Summary

A numerical methodology for thermal analysis of buried power cables in presence of heat and moisture migration in the surrounding soil is presented. The soil around the cables is modelled as a continuum and the governing equations resulting from this approach are solved via a finite volume methodology. The resulting numerical code is optimized to reduce computational times and it is implemented on a personal computer. As the most relevant parameter in a cable design is its conductor temperature, both the soil and the cable are incorporated in the problem formulation. The soil modelling is as complete as possible, including all dependencies with moisture and temperature, as well as additional effects like the influence of gravity and the hysteresis effect. [...]

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