Thermal Modeling and Ampacity of Submarine Three Phase AC Cables with Lead Sheath: IEC 60287 versus Hybrid Analytical-FEA Approach

Accurate thermal rating of submarine power cables remains challenging because losses and heat dissipation depend on geometry, materials, and installation conditions. The IEC 60287 standard series offers a widely adopted analytical framework for steady-state ampacity, but relies on some simplifying assumptions. This work evaluates the fidelity of IEC 60287 against a hybrid analytical-FEA approach using a 2D thermal FEA model in an open-source software and public Lua scripts that model buried submarine AC cables with lead sheaths. In the hybrid analysis, IEC-based analytical formulas are used to calculate electrical losses (including skin/proximity factors), and these losses are then applied as heat sources in the thermal FEA model. Conductor resistance is updated iteratively for temperature…