Khumalo, Ntombifuthi Q. ， Naidoo, Raj M. ， Mbungu, Nsilulu T. ， Bansal, Ramesh C.
2025 INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL ENERGY SYSTEMS 2025 2025(卷), 1(期), (null页)
The design of underground cable systems must account for the risk of soil drying out due to heat dissipation, which can degrade cable performance and lead to environmental concerns. This study investigates a cost-effective cable rating methodology tailored to South African conditions, where native soils are used instead of engineered backfill. Using the IEC 60287 standard, an Excel-based calculation tool is developed to assess the effects of key installation parameters, including soil thermal resistivity, ambient soil temperature and cable laying depth. Soil samples from Sandton, South Africa, revealed thermal resistivity ranging from 0.596 K