ELEC9712

High Voltage Systems

Electrical Power Cables – Part 2

Cable Rating Calculations

The calculation of cable ratings is a very complex

determination because of the large number of interacting
characteristics and parameters involved in the establishment
of a heat balance (for steady state ratings) or general heat
dissipation/heat generation equation (for transient ratings).

The cable heat dissipation is achieved by means of thermal

conduction to the cable surface (an inefficient heat transfer
process compared to convection and radiation transfer). From
the cable surface heat is then dissipated by a variety of
means, depending on the cable installation, the ambient
conditions and the general configuration. The cable thermal
properties and also the thermal characteristics of the
environment of the cable installation are thus very important
in the rating calculations.

1. Cable installation methods

Cables are installed in a very large variety of environments,

including the following examples:

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 1/32

 ƒ Direct burial in the ground with no special backfill
material
ƒ Burial in a trench packed with thermally enhanced
dissipation material
ƒ Installation in ducts or pipes buried in the ground
ƒ Installation in a duct or pipe situated in open air
ƒ Installation in large diameter tunnels
ƒ Installation directly in open air situations
ƒ Undersea: open or buried
ƒ In troughs with circulating water

In addition to the usual case of internal heat generation in a

single cable (self-heating), it will generally be the case that
cables will be installed in closely-coupled three phase groups
or even double circuit arrangements of six cables. The result
of this close interaction will be that mutual heat generation
between cables must also be taken into consideration when
determining the heat generation level.

In all of these cases the thermal properties, including the

thermal resistances, of the material surrounding the cable
must be known in detail so that the heat dissipation rates from
the cable surface to the infinite heat sink at ambient
temperature can be determined. It is also necessary to
determine such details, particularly the internal thermal
resistances, for the cable and its component parts and
materials.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 2/32

In particular, the following are the important material
characteristics required:
ƒ thermal resistivity of insulation (g: oC/W or thermal Ω.m)
ƒ specific heat of insulation and of the metal (c: J/kg/C)
ƒ mass density of the insulation and the metal (δ : kg/m3)

The thermal resistivity (g) of the various materials is of major

importance in determining the thermal resistance of various
parts of the thermal circuit used for steady state rating
calculations. The thermal diffusivity of the insulation, defined
as:
1
α= [m2/s]
g .c.δ

is also an important parameter for transient rating

calculations of buried cables. In this case the heat storage
characteristics are important.

Typical values of the above quantities for some relevant

materials are shown in the accompanying table. The thermal
diffusivity of different soil materials does not vary very
much, being generally in the range of about 1.0 ± 0.8 m2/sec.
An average value of about 0.6 is often used. A value of soil
thermal resistivity of 1.2 thermal Ω.m is often used.
Typically insulation materials will have thermal resistivities
of about 5-6 thermal Ω.m.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 3/32

2. Heat generation in cables

In addition to the heat dissipation details, the heat generation

characteristics of all of the relevant cable materials are
required. These details have been outlined previously in these
notes.

Typical values of thermal properties of materials used in

the design and installation of power cable systems.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 4/32

3. Cable component thermal characteristics

The general thermal characteristics of the component parts of

cable systems that are of importance in the rating calculation
process are:

(1) Main conductor Ohmic heating losses

No thermal resistance
(2) Main insulant Dielectric losses at high voltages
(electrical) Calculable thermal resistance
(3) Metallic sheath Eddy current losses
No thermal resistance
(4) Insulating sheath No losses
Calculable thermal resistance
(5) Bedding No losses
Calculable thermal resistance
(6) Armour Eddy current losses
No thermal resistance
(7) Serving (insulating No losses
(outer sheath) Calculable thermal resistance
(8) Metal pipe (duct) Eddy current losses
No thermal resistance
(9) Insulating duct No losses
(pipe) Calculable thermal resistance

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 5/32

In addition to the thermal characteristics of the cable
components, the thermal characteristics of the cable
installation environment are also required: these include, for
example, the ground (soil) thermal resistance, the air thermal
resistance and the associated heat capacities and diffusivities
etc. If the cable is in open air, the radiative and convective
dissipation properties are also needed.

3.1 Equivalent Steady State Thermal Circuit

The general thermal equivalent circuit used for steady state

rating calculation is shown below. It is an electrical-thermal
analogy using the heat generation as the equivalent current
sources, the thermal resistances for electrical resistances and
the temperature as the voltage potential analogue.

From the equivalent circuit it can be seen that it is necessary

to calculate accurately the thermal resistances and the heat
generation losses and to be able to specify the fixed
temperatures at the conductor and at the ambient condition
(the ground surface, for example). The unknown is the
current level (the thermal rating) which will be determined by
the heat balance at steady state operation.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 6/32

 surface
insulation bedding serving dissipation
sheath armour surface ambient
conductor
Gi Gb Gs Go
Tc Ts Ta To TA

λ1 I 2 R λ2 I 2 R
I 2R
Wd

Thermal equivalent circuit for

a single core cable with metal sheath and armour.

Tc = maximum allowable conductor temperature

TA = ambient temperature
Ts = sheath temperature
Ta = armour temperature
To = cable outer surface temperature
Wd = main insulation dielectric heat loss per unit length
I2R = conductor ohmic heat generation at rated current (I is
the unknown)
R = AC resistance of the conductor per unit length
λ1 = (conducting) eddy current sheath loss coefficient
λ2 = armour eddy current heat loss coefficient
Gi = main insulation thermal resistance
Gb = bedding thermal resistance

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 7/32

 Gs = serving or insulating sheath thermal resistance
Go = effective thermal resistance between the cable
surface and the ambient

Go will depend on the nature of the cable installation and may

ultimately be the most difficult quantity to evaluate
accurately, particularly when the cable surface is open to air
or fluid environments.

Note that the (distributed) dielectric heat generation Wd is

normally included at the mid-point of the insulation
resistance, so that Wd passes through only half of the thermal
resistance. It can be shown mathematically that the
temperature rise of insulation due to dielectric heating is:
1
ΔT = Wd × Gi
2

Thus it is necessary to place the dielectric heat input at the

midpoint of Gi in the equivalent circuit.

3.1.1 Specified Conductor Temperature

The maximum conductor temperature to be used in the

calculation will be that specified by the manufacturer as the
maximum permissible steady state temperature of the
insulation material that is in contact with the main insulation.
Some typical upper limits of temperature are shown over.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 8/32

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 9/32
ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 10/32
3.1.2 Ambient Temperature

The ambient ground temperature (or the general main

heatsink temperature in other environments) to be used for
rating determinations is normally specified as a weighted
average. For example, in Australia, an ambient ground
temperature of 25oC is normally used whenever rating tables
such as those given in Standards are utilized.

If the rated values of a Standards table of ratings are to be

varied for different ambient temperatures, the following
multiplying factor is used to adjust from an ambient of 25oC
to another ambient of T oC.
Tc max − TA
ITA = I 25
Tc max − 25

where Tcmax = maximum allowable conductor temperature

TA = the new ambient temperature applicable

3.2 Equivalent Thermal Circuit for Transient Effects

When considering transient thermal ratings, which are

perhaps a more common requirement than steady ratings, it is
necessary to take thermal storage elements in the cable
structure into account in the cable’s equivalent circuit.

In the most general case this means determining an

equivalent thermal capacitance Q (i.e. ability to store the
heat) for all of the cable components, as shown in the circuit
ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 11/32
diagram below. This will require use of the material thermal
capacities and mass densities.

I 2R Wsh
Gi Gb
P
dielectric
Qc pQd (1 − p ) Qd
TA (ambient)

conductor sheath

Equivalent circuit for transient heating of cable.

In the particular case of the main dielectric, it is necessary to

split its thermal capacitance Qd and divide it between the
conductor and the sheath, as below.

The sharing factor p (Van Wormer coefficient) is determined

assuming a logarithmic temperature distribution in the
dielectric material. The factor p can be determined from the
following equation:
1 1
p= −
⎛ R ⎞ ⎛ R ⎞2
2ln ⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟ − 1
⎝ ro ⎠ ⎝ ro ⎠

R is the outer dielectric radius and ro is the inner dielectric

radius. Note that p = 0.39 when R/ro = 2.0.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 12/32

4. Rating Calculations

Steady state rating calculations for cables are performed

according to the International Electrotechnical Committee
Standard IEC 60287. This specifies uniform methods of
calculation. The preceding details and equivalent circuits are
based on this Standard.

For coaxial cables, the various thermal resistances used in the

equivalent circuit are determined from the general formula:
gi ⎛ di ⎞
Gi = ln ⎜ ⎟ thermal ohms/metre
2π ⎝ d c ⎠

where di is the outer diameter of the insulation layer, and dc

is the inner diameter of the insulation layer. This comes from
the analogy with the shunt electrical resistance of a coaxial
insulation system.

From the thermal equivalent circuit on the previous page, the

determination of the current rating I for a maximum
conductor temperature proceeds by logical steps:

e.g. we use Ta = To + ⎡⎣Wd + (1 + λ1 + λ2 ) I 2 R ⎤⎦ Gs

Note that: Tc − TA = (Tc − Ts ) + (Ts − Ta ) + (Ta − TA )

Proceeding in this manner, we find the thermal rating is given

by:

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 13/32

 1/ 2
⎡ ⎛1 ⎞ ⎤
⎢ Tc − TA − W d ⎜ Gi + [ Gb + Gs + G ]
o ⎟ ⎥
I =⎢ ⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎥
⎢ RGi + R (1 + λ1 ) Gb + R (1 + λ1 + λ2 )( Gs + Go ) ⎥
⎢⎣ ⎥⎦

The thermal resistance Go, representing the heat dissipation

from the cable surface to the ambient, must be determined
from the installation configuration and the environment
details. The various possibilities that may occur are discussed
below.

4.1 Cables in air

In this case thermal dissipation from the cable surface will be

by a combination of convection and radiation and Go will be
determined from the total heat dissipation coefficient of those
two mechanisms.

hT = hc + hr

we have H = hT A (T − TA ) = hT AΔT

but also Go H = ΔT [thermal Ohm’s law]

1
thus Go =
hT A

For example, for a cylindrical cable of diameter D in open

air,

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 14/32

 H = k (π D ) [Ts − TA ]
5/ 4

hence:
hT = k [Ts − TA ]
1/ 4

and:
1 1
Go = =
hT A k (π D ) [Ts − TA ]1/ 4

Thus, Go is a function of Ts and this relationship must be

found and used in order to get Go, unless we can specify hT
exactly. [Sometimes a general value of hT ≅ 10 W/m2/K is
used for normal operating temperatures and ambient
conditions, but more accurate estimations should be used
whenever available.]

A more accurate rating calculation technique is to use

iteration to find the surface temperature To. The method used
is as follows:

From the equivalent circuit:

Tc − TA = I 2 R [Gi + Gb + Gs + Go ]
⎡G ⎤
+ Wd ⎢ i + Gb + Gs + Go ⎥
⎣2 ⎦
+ λ1 I 2 R [Gb + Gs + Go ]
+ λ2 I 2 R [Gs + Go ]

This can be rewritten as follows:

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 15/32
 Tc − TA = I 2 R [Gi + Gb + Gs ]
⎡G ⎤
+ Wd ⎢ i + Gb + Gs ⎥
⎣2 ⎦
+ λ1 I 2 R [Gb + Gs ]
+ λ2 I 2 R [Gs ]
+ [To − TA ]

Hence:
⎡ ⎛ Gi ⎞⎤
( T
⎢ c A − T ) − ( To − TA ) − Wd ⎜ + G b + G s ⎟⎥
⎣ ⎝ 2 ⎠⎦ [eq.1]
= I 2 R ⎡⎣Gi + Gb (1 + λ1 ) + Gs (1 + λ1 + λ2 ) ⎤⎦

But the total heat dissipation from the surface is:

I 2 R (1 + λ1 + λ2 ) + Wd = k (π D ) [To − TA ]
5/ 4

Thus:
k (π D ) [To − TA ] − Wd
5/ 4

I 2R =
1 + λ1 + λ2

Substitute into eq.1 above and then solve by iterative means

(e.g. method of bisection) for To.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 16/32

4.2 Cables in ducts, pipes etc.

In this case Go is the sum of the various thermal resistances in

series:
i.e. Go = Gcable-duct + Gduct-ground surface + etc

4.3 Direct buried cables

Here, Go is the thermal resistance between the cable surface

and the ground surface: the ground thermal resistance as
shown below.

We use the method of images, the electrical thermal analogy

and the two-wire line capacitance expression to determine the
thermal resistance as follows:

Capacitance of a line to ground:

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 17/32

 2πε
C=
ln ( 2h / a )

Using the general equality RC = ρε for an electrical

insulation material, we have
ρε ln ( 2h / a ) ρ
R= = ρε × = ln ( 2h / a )
C 2πε 2π

Thus, using the electrical-thermal analogy, we have, for the

ground thermal resistance:
g ⎛ 2h ⎞
Go = ln ⎜ ⎟ thermal ohms/m
2π ⎝ a ⎠

where: g = soil thermal resistivity

h = depth of burial
a = cable outer radius

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 18/32

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 19/32
4.4 Multi-core cables

For three phase cables, there will be mutual heating between

the cores and the thermal resistances Gi will be affected by
this mutual heating. This is particularly true of belted cables.
The calculation will be more complex as a result, in this case.
t1

A 3-core
2r0 belted-type
cable
t2

For the case shown above, an approximate formula (Simons’

formula) is given by:

g ⎡ ⎛ t1 ⎞ ⎤ ⎡⎛ ⎛ t1 ⎞ ⎞ ⎛ t2 ⎞ ⎤
Gi = ⎢ 0.85 + 0.2 ⎜ ⎟ ⎥ × ln ⎢⎜ 8.3 − 2.2 ⎜ ⎟ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟ + 1⎥
2π ⎣ ⎝ t2 ⎠ ⎦ ⎢⎣⎝ ⎝ t2 ⎠ ⎠ ⎝ ro ⎠ ⎥⎦
where:
t1 = insulation belt thickness
t2 = conductor insulation thickness
ro = conductor radius

The Gi above are for each core’s thermal resistance to the

outer surface of the belt.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 20/32

 Gi

Gi Gb Gs

Gi
sheath

4.5 Cables in ducts

For cables in ducts, an empirical expression is used, followed

by iteration to get the rating.
A
G=
1 + ( B + CTm ) De
where:
values of A, B and C are given in IEC 60287.
Tm is the mean temperature of the duct filling material
De is the equivalent diameter of the cores.
[For a single core cable: De = OD of cable
two cores cable: De = 1.65 x OD
three core cable: De = 2.15 x OD ]

The thermal resistance is the thermal resistance between the

pipe and the cable surfaces. The calculation procedure
requires an initial educated guess of Tm and then iteration.
Following is an example of a calculation by this method.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 21/32

Example:

Determine the rating of a 500kV, 60Hz, three-phase oil pipe

type cable buried in ground. The details are:
Pipe loss factor = 0.28 (eddy current loss)
Conductor OD = 4.14 cm
Insulation thickness = 3.40 cm
Pipe diameter = 30 cm
Burial depth = 100 cm
Soil resistivity = 0.9 oC.m/W
Ambient temperature = 25 oC
AC resistance = 0.044 Ω/ph/km
Insulation:
g = 5.0 oC.m/W
tanδ = 0.002
Tmax = 80 oC

Thermal resistance from pipe to cable is obtained from:

A
Gcp =
1 + ( B + CTmax ) De

where (from previous table) for an oil pressure pipe type

cable:
A = 0.26 ; B = 0 ; C = 0.0026

De = 2.15 x O.D. of core

= 2.15 x (4.14 + 2 x 3.4) cm
= 23.52 cm

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 22/32

We take Tm as 55oC for first guess.

0.26
Then: Gcp =
1 + ( 0.0026 × 55 ) × 23.52
= 0.06 thermal Ω/m

For the cable insulation:

5 ⎛ 23.52 ⎞
Gi = ln ⎜ ⎟ = 0.77 thermal Ω/m
2π ⎝ 4.14 ⎠
For the ground:
0.9 ⎛ 2 × 100 ⎞
Go = ln ⎜ ⎟ = 0.37 thermal Ω/m
2π ⎝ 15 ⎠

Thus the equivalent circuit is:

Gi
I 2 RAC
0.77 Gcp Go
I 2 RAC
0.77 0.06 0.37
I 2 RAC
0.77 TA= 25oC
80oC

I 2 RAC = I 2 × ( 0.044 × 10−3 ) = 4.4 × 10−5 I 2 W/m/phase

Pipe loss = 3 × 0.28 × ( 4.4 × 10−5 I 2 ) W/m

Dielectric loss: Po = ωCV 2 tan δ

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 23/32
 but:
2πε
C= = 200 pF/m/ph
⎛ 4.14 + 3.4 + 3.4 ⎞
ln ⎜ ⎟
⎝ 4.14 ⎠
hence:
2
⎛ 500 × 103 ⎞
Po = 314 × ( 200 × 10 ) × ⎜
−12
⎟ × 0.002 W/m
⎝ 3 ⎠
= 10.47 W/m/core

TC − TA = 80 − 25 = 55 oC

Hence:

55 = ( 4.4 × 10−5 I 2 ) ( 0.77 ) + 3 × ( 4.4 × 10−5 I 2 ) ( 0.06 + 0.37 )

⎛ 0.77 ⎞
+10.47 × ⎜ ⎟ + 3 × 10.47 × ( 0.06 + 0.37 )
⎝ 2 ⎠
( )
+3 × 0.28 × 4.4 ×10−5 I 2 × 0.37

i.e.
37.46 = 10.44 × 10−5 I 2 ⇒ I = 599 A

then use this to check Tm guess.

Tm = 25 + 0.37 ⎡⎣3 × 10.47 + 3 × (1 + 0.28 ) × ( 4.4 × 10−5 × 5992 ) ⎤⎦
= 25 + 34 = 62 oC [c.f. 55 oC]

This is too high. Thus try Tm =58oC next and repeat until
agreement is reached.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 24/32

5. Transient Heating of Cables

When operated under non-steady state conditions, we can

define three different transient ratings for cables. Because of
the high thermal capacity of power cables, particularly when
buried in the ground, these transient ratings are more relevant
and more often used than the steady state rating
determinations because of the long time constants associated
with the cables.

The three transient ratings used are:

(i) Short circuit rating:
Determined from adiabatic heating of the cable under
short circuit.
(ii) Cyclic rating:
Determined using specified daily load cycles
(iii) Emergency Rating:
Usually calculated for 1-2 hours of overload conditions

5.1 Short circuit rating

This is calculated for a specified maximum (short circuit)

temperature Tsc and a specified protection operating time (tsc)
to clear the fault current.

The equation previously quoted for adiabatic heating is used:

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 25/32

 I 2tsc δ c ⎡1 + α (T ( tsc ) − To ) ⎤
= ln ⎢ ⎥
A 2
ρα ⎢⎣ 1 + α (T ( 0 ) − To ) ⎥⎦

where:
δ= conductor mass density
c = insulation specific heat
ρ = conductor electrical resistivity
α = temperature coefficient of resistivity for ρ
I= short circuit current rating
tsc = short circuit duration (protection operating time)
To = cable surface temperature
T(0) = initial conductor temperature
T(tsc) = Tsc = maximum permissible temperature

For example, typical maximum permissible (short circuit)

temperatures are:
Main conductor: 120oC
Aluminium sheath: 200oC
Lead sheath: 200oC

In some cases the sheath temperature limit may be the

determining factor rather than the conductor maximum
temperature. The following example illustrates the case.

Example:

A 500 mm2 three-core Al conductor, screened cable with lead

sheath and steel armour has a continuous rating of 480A for a

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 26/32

Tc of 70oC. It is an 11 kV cable. The sheath O.D. is 6.96 cm
and the sheath thickness is 0.29 cm.

At rated current, Tc = 70 oC, Ts = 66.2 oC, and the ambient

TA = 20 oC. Find the maximum short circuit currents for
Tc( max ) = 120 oC and Ts( max ) = 200 oC if the protection operating
time is 1 second.

(a) Al conductor:
δ c
I sc ⎡ 2.7 ×103 × 0.219 × 4.18 × 103 ⎛ 1 + α (120 − 20 ) ⎞ ⎤
12

=⎢ ln ⎜ ⎟⎥
A ⎣⎢ −8
2.83 × 10 × 0.00403 ⎝ 1 + α ( 70 − 20 ) ⎠ ⎦⎥
ρ α
12
⎡ 1.403 ⎤
i.e. I sc = ( 5 × 10 ) × 1.472 × 10 ⎢ ln
−4 8

⎣ 1.202 ⎥⎦
= 28.9 kA

(b) Lead sheath:

Cross-section area = π d × thickness
= π × 6.818 × 0.29
= 6.21 cm2
Initial Ts = 66.2 oC.

Thus:

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 27/32

 δ c
I sc ⎡11.34 × 103 × 0.0305 × 4.18 × 103 ⎛ 1 + α ( 200 − 20 ) ⎞ ⎤
12

=⎢ ln ⎜ ⎟⎥
A ⎣⎢ −8
20.65 × 10 × 0.004 ⎝ 1 + α ( 66.2 − 20 ) ⎠ ⎥⎦
ρ α
12
⎡ 1.72 ⎤
i.e. I sc = ( 6.21× 10−4 ) × 4.18 × 107 ⎢ln
⎣ 1.18 ⎥⎦
= 15.8 kA

Thus, the lead sheath is the limiting factor.

(c) Note that if an Al sheath is used instead:

⎡ ⎛ 1 + α ( 200 − 20 ) ⎞ ⎤
12
I sc
= 1.472 × 10 × ⎢ln ⎜
8
⎟⎥
A ⎢⎣ ⎝ 1 + α ( 66.2 − 20 ) ⎠ ⎥⎦
i.e. I sc = ( 6.21× 10−4 ) × 1.472 × 108 × 0.612

= 56 kA

5.2 Cyclic rating of cables

The main problem in determining the rating in this case is the

part played by the thermal capacity of both the cable and
ground materials. Thermal diffusion into the ground must be
considered. Thus the soil thermal diffusivity (αD) is
important: this quantity incorporates thermal conductivity
ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 28/32
(resistivity), density and specific heat of the soil:
α D = k ( cδ ) .

To do this we must use a thermal equivalent circuit which

includes energy storage elements, with the thermal
capacitance included as well as thermal resistance. The
following diagram shows the equivalent circuit used:

Tc Ts TA
Gi Go

Q1 Q2 Q3

where:
ƒ Q1 is the thermal capacitance of the conductor plus a
fraction (p) of the thermal capacitance of the electrical
insulation.

ƒ Q2 is the thermal capacitance of the sheath plus a

fraction (1 − p ) of the thermal capacitance of the
electrical insulation.

ƒ Q3 is the effective thermal capacitance of the earth (this

is the difficult estimate).

The fraction p is calculated from:

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 29/32

 1 1
p= −
2ln ( R / r ) ( R / r )2 − 1
where:
R = the outer radius of the electrical insulation
r = the conductor radius

The problem is the determination of Q3, the ground thermal

capacity. This is dependent on the soil thermal diffusivity
which can vary with soil condition.

The simplest way is to divide the ground around the cable

into a distributed set of coaxial cylinders, as shown below:

TA
G1 G2 G3 G4
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

For more accurate analysis the problem is modeled using a

full distributed system which then requires use of the
exponential integral Ei(x), defined as:
∞
e−t
Ei ( x ) = − ∫ dt
x
t

This function arises when a linear heat source is considered

to be a continuous distribution of point sources of heat along
a line.

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 30/32

Using this function and the model of the cable and its mirror
image, the cable surface temperature rise as a function of
time is given by the equation:
gWT ⎡ ⎛ −d 2 ⎞ ⎛ h2 ⎞⎤
To ( t ) = ⎢ − Ei ⎜ ⎟ + Ei ⎜ − ⎟⎥
4π ⎣ ⎝ 16α D ⎠
t ⎝ α D ⎠⎦
t

plus any contributions from mutual heating by other cables

where:
d = cable outer diameter
h = burial depth
WT = total losses per unit length
g = soil thermal resistivity [ = 1 k ]
αD = soil thermal diffusivity ⎡⎣ = 1 ( gcδ ) ⎤⎦
c = soil specific heat
δ = soil mass density
t = time

5.3 Emergency ratings

Emergency ratings are determined for 1 or 2 hours of

overload with the temperature of the insulation not to exceed
the maximum limit. It is also complicated by the thermal
diffusivity factor as with the cyclic rating.

Emergency rating are an important consideration and are

often used. The overload rating can be quite high because of

ELEC9712: Power Cables – Part 2 p. 31/32

the high thermal capacity and thermal diffusivity of the cable
and surrounding ground.

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