Experiment for validation of numerical models of coupled heat and mass transfer around energy cables

The increasing decentralization of electrical energy production as well as an increasing number of fluctuating regenerative energy sources require significant investments in grid expansion. Among other assessments, an exact prediction of the thermal behavior of the cable environment is necessary to be able to design cable routes both technically and economically sufficient. To investigate the coupled thermal and hydraulic processes around a cable-like heat source with high temporal and spatial resolution under controlled boundary conditions, a cylindrical laboratory test was designed and experiments with two soils conducted. The data collected can be used to validate models of coupled heat and mass transfer around power cables. Within this study, the experimental data was compared with a modified model approach that is based on experimentally determined input data for the thermal and hydraulic properties of the examined soils. Although overall good agreement in the temperature field around the central heat source was observed, differences in the spatial distribution of the dry-out zone near the heat source led to some shift between the measured and simulated temperatures.