Dynamic rating of three-core XLPE submarine cables for offshore wind farms

Abstract

This article aims to determine the most suitable cross-sectional area for a high voltage alternating current (HVAC) submarine cable in the design phase of new projects. A thermal ladder network method (LNM) was used to analyse the thermal behaviour in the centre of the conductor as the hottest spot of the cable. On the basis of the calculated cable parameters and a thermal cable analysis of transient conditions applied by a step function with a time duration greater than 1 h, this article proposes a method for a dynamic rating of submarine cables. The dynamic rating is accomplished through an iterative process. The method was tested with a MATLAB simulation and validated in comparison with a finite element method (FEM)-based approach.