Temperature mapping model of cables considering the coupling of electromagnetic and thermal field

Background: During cable operation, its internal temperature reflects the actual working condition of the cable. Once overload occurs, its conductor temperature will rise rapidly. Under high temperature conditions, the insulation material is very prone to breakdown accidents, which seriously threatens the safety of the power system. Methods: To reflect the actual operating condition of cables with high fidelity, a cable temperature mapping model is proposed with the coupling of electromagnetic and thermal field taken into consideration. Firstly, a finite element model is formulated based on the cable structure and material parameters. Secondly, the coupling between electromagnetic and thermal field is analyzed, and multiple coupling calculations are performed iteratively according to the operating conditions. Finally, the mapping between temperature and current flowing through the cable is established to accurately reflect the variation of cable’s internal temperature under different operating conditions. The cable surface temperatures under five operating conditions are measured online and compared with the calculated results of the temperature mapping model. Results: The absolute error between the calculated value of the model and the actual measured value is 0.88°C and the relative error is 1.46%. Conclusions: The temperature mapping model developed in this paper can accurately calculate the internal temperature of the cable and forms an important part of the digital twin model of the cable.