The ampacity of high-voltage power cables depends, among others, on their core cross-sectional area as well as thermal resistivity of the thermal backfill surrounding the cables. The cross-sectional area of the power cables’ core is selected according to the expected power to be transferred via the cable system. Usually, the higher the power transfer required, the higher the cross-sectional area of the core. However, the cost of high-voltage power cables is relatively high and strictly depends on the dimensions of the core. Therefore, from the economic point of view, it is interesting to focus on the improvement of the thermal condition around the cables, by changing the dimension of the thermal backfill, instead of increasing the power cables’ core cross-sectional area. In practice, it is important to find the optimal dimensions of both cable core and thermal backfill to achieve the economically attractive solution of the power cable transfer system. This paper presents a mathematical approach to the power-cable system design, which enables selecting the cost-optimal cross-section of a power cable core depending on the dimensions of the thermal backfill. The proposal herein allows us to indicate the condition in which it is advantageous to increase the core cross-sectional area or to expand the dimension of the backfill. In this approach, the optimal backfill geometry can also be evaluated. The investment costs of the 110 kV power cable system with the core cross-sectional areas consecutively equal to 630, 800 and 1000 mm² have been compared.

Low-voltage, as well as high-voltage power cable lines, are usually buried in the ground. The ampacity of the power cables in the ground mainly depends on the thermal resistivity of the soil, which may vary in a wide range. A common practice in power cable systems performance is to supply them from a pole of an overhead line. If so, a section of the line is located in free air and can be directly exposed to solar radiation. In some cases, the ampacity of power cables placed in free air is lower than in the ground. Differences in ampacities can be very high if thermal resistivity of the soil is very low, and simultaneously solar irradiation of cables in air occurs. This paper presents the risk of power cables overheating and in consequence the risk of their failure, when part of the underground power cable line is placed in free air. Temperature distribution of cables in the air (with and without solar radiation) for various load currents is presented. Thermal endurance of power cables insulation, operating with the overheating, is estimated.