On-Line Dynamic Cable Rating System for an Industrial Power Plant in the Restructured Electric Market

In addition to the market information, available energy and capacity to participate in the market are also the essential information to be an effective market participant. This paper discusses the development of an on-line dynamic cable rating system (DCRS) to help system engineer maximizing asset utilization without jeopardizing system facilities and/or compromising the reliability of the cables. Based on the real time cable loading, cable surface temperature, ambient temperature, and forecasting temperature, DCRS can estimate both steady state and dynamic state cable rating. In order to confirm with the actual operation condition, both current cable temperature and forecasting ambient temperature are taken into consideration to perform the short-duration ampacity estimation to prevent the over/under estimation. With the information from DCRS, system engineer will be able to establish or adjust the bidding strategy in time to effectively participate in the restructured electric markets.