Subsea Power Cable Monitoring is a software product that constantly monitors the condition of subsea power cables used in offshore wind power generation and other applications 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. By monitoring the condition of the entire cable by measuring temperature distribution using optical fibers, the following advantages are provided:

Easy identification of abnormalities in subsea power cables through temperature measurement and statistical analysis.
No additional cost is required for temperature measurement since the subsea power cable's built-in optical fiber cable is utilized.
Condition-based maintenance reduces inspection and maintenance costs and the risk of accidents.

Development Background and Customer Issues

Future of Offshore Wind Power Generation

The market for offshore wind power generation is poised for significant growth as a renewable energy source, largely due to the favorable wind conditions found at sea. However, when subsea power cables fail, operators face considerable challenges related to recovery efforts and potential penalties. To mitigate these risks, regular inspections and maintenance are essential to address any defects or damage that may arise from accidents.

Challenges of Inspections and Maintenance

Subsea power cables are typically buried along extensive distances on the ocean floor, making inspections and maintenance both complex and costly. The need for specialized work vessels and skilled personnel adds to the financial burden. While proactive measures are crucial to prevent accidents, traditional periodic inspections often struggle to effectively manage unexpected events.

Innovative Monitoring Solutions

To enhance safety and reduce costs, subsea power cable monitoring software has emerged as a valuable tool. This technology allows for the identification of abnormal conditions in subsea cables through temperature measurements and statistical analysis. By utilizing advanced diagnostic functions and condition visualization tools—such as real-time temperature displays—operators can pinpoint changes in cable conditions more efficiently. This proactive approach not only minimizes inspection costs but also significantly lowers the risk of sudden accidents, ensuring a more reliable offshore wind power generation system.

spcm main graghic

Features

Statistical analysis of measured temperatures makes it possible to take into account temperature changes due to transmission volume, season, etc., and displays the state of subsea power cables more prominently. This makes it easy to understand the condition of subsea power cables and identify problem areas. If detailed confirmation is required, the trend of the condition change can be checked using Excel or other tools as needed.
Subsea power cable temperatures are measured using a portion of the multicore cable (spare optical fiber) that is used in general subsea power cables. Therefore, there is no need to install additional optical fiber cables for monitoring.
The status of the subsea power cable is displayed on the SCADA screen (our product's integrated information server: CI Server). In addition to total monitoring integrated with alarm information, etc., the system contributes to effective consideration of actions such as burial treatment depending on the situation.

There is a close relationship between the buried condition of subsea power cables and temperature changes. By monitoring temperature changes, it is possible to determine changes in the cable's installation condition.

As an example, when buried cables are exposed underwater due to sudden events such as typhoons or fishing gear snagging, the temperature of the cable changes. This software can quickly detect this change and locate the target by measuring temperature and monitoring trends.

The software also uses our DTSX fiber optic temperature sensor for temperature measurement. The DTSX optical fiber temperature sensor is a sensing technology that takes advantage of the characteristics of optical fiber cables and can measure temperature changes over long distances and in a wide range in real time.

spcm-features 3 example

Image Zoom

Effects of Introduction

Reduction of subsea power cable inspection costs

Conventional periodic inspections are conducted at least once a year using a side-scan sonar of a work vessel to check for differences in the properties of the seabed. By introducing this software, the condition of subsea power cables can be constantly monitored, greatly reducing inspection time, cost, and labor.

Reduced inspection cost

Reducing the Risk of Accidents

If an accident should occur due to unnoticed subsea power cable exposure, loss of electricity sales, penalties, etc. will be incurred. By constantly monitoring the condition of subsea power cables, we can quickly detect abnormalities and take countermeasures, thereby reducing the risk of unforeseen accidents and contributing to the implementation of maintenance at the optimal timing according to the condition.

Reduced inspection cost

(Above graph: based on our research)

Product Overview

Example of Monitoring Screen

spcm-temperature-view-e

The subsea power cable monitoring screen graphically displays the subsea cable status and statistically analyzed temperature changes. By displaying the alarm history on the same screen, it is possible to check the status changes of the subsea power cable in conjunction with the events.

System Configuration Example

This is an example of a subsea power cable monitoring software system configuration. This software works in conjunction with DTSX as a CI server application on a CI server.

system config example

Subsea Power Cable Monitoring software: This software performs data collection and diagnosis.
CI Server software: Collaborative Information Server
Configuration & result display software for DTSX3000: used for DTSX configuration
DTSX optical fiber temperature sensor system: Consists of an optical fiber temperature sensor, base module, and power supply module; an optical switch module is required when measuring two or more systems with one DTSX.

Brochures

OpreX Subsea Power Cable Monitoring (8.8 MB)

Press Release 2024년12월11일

Yokogawa, 해상 풍력 발전소에서 손상을 감지하고 상태 기반 유지 관리를 가능하게 하는 OpreX Subsea Power Cable Monitoring 출시

Subsea Power Cable Monitoring

Overview