On Simplified 3D Finite Element Simulations of Three-core Armored Power Cables

This paper analyzes different ways to simulate electromagnetically three-core armored cables in 3D by means of the finite element method. Full periodic models, as lengthy as 36 m, are developed to evaluate the accuracy when simulating only a small portion of the cable, as commonly employed in the literature. The adequate length and boundary conditions for having the same accuracy of full periodic models are also studied. To this aim, five medium voltage and high voltage armored cables are analyzed, obtaining the minimum length of the cable that may be simulated for having accurate results in shorter time and with less computational burden. This also results in the proposal of a new method comprising the advantages of short geometries and the applicability of periodic boundary conditions. Its accuracy is compared with experimental measurements and the IEC standard for 145 kV and 245 kV cables. The results show a very good agreement between simulations and measurements (errors below 4 %), obtaining a reduction in the computation time of about 90 %. This new method brings a more effective tool for saving time and computational resources in cable design and the development of new analytical expressions for improving the IEC standard.