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Jim R.

Attwood

Cable Design for Subsea


Power Links
T he number of subsea cable links
being installed world-wide is rap-
idly increasing, driven by the desire to
connect to more economic or renewable
energy sources. Advances in subsea ca-
ble technology, the fast rate of return on
investment compared to power station
construction, and the ability to import
power from hydroelectric or wind gener-
ating systems have combined to make
the installation of subsea cable links at-
tractive.
Subsea cable technology .+-
has ad-
vanced to allow the manufacture of
both single and three core cables for
bulk power transfer between transmission systems in continu- HVDC Submarine Cables
ous lengths up to 100 km. The mechanical and electrical integ- The world’s first HVDC submarine cable connection was in-
rity of these cable systems is enhanced by the ability to stalled between the Swedish mainland and the Island of Gotland
manufacture the cable in long lengths, thereby removing dis- in 1954. The cable was designed with a nonpressurized
continuities at jointing positions. Handling of long-length ca- mass-impregaated paper dielectric suitable for long route
bles is complex, requiring manufacturing facilities capable of lengths. Since then, considerable experience has been accumu-
insulating, sheathing, armoring, storing, and off-loading the ca- lated through a number of connections applying principally the
ble to be located on the same site. A 100 km continuous length same cable design. This cable type is still the only feasible solu-
of completed, armored cable, for example, may weigh in excess tion for transmission of bulk energy over large submarine dis-
of 8,000 tons. High standards for quality control and manufac- tances.
turing-plant specification are of the utmost importance, particu- Working voltage and loading capacity per cable has been
larly in continuous processes, such as lead sheathing, which subject to a continuous development starting from 100 kV and
require reliable extrusion over a period of some 30 days. 20 M W in 1954 and reaching and reaching 450 kV and 600 MW
The installation of subsea cable presents many challenges in in connection with the Baltic Cable project from Sweden to Ger-
the fields of mechanical and marine engineering. The cable must many in 1994. This development has been made possible by ex-
withstand the significant mechanical forces that are generated tensive research and development efforts performed by several
during installation due to its own weight and the action of tidal cable manufacturers, covering all aspects of an HVDC subma-
currents. The installed cable is also at risk from damage by an- rine connections, i.e., cable design, manufacturing processes,
chors, fishing activity, vessel impact, and movement of the cable transportation and laying technology, protection, service, and
or seabed terrain. To protect the cable during laying or in service, maintenance. A milestone in this field was the Fenno Skan pro-
metallic armor wires are applied in one or two layers to the con- ject between Sweden and Finland, where 400 kV service volt-
struction as part of the manufacturing process, however, addi- age and a transmission capacity of 500 MW per cables were
tional protection can be offered by burying the cable in the seabed achieved for the first time.
using a variety of jetting, ploughing, or trenching techniques. Service experience is excellent for HVDC cables designed on
This article describes the choices of cable design that exist the basis of existing CigrC test recommendations provided that
for subsea power links and the merits of these various designs. the cable system is properly protected from mechanical damage
The manufacture and installation of long continuous lengths of from ship anchorslfishing gear and wear and tear from wave ac-
subsea power cable will be discussed with reference to some key tion and sea currents. Tests on samples of the Konti Skan cables
installations. between Sweden and Denmark and the Skagerrak from Norway
to Denmark have revealed no aging of the dielectric after 15 years
This article is part of a series based on presentations made at the panel session in service. Reference is made to two CigrC reports:
on Power Cables in Energy Development in the 21st Century, which was held at 9 “Methods to prevent mechanical damage to submarine ca-
the IEEE PES Winter Meeting 2000. J. Attwood is with BICC General. bles,” paper no. 21-12, CigrC conference, 1986 session
IEEE Power Engineering Review, September 2000 02 72-1724/00/$10.0002000IEEE 13
0“Reliability of underground and submarine high voltage from heavy equipment (beam trawlers, anchors, and a towing
cables,” paper no. 2-07, CigrC Symposium in Montreal, weight between a tug and a barge). No failures have occurred on
1991. sections where the cables have been buried into the seabed. This
The extensive development work in connection with the experience is typical for other projects according to interua-
Fenno Skan, Cook Strait, and Skagerrak projects demonstrated, tional statistics.
however, the need for a revision of the above mentioned test rec- Consequently, submarine cables should be protected in areas
ommendations. On the basis of the experience from these pro- where the risk for mechanical impact is high. An efficient
jects, CigrC has revised the existing test recommendations. method is to bury a cable into the seabed.
This fact was taken into account for the Baltic cable (Swe- An effective burial system (CAPJET) has been developed in
den-Germany), which was commissioned in 1994. The testing Norway based upon tluidization of seabed materials by means
of this cable system for 450 kV and 600 MW was based upon a of water jets. The machine follows the cable positioned on the
special test recommendation worked out by the customer (Baltic seabed and produces a trench into which the cable sinks. Typical
cable) and the supplier. burial depth is 50 cm to 1.5 m. In areas with hard seabed condi-
tions, other protection methods have to be applied, for instance,
covering the cable with overburden (rock dumping) from a sur-
Installation of Submarine Cables face vessel.
Underwater technology has made great progress over the last
The CAPJET burying system has demonstrated its capabili-
decade as a consequence of offshore drilling and production ac-
ties through a number of projects in Norwegian waters and on
tivities, particularly in the North Sea. Underwater electronic
the export market. More than 2,500 km of cables and pipes have
navigation systems, underwater remote operated vehicles
been buried up to date. In connection with the Skagerrak 3 cable,
(ROVs), computer-controlled dynamic positioning systems for
the CAPJET machine successfully performed the burial down to
laying vessel navigation, etc. have made possible cable laying
a water depth of 550 m.
concepts that one could only dream of at the time of the installa-
tion of first two cables across the Skagerrak Sea. Precision lay-
ing of cables avoiding obstacles on the seabed, installation of a
New Challenges in the Field
cable at a defined distance from an underwater construction (for
of HVDC Submarine Cable Systems
With reference to what has been stated above, it was clear that
instance, a pipeline), crossing of a pipeline over a bridge etc.
the cable technology represented no hindrance when the plans to
represent today no problem for the experienced crew on board
connect Norway with the European Continent matured in the
the advanced cable laying vessel, the Norwegian C/S Skagerrak.
nineties. Three agreements between were initially entered, two
The cable laying system also includes methods and means for
between Norway and Germany and one between Norway and
offshore jointing of manufactured lengths in case of long cable
The Netherlands. two 600 MW HVDC connections to Ger-
lengths exceeding the loading capacity of the laying ship and per-
many, and one 600 MW connection to The Netherlands aiming
formance of offshore repairs in case of failures on the cable system.
at construction and commissioning in first half of first decade of
Offshore jointing has been successfully performed in connection
the new century. One of the agreements between Norway and
with repair operations on the existing Skagerrak cables and during
Germany was cancelled in 1999 for commercial reasons.
installation of the Fenno Skan cable and the Baltic cable.
The agreements were based on the economics in exchanging
Regarding the present state-of-the-art installation technol-
energy between the two different systems, the hydropower-based
ogy, reference is made to the Cigr6 report no. 21-202 presented
Norwegian system with its high degree of efficiency in supplying
at the 1990 Paris conference, “A survey of installation and re-
peak power and the thermal power based European system
pair techniques presently in use for submarine cables.”
which is more cost-efficient at constant load. This means that
The navigation of the ship can be performed by means of an
the connections will make it possible to utilize the ability of the
integration of satellite-based Global Position System (GPS), dy-
Norwegian system to supply cost-efficient peak power to Ger-
namic position system of the vessel according to well-proven
many/The Netherlands in periods with high demand and to im-
procedures and underwater navigation systems controlling un-
port energy to Norway during low demand periods on the
derwater ROVs. The need for underwater touchdown control of
continent. Thereby, energy in the form of water could be saved
the laying process will depend on seabed conditions, which will
in the Norwegian water reservoirs in an import situation. The
have to be studied in detail in a separate route survey.
Norwegian system will consequently act as a large pump stor-
In case of failure on the cable, methods and equipment for the
age plant.
performance of repairs are available. On depths below 100 m, a
During the planning period for the two projects, it became
specialized vessel like the C/S Skagerrak will have to be utilized
evident that environmental issues would play an important role
due to the complexity of the operation. The risk for failures in
in the concession processes and that such issues also would have
deep waters is, however, according to statistics, very low. With
a great impact on the selected technical solutions. Sea electrodes
regard to laying depths, the 550 m experienced in the Skagerrak
were not accepted, due to the possible seawater pollution caused
crossing represents no limit. Tests clearly indicate that modern
by electrolysis of seawater, due to the claimed effect from elec-
laying technology ensures safe handling even down to more
tric field in the sea on marine life, and due to the risk of corro-
than 2,000 m.
sion on underground/submarine steel structures. Further,
external magnetic field from the cable system should be negligi-
Protection of Submarine Cables ble in order to avoid any effect on marine life and on magnetic
Failure statistics on submarine cables show that the most fre- compasses.
quent cause of failure is external damage caused by anchors and Consequently, the technical solutions for the two connec-
heavy fishing tools. Failures of internal origin are not very prob- tions from Norway were chosen in order to satisfy the environ-
able. As an example, the only failures that have occurred on the mental requirements:
two cross-wire armored Skagerrak cables installed in
1976/1977 have been caused by external mechanical impact (continued on page 21)

14 IEEE Power Engineering Review, September 2000

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