Loss Allocation in Submarine Armored Three-core HVAC Power Cables

This paper proposes an improvement over previous experimental methods for allocating losses in the different metallic elements (conductors, sheaths and armor) of armored three-core separated lead-sheathed power cables used frequently in submarine AC links to evacuate energy from offshore wind farms. This task is addressed by resorting to 3D numerical simulations based on the finite element method, virtualizing different experimental setups to emulate the original experimental procedure. Due to the diversity of cables involved and their complex geometry, a stand-alone interface to automate the calculation process has also been developed. By this virtual lab, important conclusions regarding the allocation of power losses and the accuracy of the IEC standard are derived after analyzing a set of 8 HVAC cables ranging from 132 to 245 kV. As a result, several correction factors are proposed to improve the accuracy in the estimation of experimentally derived losses allocation.