Modeling Thermal Distribution of Three-core XLPE Dynamic Cable under Mechanical Loads

Dynamic cable, as the connection between the static submarine cable and the floating wind platform, is one of the critical equipment in the associated power transmission system. Compared with static submarine cables, dynamic cable is usually subjected to under-water rolling and vortex-induced vibration. Therefore, mechanical damage is one of the most common causes of dynamic cable failure. In addition to the mechanical failure, influences of biofouling growth on thermal distribution can also cause or exacerbate dynamic cable deterioration. In order to explore the effect of mechanical and biofouling on thermal field in dynamic cables, a 2D thermal modeling of a 66kV dynamic cable with ‘semi-wet’ design is studied in this paper. Moreover, a numerical calculation of thermal circuit according to IEC60287 is carried out to verify the accuracy of the simulation model. In addition to the traditional thermal field coupling simulation, the influence of mechanical factors and biofouling growth outside the dynamic cable on the simulation results is also considered. The results show significant temperature increases in the dynamic cable, depending on the fatigue crack and thickness, overlaying proportion of the biofouling.