Insights into the Thermal Performance of Underground High Voltage Electricity Transmission Lines through Thermo-Hydraulic Modelling

Kui Liu (), Renato Zagorščak, Richard J. Sandford, Oliver N. Cwikowski, Alexander Yanushkevich and Hywel R. Thomas
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Kui Liu: Geoenvironmental Research Centre, Cardiff School of Engineering, Cardiff University, The Queen’s Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
Renato Zagorščak: Geoenvironmental Research Centre, Cardiff School of Engineering, Cardiff University, The Queen’s Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
Richard J. Sandford: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
Oliver N. Cwikowski: National Grid Electricity Transmission plc, Warwick Technology Park, Gallows Hill, Warwick CV34 6DA, UK
Alexander Yanushkevich: National Grid Electricity Transmission plc, Warwick Technology Park, Gallows Hill, Warwick CV34 6DA, UK
Hywel R. Thomas: Geoenvironmental Research Centre, Cardiff School of Engineering, Cardiff University, The Queen’s Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-25

Abstract: In this paper, a flexible numerical framework to provide thermal performance assessment for the underground buried cables, considering different geological and meteorological conditions, has been presented. Underground cables tend to retain the heat produced in the conductor, so complex coupled thermo-hydraulic response of the porous medium surrounding the cables needs to be assessed to prevent cable overheating and the associated reduction in cable capacity for carrying current. Applying a coupled thermo-hydraulic model within the developed numerical framework to conduct a health assessment on a subset of National Grid Electricity Transmission’s underground cables, this study provides novel insights into the thermal behaviour of buried circuits. The results indicate that backfill and surrounding native soil have the dominant effect on the thermal behaviour of cables, while the amount of precipitation and ambient temperature were found to have less impact on cable’s thermal behaviour. The findings strongly infer that the nature of the overloading which is undertaken in practice would have no ongoing negative impact, suggesting that more frequent or longer duration overloading regimes could be tolerated. Overall, this study demonstrates how the developed numerical framework could be harnessed to allow safe rating adjustments of buried transmission circuits.

Keywords: flexible numerical framework; underground buried cables; porous medium; coupled thermo-hydraulic model; thermal behaviour (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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