New design methods for subsea power cables are helping the global marine renewable energy industry lower costs and improve reliability

Draper, Scott, Cheng, Liang, An, Hongwei, Fogliani, Antonino, Schläppy, Marie Lise, Tong, Feifei, Lipski, Wacek, Spradbery, Chas, Teng, Yunfei, White, David, Coles, Daniel, Noble, Stuart, Doole, Siobhan and Johnson, Fraser (2022) New design methods for subsea power cables are helping the global marine renewable energy industry lower costs and improve reliability. In International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering: Materials Technology; Pipelines, Risers, and Subsea Systems. vol. 3, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers.. (doi:10.1115/OMAE2022-80172).

Abstract

University of Western Australia's Oceans Graduate School to transform the design methods used to analyse the on-bottom stability of subsea power cables. These cables form the vital connection enabling renewable energy to be reliably and cost-effectively transported from the source to the consumer - whether the collection device at the end of the line is wave, tidal, fixed or floating wind. These novel design methods are equally applicable to umbilicals and other small diameter pipelines. Existing oil and gas pipeline codes overlook much of the physics that is relevant to small diameter pipes and cables. The new research has unlocked significant improvements through new laboratory, numerical and field observational analysis and modelling. The results of this research are presently being incorporated into new design guidance, including the draft British Standards Institute BS 10009 being developed under PEL 114 technical committee guidance. This paper provides a summary of the research together with observations and lessons learnt in the application of these new design methods to over 7.4 GW of new offshore wind and other renewable energy cables. Given that as at 2020 the global grid-connected total offshore wind capacity was 35 GW, this contribution demonstrates strong evidence of field validation of these research outcomes, as well as their relative importance and transformative potential to contribute to global decarbonisation.

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Contributors

Author: David White

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