The Current Harmonic Impact on Active Power Losses and Temperature Distribution in Power Cables

The active power losses are dependent on the flowing electric power value through overhead and cable lines. The current flow through the conductor causes negative phenomena to occur, such as released heat. The source of the current harmonics is the non-linear loads. Hence, the skin effect occurs, and the current carrying capacity of cables is reduced. This results in the increase in and uneven distribution of the temperature inside the conductor. This paper presents a comparison of the temperature distribution inside a power cable for an ideal 50 Hz sine wave and highly distorted current (THDI=41%). The calculated active power losses for the IEC 60287-1-1:2006+A1:2014 standard and the method described in the literature were used as a basis for further calculations. The obtained results revealed the problem of the uneven distribution of the conductor temperature. Considering the skin effect, increasing the temperature in the outer layers leads to severe damage and faster insulation aging. The abovementioned phenomenon is a decrease in the permissible load capacity of the conductor. The table given in the IEC 60364-5-52 standard summarizes the percentage contribution of the third harmonic to the current waveform. For percentages between 15% and 33%, the current carrying capacity is reduced by up to 86% of the full-load current rating. In addition, consideration of thermal conditions forces the use of cables with larger cross-sections. This leads to their non-optimal use and makes the investment more expensive from an economic point of view.