DefinePK

Abstract

Power cables are essential components of electrical systems, and their ability to carry current depends directly on the size of the conductor. With the rising cost of copper, efficiently utilizing a conductor's current-carrying capacity has become increasingly important. To maximize this capacity, it is crucial to limit the temperature rise, either through effective heat dissipation or by optimizing the cable orientation in a trench. This study introduces new cable arrangements designed to lower the operating temperature of power cables, which in turn increases their current-carrying capacity. Different cable orientations for laying three-phase power cables in both single and double circuit configurations were examined. A high-resolution thermal imager was used to accurately measure the temperature. Two of the proposed orientations led to a significant reduction in operating temperature compared to the cable arrangements specified in BS 7671. These novel orientations can increase the current-carrying capacity by approximately 6% without the need to increase the cable size.