The Effect of Underground Cable Diameter on Soil Drying, Soil Thermal Resistivity and Thermal Stability

Heat generated by underground cables has been known to cause drying of the surrounding soil. This may change soil thermal resistivity sufficiently to cause cable overheating and subsequent failure. Methods have been used in the past to try to relate the time for soil to dry to the diameter of the cable. These existing methods were shown to be invalid by former experiments. This paper presents the results of an experiment designed to determine if there is a relationship between the diameter of an underground cable and the time it takes soil to dry around that cable. The analysis of the results of the experiment suggested that there is such a relationship and the form that such a relationship may take.