tools for power cable analysis can be used to assist cable
engineers in making the right choices regarding cable installation designs and
operating scenarios (El-Kady 1982, Wandmacher 1997).
Kuwait J. Sci. Eng. 30(1) 2003
The use of underground power cables in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
has grown signicantly over the past three decades as a result of urban
expansion and increased infrastructure activities. Most cable design and
operation guidelines are based on international publications which use design,
soil, and environmental parameters developed for harsh climates in calculating
the cable ampacity. However, in KSA, extreme soil and environmental
conditions exist where the ambient temperature sometimes exceeds 508C and the
very dry soil in the summer produces high thermal resistance. Under such
conditions, the environmental and soil parameters signicantly inuence the
current-carrying capability of the power cable. In most previous publications,
the eects of various operation, design, soil and environmental parameters on
the current-carrying capability of the power cable have traditionally been
studied individually with one parameter being varied while all others are xed at
their respective nominal values (El-Kady 1984, Bertani et al. 1998).
In this paper, a novel analysis is presented where multi-parameter eects are
examined simultaneously using traditional y-x plots. This has revealed several
important characteristics of cable performance under soil and environmental
parameter changes. The new approach has been applied to a practical cable
system in the Saudi power grid. The results are displayed in multi-parameter
contour graphs, which facilitates examination and interpretation of various
parameter eects on cable ampacity, voltage regulation and losses. The results
obtained conrmed the usefulness of the technique.
PROBLEM FORMULATION
The ampacity of cable is limited primarily by the permissible operating
temperature of its insulation. The higher the operating temperature of the
insulation, the greater its allowable ampacity. The temperature at which a
particular cable will operate is aected by ability of the surrounding medium to
dissipate the heat, hence, cable allowable ampacity is aected by ambient
temperature, soil thermal properties and insulation conditions. The presence of
other current-carrying cables in the vicinity increase the "load" ambient
temperature, which decreases the ability of the cable to dissipate heat.
Occasionally, overload conditions may aect cable size. When a cable traverses
more than one raceway, the ampacity of the complete system is the lowest of the
allowable ampacities in each raceway or cable tray, dening the "limiting
ampacity".
A key aspect in the computer-aided design of underground power cables is
the computerized evaluation of the cable temperature. Two main approaches
have evolved for the solution of the problem of steady-state and transient
temperature rise calculations of power cables. They dier mainly in how they
298 A. A. Al-Ohaly
formulate the thermal model of the cable system and then solve the resulting set
of mathematical equations.
In the rst approach, approximate analytical models are constructed and a
solution scheme is employed based on the traditional work by Neher &
McGrath (1957), which was incorporated and developed further in El-Kady
et al. (1988). In the second approach, numerical methods are applied to
accurately model the cables and their surrounding medium and, then, to solve
the partial dierential equations describing the heat conduction in the soil.
Historically, the analytical methods were developed rst with a host of
simplifying assumptions which allow hand computations to be performed. The
most signicant of these assumptions are the following:
1. both soil thermal resistivity and diusivity are constant in the external
region surrounding the cable,
2. the soil surface is isothermal, having a pre-specied temperature which
remains constant throughout all calculations, and
3. the cables are located in an innite uniform medium of constant thermal
parameters.
Almost all analytical models currently available assume that the system being
examined is composed of identical, equally loaded cables. That is, all cables are
simultaneously carrying the same current. Numerical techniques, such as nite
dierence and nite element methods, do not require any of these assumptions.
They, however, are much more dicult to perform by cable engineers and,
therefore, have not been a subject of standardization.
The permissible current rating of an ac cable can be derived from the
following expression for temperature rise (Neher & McGrath 1957):
=(I
2
R 0:5W
d
)T
1
[I
2
R(1
1
) W
d
[n T
2
[I
2
R(1
1

2
) W
d
[n (T
3
T
4
): (1)
In equation (1), the following terms are dened:
I = Current owing in one conductor (A)
= Conductor temperature rise above the ambient temperature (8C)
R = Alternating current resistance per unit length of the conductor at
maximum operating temperature (ohm/m)
W
d
= Dielectric loss per unit length for insulation surrounding the conductor
(W/m)
299 Performance of underground power cables under extreme soil and environmental conditions
n = Number of load-carrying conductors in the cable

1
= Ratio of losses in metal sheet to total losses in all cable conductors

2
= Ratio of losses in armouring to total losses in all cable conductors
T
1
= Thermal resistance per unit length between one conductor and sheath
(8C.m/W)
T
2
= Thermal resistance per unit length of sheath-to-armour bedding (8C.m/W)
T
3
= Thermal resistance per unit length of the external serving of the cable
(8C.m/W)
T
4
= Thermal resistance per unit length of the medium around the cable
(8C.m/W)
Equation (1) is the basis of three types of steady-state computations which
can be performed by the cable design engineer, namely: i) Ampacity calculations
of equally loaded identical cables, ii) Ampacity calculations of unequally loaded
or dissimilar cables, and iii) Temperature calculations of a group of cables. In
cases (i) and (ii) the maximum conductor temperature values must be specied,
while in case (iii) the current loading of all cables in the study must be known.
For calculations of ampacity of unequally loaded cables in case (ii), a reference
cable must be dened and the algorithm will calculate the ampacities of various
cables such that the reference cable reaches its maximum operating temperature,
and currents in remaining cables will be the highest possible without exceeding
their thermal ratings.
In the cases where some parameters in equation (1) are temperature and/or
current dependent, the computational procedure is an iterative one. The values
of thermal resistances T1, T2, T3 and T4 depend on the cable type, lay-out and
dimensions. Analytical expressions to calculate these thermal resistances for
various cable types are available in the literature (Neher & McGrath 1957,
Symm 1969).
In most computer-aided cable design studies, the engineer would typically
perform numerous steady-state temperature computations for many cable
design scenarios (dierent cable dimensions, conductor and insulation materials,
etc.) and select the most appropriate design which meets all thermal loading
requirements at the minimum cost.
Voltage regulation is also important in assessing the performance of
underground cables. The voltage drop (VD) is calculated using the approximate
formula:
VD = I Ros I Xsin (2a)
300 A. A. Al-Ohaly
In equation (2a)
VD = voltage drop in volts per 1000 ft. line to neutral.
I = line current in amperes.
R = line resistance in ohm per 1000 ft.
X = line inductive reactance in ohm per 1000 ft.
os = load power factor.
sin = load reactive factor.
The reactance X is given by
X = 2f(0:1404 log(r=s) 0:0153) 10
3
(2b)
where
f = supply frequency in hertz.
r = radius of conductor in inches.
s = equivalent spacing of conductors between centers in inches for a
three conductor triangular conguration.
=

ABC
3
_
s (3a)
= A for equilateral triangle (3b)
= 1.123 A for right angle triangle (3c)
= 1.26 A for symmetrical at (3d)
where
A; B; C = distance between adjacent conductors in inches in triangular
conguration.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Description of cable system
Figures 1 and 2 show the design and layout features of a practical cable system
in the Saudi power system, which will be used throughout the paper to
demonstrate the newly developed approach. Appendix A contains detailed cable
data used in the analysis.
301 Performance of underground power cables under extreme soil and environmental conditions
1 - Conductor
2 - Conductor Binder
3 - Conductor Screen
4 - Insulation
5 - Insulation Screen
6 - Longitudinal Water Barrier
7 - Metallic Shield
8 - Longitudinal Water Barrier
9 - Radial Water Barrier
10 - Outer Covering
Fig. 1.
A practical cable system-design features
Fig. 2.
A practical cable system-layout features
302 A. A. Al-Ohaly
Eects of ambient and soil conditions
In thi s sub-secti on, we shal l
examine the combined eect of
both ambient temperature and soil
thermal resistance on the allowable
cable ampacity. Figure 3, which
was produced on the basis of
equation (1), shows the constant-
ampacity contours as functions of
ambient temperature and external
thermal resistance, denoted by
parameter T
4
of equation (1). One
important observation is that the
ampacity drops sharply as both
ambient temperature and soil
thermal resistance increase. For a
given soil thermal resistance of
2.58C.m/W, the cable ampacity
drops from 1244 A to 820 A as the
ambient temperature increases
from 08C to 538C. This represents
about 34% reduction in ampacity,
which indicates the signicant
eect of ambient temperature variations between winter and summer seasons on
cable ampacity in Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, for an ambient temperature
of 408C, increasing the soil thermal resistance from 1.48C.m/W to 3.28C.m/W
would produce the same reduction in cable ampacity. The ampacity contours
approach each other as either the ambient temperature increases or the soil
thermal resistance decreases. This indicates that at higher ambient temperatures,
the ampacity is more sensitive to variations in soil thermal resistance than at
lower ambient temperatures.
Inuence of design parameters
Here, the inuence of one of the cable design parameters, namely the maximum
conductor temperature, will be examined. Figure 4, which was produced on the
basis of equation (1), shows the constant-ampacity contours at dierent ambient
temperatures as functions of both maximum conductor temperature and soil
thermal resistance. One interesting observation is that at soil thermal resistance
of 38C.m/W and ambient temperature of 508C, the ampacity could be raised
from 665 A to 1153 A if the maximum conductor temperature is increased from
Fig. 3. Constant-ampacity contours
as functions of ambient temperature
and external thermal resistance
303 Performance of underground power cables under extreme soil and environmental conditions
838C to 1208C. The same increase in ampacity could be obtained for a given
maximum conductor temperature of 1008C if the soil thermal resistance is
lowered from 4.28C.m/W to 2.28C.m/W at the same ambient temperature of
508C.
Fig. 4. Constant-ampacity contours at dierent ambient temperatures as functions
of both maximum conductor temperature and soil thermal resistance
Inuence of operating parameters
Examples of important cable operating parameters are the loading power-factor
and voltage regulation. Figure 5, which was produced on the basis of equation
(1), shows the constant voltage regulation contours as functions of both ambient
temperature and power-factor, when the cable is loaded to its ampacity level. It
is clear that the relationships are non-linear and that, for a given loading power-
factor, higher voltage regulation is obtained as lower ambient temperature
decreases. Another interesting observation is that, for a given value of ambient
temperature, a specied voltage regulation value can be obtained at more than
one power-factor level. For example, at an ambient temperature of 158C, a
voltage regulation of 4.68% can be obtained at both 0.4 and 0.75 lagging power-
factors.
304 A. A. Al-Ohaly
Fig. 5. Constant voltage regulation contours as functions
of both ambient temperature and power-factor
Combined eect of operating and environmental parameters
Figure 6, which was produced on the basis of equation (1), demonstrates how
the cable operating parameters are inuenced by environmental conditions. It
shows the constant voltage regulation contours as functions of both ambient
temperature and external thermal resistance. The curves are almost straight lines
of varying slopes. The sensitivity of voltage regulation with respect to external
thermal resistance increases at higher ambient temperature values. In addition,
voltage regulation increases as either or both ambient temperature and external
thermal resistance decrease. For example, at an ambient temperature of 308C,
the voltage regulation increases from 4.4% to 7.6% if the external thermal
resistance decreases from 38C.m/W to 18C.m/W.
305 Performance of underground power cables under extreme soil and environmental conditions
Fig.6. Inuence of environmental conditions of cable operating parameters
CONCLUSIONS
This paper has addressed the issue of how variations in design, operation and
environmental parameters aect the cable ampacity and other performance
indices, especially under the extreme weather and soil conditions which exist in
Saudi Arabia. In this regard, a novel multi-parameter contour analysis was
developed, where multi-parameter eects are examined simultaneously. This
analysis has revealed several important characteristics of cable performance
under soil and environmental parameter changes. The new approach has been
applied to a practical cable system in the Saudi power grid. The results were
displayed and assessed in multi-parameter contour graphs, which facilitate
306 A. A. Al-Ohaly
examination and interpretation of various parameter eects on cable ampacity,
voltage regulation and losses. The results obtained conrmed the usefulness of
the developed multi-parameter contour graphs in identifying the relative eects
of various design and environmental parameters on cable ampacity.
REFERENCES
Bertani, E., Bonfanti, I., Bosotti, O., Giornelli, F., Valagussa, C. & Kai, S.L. 1998. CESI experience
in the eld of power cables. Proceedings of International Conference on Power System
Technology, pp. 181-187.
El-Kady, M.A. 1982. Optimization of power cable and thermal backll congurations. IEEE
Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems 101: 4681-4688.
El-Kady, M.A. 1984. Calculation of the sensitivity of power cable ampacity to variations of design
and environmental parameters, IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems 103:
2043-2050.
El-Kady, M.A., Motlis, J., Anders, G. & Horrocks, D.J. 1988. Modied values for geometric factor
of external thermal resistance of cables in duct banks. IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery
3(4): 1303-1309.
Neher, J.H. & McGrath, M.H. 1957. The calculation of the temperature rise and load capability of
cable systems. AIEE Transactions (Power Apparatus and Systems) 76(3): 752-772.
Symm, G.T. 1969. External thermal resistance of buried cables and throughs. Proceedings IEEE
116: 1695-1698.
Wandmacher, R.A. 1997. New terminations for distribution-class shielded power cables, Part 1:
Contributions. Proceedings 14th International Conference and Exhibition on Electricity
Distribution 3: 38/1-38/5.
Submitted : 29/9/2001
Revised : 22/10/2002
Accepted : 11/1/2003
307 Performance of underground power cables under extreme soil and environmental conditions
APPENDIX A
DETAILED CABLE DATA
TABLE A1: TECHNICAL DATA FOR 132KV 1000MM
2
XLPE CABLE
Item
No. Description Unit
SCECO
Requirement
Technical
Data
1. Current carrying capacity
under following installation
and operating conditions:
- Max. temperature on insulation
- Ground temperature
- Ground resistivity
- Depth to top of cable
- Cable spacing (axis to axis)
- Load factor
- Backll resistivity
8C
8C
8C.cm/W
cm
cm
8C.cm/W
90
35
200
150
Max. 40
100%
200
90
35
200
150
40
100%
200
2. Maximum d.c. resistance
of conductor per 1000m
of completed cable
- at 208C 1000mm
2
- at 908C 1000mm
2

0.0177
0.0227
0.0177
0.0227
3. Minimum a.c. resistance
of conductor per 1000m
of completed cable at 908C 0.0235
4. Inductance when laid in
close trefoil formation
Inductance when laid in
at formation spacing as per No. 1
mH/km
mH/km
0.39
0.70
5. Equivalent star reactance per m
of three phase circuit at 60Hz
147
6. Nominal electrostatic capacitance
to neutral per 1000m of
completed cable at 908C
F 2.4 x 10
-7
7. Maximum charging current per 1
c o n d u c t o r p e r 1 0 0 0 m o f
compl eted cabl e at nomi nal
voltage
A 6.9
308 A. A. Al-Ohaly
TABLE A1: TECHNICAL DATA FOR 132KV 1000MM
2
XLPE CABLE (cont'd)
Item
No. Description Unit
SCECO
Requirement
Technical
Data
8. Maximum dielectric loss of cable
per m of 3-phase circuit when laid
direct in the ground at nominal
voltage, nominal frequency at
908C
W 1.6
9. Sheath loss of completed cable per
m of 3-phase circuit at nominal
voltage, nominal frequency at
current rating given in Item 1
above
W 3.7
10. Total losses when cable loaded as
in item 1 above
kW/km 53.8
11. Maximum value of tangent of
dielectric loss angle of cable at
nominal frequency of 60Hz
- at 208C at nominal voltage
- at 908C at nominal voltage
- at 208C at 200% of nominal voltage
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
12. Maximum change in tangent of
dielectric loss angle between
nomi nal vol t age and 200%
nominal voltage at 208C 0.05%
13. Relative dielectric constant at
208C
2.5
14. Average electric stress kV/km 4.3
15. Conductor short circuit current
carrying capacity for 1 second
when cable loaded as in Item 1
before short circuit, and nal
conductor temperature of 2508C
kA Min. 40 144
16. Minimum insulation resistance at
208C
M/km 2650
17. Minimum insulation resistance at
908C
M/km 1.06
309 Performance of underground power cables under extreme soil and environmental conditions
TABLE A1: TECHNICAL DATA FOR 132KV 1000MM
2
XLPE CABLE (cont'd)
Item
No. Description Unit
SCECO
Requirement
Technical
Data
18. Volume resistivity at 208C .cm 2.5x10
15
19. Volume resistivity at 908C .cm 1.0x10
12
20. A.C. withstand test on nished
cable length
kV/min. 190/30
21. Measured discharge level on
nished cable length
PC Less than 5
22. A.C. breakdown voltage on test
sample
kV/min. 400kV/sec
23. Impulse breakdown voltage on
test sample
kV/no. 980kV/1
st
24. Metalli c screen short circuit
current carrying capacity for 1 sec.
Cable loaded as in Item. 1 before
short circuit, and nal sheath
temperature of 2508C
kA Min. 40 41.6
25. Cable embossing
- Manufacturer's name
- Year of manufacture
- "Electric Cable 132.000V"
- Maximum size of characters mm 13
Yes
Yes
Yes
13
310 A. A. Al-Ohaly
TABLE A2: CONSTRUCTION DATA FOR 132KV 1000MM
2
XLPE CABLE
Item
No. Description Unit
SCECO
Requirement
Technical
Data
1. Nominal voltage, phase to phase kV 132 132
2. Conductor
- Material
- Cross section area
- Form and shape
- Outside diameter
mm
2
mm
Copper
1000
Copper 1000
Compacted
Segmented
Norm. 38.5
3. Minimum thickness of
conductor screen
mm 1.2
4. Minimum thickness of XLPE
insulation
mm 17.0 17.0
5. Minimum thickness of insulation
screen
mm 1.2
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
Swellable conductive tape
- Material
- Thickness
Metallic screen
- No. of wires
- Dia. of wire
- Material
- Cross section
Swellable conductive tape
- Material
- Thickness
Aluminium foil barrier
*1
- Thickness
- Cross section
- DC resistance at 208C
mm
mm
2
mm
mm
mm
2
/km
Swellable
Polyester Tape
0.5
65
2.3
Copper
270
Swellable
Polyester Tape
0.5
0.2
Approx. 60
0.473
7. Nominal thickness of oversheath mm 4.5
8. Overall diameter of cable mm 17.0 Approx. 105
9. Net weight of cable kg/m Approx. 18.0
311 Performance of underground power cables under extreme soil and environmental conditions
TABLE A2: CONSTRUCTION DATA FOR 132KV 1000MM
2
XLPE CABLE (cont'd)
Item
No. Description Unit
SCECO
Requirement
Technical
Data
10. Nominal drum length m 500
*2
11. Minimum radius of bend
- Laid direct or in air
- Laid in ducts
mm
mm
2.0
2.0
312 A. A. Al-Ohaly
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313 Performance of underground power cables under extreme soil and environmental conditions