Use Grøft Design® Software to correctly dimension cables, minimize failures, and optimize cable utilization with easy to use ampacity calculations
Magnetic Field Calculation: Ensure Safety and Regulatory Compliance
Be a good neighbour and verify that the cables don't interfere with surrounding infrastructure. Simulate the effectiveness of shielding to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.
Thermal Calculations: Prevent Overheating and Minimize Losses
Built as an easy-to-use web application on the foundation of Comsol Multiphysics’ Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Grøft Design® delivers more flexibility and improved accuracy over traditional analytical methods. Whether you need fast simulations or advanced control, Grøft Design® adapts to your needs.
Dynamic loads
Enter your load curve and simulate variable load, cyclic load, load factor in addition to steady state analysis
Quickly Explore Different Designs
With the flexible designer and a rich component library, you can quickly explore different designs. Run simulation and share the final technical drawings with contractors via PDF, AutoCAD, or a direct project link.
Built from the ground up using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Grøft Design delivers improved accuracy compared to traditional analytical models.
With Grøft Design, you get the best of both worlds—quick, intuitive simulations when you need them and advanced controls when precision matters.
With the Component Designer create, customize, and manage your own cables, pipes, and other components for use in your projects.
Say goodbye to endless email chains and scattered PDFs. With our modern web-based platform, grid companies, cable manufactures, consultants, and entrepreneurs can collaborate effortlessly in one shared workspace.
Grøft Design® has been verified against Technical Brochure 880 (TB 880), issued by CIGRE Working Group B1.56. The verification process not only found that Grøft Design® accurately reproduces the results of TB 880, but in some cases went beyond TB 880, by producing more accurate cable ratings.
Developed for the industry by the industry through several research projects. REN AS have together with SINTEF Energy, Norway's leading research center on power systems, developed and verified the simulations in Grøft Design® with experiments in the field.
Access an extensive library of predesigned cables and components, including both generic cables and specialized cable designs shared by cable manufacturers.
Design the trench and add cables in the model.
Calculate ampacity based on load profiles, temperatur and soil conditions
Run steady state og time variable load simulations to optimize cable performance
Soil conditions play a critical role in ampacity calculations for underground cables. SINTEF conducted both laboratory and full-scale field tests to measure how different soil types, moisture levels, and compaction affect thermal conductivity. The findings from this research is implemented in Grøft Design®
Read moreIt is important to consider dry-out in ampacity calculations because heat from heavily loaded cables can dry out surrounding soil or backfill. This significantly increasing its thermal resistivity, which in turn lowers the cable’s ampacity and may lead to overheating if not properly accounted for. Grøft Design® lets you define and calculate dry out zones
Read moreShallow cable installations require special consideration because heat from cables can raise ground temperature near the surface. Grøft Design® allows more realistic simulations by accounting for air convection, unlike standard IEC 60287 methods.
Read moreWhen cables are installed in metal pipes, induction and heating effects may reduce ampacity. Grøft Design® simulates these losses and magnetic shielding
Read moreDynamic load enables accurate simulation of cable temperatures under real-world, time-varying loads. Analyze cyclic and emergency ratings, compare with field measurements, and optimize cable performance beyond the limits of traditional steady-state models.
Read moreThe INCA project aims to boost power grid capacity by up to 70% through advanced modeling, real-time monitoring, and dynamic ampacity calculations for underground cables—enabling safer, more efficient use of existing cable infrastructure.
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