Ampacity of power cables exposed to solar radiation – recommendations of standards vs. CFD simulations

Abstract

Ampacity of power cables strictly depends on the ambient conditions. It is very important whether a cable is buried in soil, installed in the air or placed in ducts. When a cable is installed in free air, potential solar radiation has the dominant impact on the prospective ampacity. International standards indicate how to calculate ampacity of power cables exposed to solar radiation, however the standards’ recommendations are characterised by some simplifications. In order to consider many complex factors influencing ampacity of power cables, and modelling advanced heat transfer phenomena, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can be used. This paper presents a comparison of ampacity calculation of an example power cable for two approaches – first: according to international standards; second: with a CFD employed. Differences in results obtained for these two approaches are commented.