Impact of Cementation and Burial Depth on Soil Thermal Properties Used for Power Cable Design in Arid Climates

Cable design for underground cable systems - both directly buried and in conduit - is greatly impacted by in situ subsurface thermal material properties. Utilites traditionally have taken conservative approaches that can increase the cable material and construction costs. This is particularly problematic in arid climates, where small changes in moisture can have significant impact on thermal ratings of near-surface materials and where dense cemented materials limit trench excavation. A methodology is presented here that evaluates both the variability in subsurface strata and the variability of thermal resistivity in these special environments that impact underground power cable ratings.