Condition Management of Low-Voltage Distribution Cables

Distribution grid operators face various challenges today. In general, many of the assets in the current grid are approaching the end of their design lifetime and it is feared that they will soon be unable to perform their tasks safely and reliably. Furthermore, there are major risks associated with the increasing penetration of electric vehicles and residential solar generation. This phenomenon is changing the load patterns seen so far, presumably causing the accelerated aging of cables. At the same time, as the cables are subjected to different mechanical, thermal and electrical stresses during their operation, the condition of each device may differ. Low-voltage cables are in most cases weakly documented and have been operated in the run-to-failure strategy due to the lack of interest and sufficient diagnostic methods. Though in the future, the available methods may be broader, in the current situation, the condition management needs to be solved based on scattered and inaccurate information. This paper describes the development of a condition management strategy to support maintaining a more reliable low-voltage power grid and to identify the most important degrading factors that require investigation.