Wenger Engineering presents new method for ampacity calculation

The design of cables is described in the standard specification IEC 60287-3. The specification is a semi-empirical design approach to determine the maximum temperatures, including safety margins and providing good approximations for basics designs. The standard calculation differs the more from the real world physics the more complex the design of the cable and its installation situation are. Since the costs of the conductor materials are very high, an accurate simulation offers enormous potential to save weight, material and considerable costs due to an optimized design.

The multi physical simulation of the cable included electrical capacity, dissipation as well as heat transfer within the cable and to the surrounding area. Thereby the so called 2K criteria, the proof that the cable leads to an increase in temperature limited to two degree, can be investigated precisely. The multi physical simulation offers great benefits especially with complex cable designs, since there are bidirectional electrical, electro-magnetical, and thermal interactions between the single components of the cable that need to be taken into consideration. These interactions are not represented in the standard calculation model, which therefore needs to include very high safety margins.

“The ampacity simulation of a high voltage cable is a classical multi physical task which can be solved with our simulation environment COMSOL Multiphysics. Being a long-term partner and certified COMSOL consultant, Wenger Engineering combines its expertise with the capabilities of our advanced calculation environment and thereby creates a new practical approach with high value for the industry,” said Dr. Lars Fromme, Manager PR and Marketing. “The presented calculation method for an optimized cable design provides high potential for cost saving in various industry sectors. We would not be surprised if Wenger Engineering could record a significant increase in related project requests in the near future.”

“We are very pleased to present our work in the area of ampacity simulations and optimized cable design at this year’s COMSOL Conference,” said Dr. David Wenger, managing director of Wenger Engineering. “With the presented calculation method it is possible to reach a very good representation of the prevailing physics, leading the customer to choose the right cable dimension for his use case. This is especially of high interest for cable manufacturer, network operators, and wind farm constructors. But also the automotive and aerospace industries can benefit from these calculation methods since material optimized design, as well as the realization of light weight design methods, are still late-breaking topics.”

With its interdisciplinary experience and as a long-term partner and certified COMSOL consultant, Wenger Engineering offers a wide range of thermodynamic simulation solutions. The company aims to support its customers by providing innovative thermodynamic solutions, thus contributing to their customers’ success.