An Online Dynamic Cable Rating System for an Industrial Power Plant in the Restructured Electric Market

In addition to market information, available energy and capacity to participate in the market are also essential to be an effective market participant. This paper discusses the development of an online dynamic cable rating system (DCRS) that can help a system engineer maximize asset utilization without jeopardizing system facilities or compromising the reliability of the cables. Based on real-time cable loading, cable surface temperature, ambient temperature, and forecasting temperature, the DCRS can estimate both steady-state and dynamic cable rating. To confirm with the actual operation condition, both real-time cable temperature and forecasting ambient temperature are taken into consideration to perform short-term cable ampacity estimation to prevent overestimation and/or underestimation. Based on the information provided by the DCRS, the system engineer can establish or adjust the bidding strategy in time to effectively participate in the restructured electric markets.