AmpaCoreby Eleru
Underground cable engineering

Complex cables.
Clear answers.
One workspace.

From the first cross-section to the final route rating. Bring your underground cable system into focus.

Start with Free. Explore Full for 14 days. No card required.

01 / INSIDE THE SYSTEMHV · XLPE
CABLE ANATOMY
3D SIDE VIEW
Conductor
Cu · 1,200 mm²
Insulation
XLPE · 16 mm
Rated voltage
64/110 kV
Outer diameter
88.3 mm
Built for the full routeAmpacityTransient loadingHDD & crossingsBonding & SVLMagnetic fields
THE WORKSPACE / CONNECTED STUDIES

Follow the cable.
Find what governs.

Explore the geometry, thermal behaviour and electrical conditions along the route.

The ground changes. So does the rating.

Longitudinal bore profile · 17° entry / exit · R = 100 m
Peat · 0–2 mClay · 2–6 mSand · below 6 m
Curved transitions connect the entry and exit tangents to the horizontal bore.625 A · clay interface governs
ONE CIRCUIT / THE COMPLETE ROUTE

A single line.
The whole picture.

The same current passes through every section. See which installation sets the route limit.

03 · HDD crossing sets the route rating: 625 AUtilisation = route current ÷ section ampacity

Illustrative route comparison, not a combined route solve. Select a section to inspect its available current margin.

TRANSIENT LOADING / TIME MATTERS

Watch the load.
Understand the response.

A daily cycle, then one hour of emergency loading. Follow the conductor temperature as the current changes.

Conductor temperature · °CLoad · pu

Initial equilibrium preload with RMS value at 643 A [0.8165 pu] reached 54.1 ºC

METHODS & VALIDATION / THE EVIDENCE

Know what’s behind
every calculation.

Published methods. Reference cases. Checks that can be traced back to the source.

IEC methods

  • IEC 60287-1-1 & 60287-2-1 · 2023Rating equations and thermal resistance.
  • IEC 60287-2-3 & 60287-3-3Annex A methods for tunnels and crossings.
  • IEC 60853-2 · 1989Cyclic and emergency cable ratings.
  • IEC 60949 · 1988Adiabatic and non-adiabatic short-circuit sizing.

CIGRE reference cases

  • Technical Brochure 880Base and cases 0-1 to 1-2; ampacity per phase.
  • Technical Brochure 963Case 1 duct-bank variants V0, V2, V3, V5 and V6.
  • TB 283 · TB 797 · TB 889Sheath bonding and sheath voltage limiters.
  • Technical Brochure 640 · §7Solar-exposed trough lids.

Published studies

  • Kellow · 1981Published duct-wall temperature measurements.
  • Poradowski et al. · 202618 published full-FEM cases.
  • Aegerter & Meier · 2019Longitudinal tunnel airflow reference.
  • SINTEF · 2026Laboratory data for tunnel ventilation.
Explore further sources & verification checks

Further published sources

  • Pilgrim et al. · 2012Natural-ventilation reference.
  • Neginhal et al. · 2026Ventilation and enclosure opening correlations.
  • Fu · 2021Additional source recorded in the validation basis.
  • Papadakis · Rutherford · Thyvrin · Ferreira · 2026Further papers in the current reference set.

Numerical verification

  • Mesh refinement & domain sensitivityCheck the effect of numerical resolution and boundaries.
  • Energy balance, reciprocity & symmetryCheck numerical consistency.
  • Independent SciPy FEM cross-solveCompare independent numerical implementations.
  • Multiple-system invarianceCheck behaviour across circuit counts.

How evidence is reported

  • PassAgreement within the tolerance stated by the source.
  • Pass with limit or caveatSource-specific bounds and deviations remain visible.
  • Source evidenceMeasured data retained for comparison; not a pass/fail result.

The validation register distinguishes benchmark agreement, qualified results and supporting source evidence. Each calculation records its engine release and hash for traceability.

PRICING / START WITH A REAL PROJECT

Try the calculation.
Then choose your scope.

Start free. Explore the complete workspace for 14 days. Upgrade when your work calls for it.

AmpaCore Free

A focused workspace for direct-buried cable engineering.

€0 / free access

No credit card required.

  • Up to 2 active projects
  • Up to 2 cable circuits per project
  • Direct-buried installations
  • Standard library and custom cable definitions
  • Full ampacity results
  • AmpaCore HTML calculation report
Start with AmpaCore Free

One-time 14-day Full trial, available in the same workspace.

AmpaCore Full

The complete engineering environment for your company.

€299 / month

1 named user · €299.00 per seat / month

1 seat
  • All installations, crossings and HDD
  • Transient loading, bonding, SVL and advanced studies
  • Exports and team workspaces
Try Full for 14 days

Seat 2: 20% off · Seat 3: 30% off · Seat 4: 40% off · Seats 5+: 50% off.
First seat: €299 monthly or €2,990 annually. All prices exclude applicable taxes.

Compare engineering capabilities16 capabilities. Four platforms. A closer look at the scope.
CapabilityAmpaCoreCYMCAP
Eaton
Grøft
Design
ELEK
Cable HV
Thermal rating
IEC 60287 steady-state
IEC 60853 cyclic and emergency
Finite element method
Soil dry-out
Circuit crossings (IEC 60287-3-3)—
3D / non-parallel geometry———
Bonding and electrical
Cross-bonded, single-point, both-ends
Standing sheath voltage profile—
IEC 60949 short-circuit rating—
Sequence impedances——
HVDC cables——
Installation types
Direct buried, backfill, ducts
HDD ampacity profile———
Troughs, tunnels—
Submarine, seabed, J-tubes—
Multi-section routes, mixed methods—
✓ Supported◐ Limited, partial or add-on— Not available or not identified

“Limited” may include a separately licensed module. A dash means the capability was unavailable or was not identified in the product material reviewed. Confirm current scope with each vendor. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

CONTACT / TALK TO ELERU

Let’s talk about
your cable system.

Questions about engineering scope, pricing or AmpaCore? Get in touch with Eleru directly.