HVDC Cables and the Influence of Transient Temperature Changes

As the use of HVDC cables in long distance power transmission is set to increase, understanding potential sources of cable degradation becomes ever more important. This paper applies Finite Element Analysis to simulate the transient effects of temperature changes within HVDC cables and the effect these may have upon the field distribution within them. It is found that the field distribution undergoes significant variation with time, following an increase in current flow with both atypical field distributions and rapid field magnitude changes found to occur due to the transient effects from the temperature changes within the cable. Concerns are raised about the impact these may have upon cable lifetime and testing processes. It is believed these require further study and investigation.