Abstract
The objective of the proposed paper is to present the successful electrification of a newly built offshore super complex from shore as well as the shift of power production from offshore to onshore generation of an existing offshore super complex using high voltage alternative current (HVAC) submarine power cables. Both offshore super complexes are electrified from an island and are connected together to create a redundancy in the power supply between them.
The design, qualification, manufacturing, testing, and installation of the HVAC submarine cable system including fiber optical elements and accessories are described in this publication.
The HVAC submarine power cable system for the oil field development is composed of three 132 kV insulated cables which connect the offshore super complexes and the island with length ranging between 30 to 80 km. It also includes HVAC underground power cable to connect the HVAC submarine power cable to the power generation installation as well as approximately 60 km of medium voltage alternative current submarine power cable which are used to power other offshore equipment from the new offshore super complex.
The HVAC cables were designed to fulfill the load demand of both offshore super complexes considering redundancy in the HVAC power system as well as challenging installation conditions at the landing at the island. The technology used for the cable is the well-proven cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation technology.
The HVAC cables were successfully qualified and type-tested according to the requirements of IEC international standards and CIGRE recommendations.
Each three-phase cable was manufactured and tested within the manufacturing facility in Norway in one complete length insuring that a high-quality product was supplied. It also permitted to install each cable in one laying operation without having to introduce offshore field joints in the cable system.
This publication shows that electrifying offshore assets from an onshore power source using submarine power cables is a viable solution.
