Investigation of cable current carrying capacity improvement and its effects on transmit power between Egypt and Saudi Arabia project

Abstract

This paper presents an investigation for current carrying capacity improvement of high voltage cable laid in unfavorable regions crowded with groups of high and extra high voltage power cables. A proposed MATLAB program is developed to predict the ampacity of these cables at 220 kV and 500 kV. The cables are laid in various formats and under various laying conditions. Temperature distribution inside cable layers and through soil layers are studied using a finite element model (FEM) with COMSOL software during full load operation. Calculations are based on Neher-McGrath methods in accordance with IEC 60,287. The results are compared with the manufacturer's technical guarantee. Furthermore, this paper presents a proposed cable ampacity calculation that is applied to determine the ideal cross section area for four circuits of 500 kV underground cables that will serve for future power transmission between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.