Characterization of the Mechanical Properties of Low Stiffness Marine Power Cables through Tension, Bending, Torsion, and Fatigue Testing

Abstract

The exploitation and harnessing of offshore marine renewable energy have led to an increased demand for reliable marine power cables with long service lives. These cables constitute a considerable share of the total installation cost of offshore renewable energy facilities and have high maintenance and repair costs. The critical characteristics of these power cables must be determined to reduce the risk of exceeding their ultimate strength or fatigue life, which can result in unwanted and unexpected failures. This study investigates dynamic marine power cables that are suitable for application in devices that harness energy from ocean currents, waves, and tides. Tension, bending, torsion, and fatigue tests were conducted on three dynamic power cables (1 kV, 3.6 kV, and 24 kV) that have high flexibility, i.e., low mechanical stiffness. The specimen lengths and axial pretension force were varied during the tests. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanical fatigue degradation and ultimate design load, and the key observations and lessons learned from the tests are clarified. The study’s main contribution is the results from physical component testing of the dynamic marine power cables without metallic armors, which can be used to calibrate numerical models of this type of dynamic marine power cable in the initial design of, e.g., inter-array cables between floating wave energy converters. The benefits offered by this type of cable and the importance of the results for creating reliable numerical simulation models in the future are highlighted.

A Method for Assessing the Degradation of PVC-Insulated Low-Voltage Distribution Cables Exposed to Short-Term Cyclic Aging

“…In the case of low-voltage power cables, the most common cause of failure is water ingress through the damaged jacket [30]; therefore, one of the most important condition characteristics is the jacket's mechanical integrity. Several techniques can measure the mechanical characteristics of cable insulation; nevertheless, these test methods are destructive because samples must be taken from the cable [31]. Hence, several studies have investigated the correlation between the mechanical and dielectric properties of the polymeric components of low-voltage cables.…”