Inverse Heat Transfer Study of a Power Transmission Line Tower Foundation

Abstract

In some northern regions, power transmission lines are built with metal tower footings buried in the permafrost. With a high thermal conductivity, the tower footing has a significant thermal effect on the foundation and the nearby permafrost. Heat transfer models were previously developed to predict the thermal effect with line heat source assumptions, without knowing the exact spatial distribution and temporal variation of the heat source strength. This limited the accuracy of these heat transfer models. In this work, an inverse heat transfer method (IHTM) based on dynamic matrix control (DMC) theory is developed to better estimate the heat source strength representing the tower footing. The methodology is validated with numerical simulations and experimental data. It is found that the distribution of heat source varies spatially and temporally in a more complicated way than what was assumed in previous studies. The inversed heat source is then used to reconstruct the temperature fields in a tower foundation, which provides more accurate heat transfer analysis for design and maintenance of the foundation.