Preliminary Multiphysics Modeling of Electric High-Voltage Cable of Offshore Wind-Farms

Fouad Ech-Cheikh, Abdelghani Matine and Monssef Drissi-Habti ()
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Fouad Ech-Cheikh: COSYS Department, Université Gustave Eiffel, F-77447 Marne-la-Vallée, France
Abdelghani Matine: COSYS Department, Université Gustave Eiffel, F-77447 Marne-la-Vallée, France
Monssef Drissi-Habti: COSYS Department, Université Gustave Eiffel, F-77447 Marne-la-Vallée, France

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-19

Abstract: During manufacture, handling, transportation, installation and operation, mechanical overstress can affect the electrical and thermal properties of the conductor. As the wires in general are made of copper, which is a very plastically deforming material, these stresses will gradually generate plastic deformations of the copper until the wires start to fail. The objective of this article is to study, by numerical modeling (using Comsol and Abaqus), the impact of damage mechanisms on the electrical and thermal properties of a submarine cable phase. The influence of plasticity and gradual copper wire failure on the physical behavior (electric and thermal) of the phase was assessed. The heat differences between a healthy conductor vs. a damaged one (either deformed plastically and/or with failed wires) derived from the numerical model may be an accurate indicator of the level of damage of wires, thus furthering advanced warning before being obliged to stop the exploitation because a mandatory heavy maintenance of the cables must be scheduled. Note that this can also be achieved by using an optical fiber as a sensor for structural health monitoring. This study will then make it possible to evaluate the impact of the modification of the resistance on the thermal behavior of the cable. All of these simulations will be carried out on one phase of a 36 kV 120 mm² copper submarine cable. Colloquially these are called “copper cables”, meaning cables with Cu conductors (120 mm 2 is the smallest conductor cross-section for array cables, which are usually 3-phase cables).

Keywords: finite element modeling (FEM); numerical modeling; mechanical behavior; electric behavior; thermal behavior; multiphysics; marine renewable energies (MREs); submarine power cable (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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