Summary
The feasibility of using subsea shunt reactors to counteract reactive power generated by cable capacitance in AC connection of offshore wind farms is investigated through a system study of the energization of the export cable. Subsea installation would reduce cost and material usage as compared to fixed or floating platforms. The lack of subsea switchgear at typical export cable voltage levels then implies that all grid operations would have to be performed without switching at the intermediate reactive power compensation stations, instead being limited to switching at export cable endpoints at the onshore and offshore transformer stations. 300 Mvar subsea shunt reactors are considered feasible with electrical, mechanical and thermal design constraints and reliability requirements from a technology standpoint.
Read more Read lessA simulation model for the system is created in PSCAD and PSS/E software. The system performance is considered acceptable if the charging current is within current and overvoltage limits according to applicable standards. This work aims to find the maximum power capacity and maximum connection distance for a high voltage AC connection comparing different subsea reactor configurations. The layout is based on the Hornsea Two offshore wind farm which has midpoint reactive power compensation on a dedicated platform. Cases investigated include export voltage levels at either 220 kV and 275 kV, and subsea shunt reactor placement either at midpoint or at one-third and two-thirds of cable length. It is observed that distributing subsea shunt reactors along the cable, instead of using a single midpoint device, allows larger distances and increase in transmitted power, which is limited by cable current rating, and reduction of the size of the offshore substation. Results indicate that this phenomenon is more significant for higher voltage levels.
Additional informations
| Publication type | Session Materials |
|---|---|
| Reference | B1_11366_2026 |
| Publication year | |
| Publisher | CIGRE |
| Country | Sweden |
| Study committees | |
| File size | 2 MB |
| Price for non member | 30 € |
| Price for member | 30 € |
Authors
LANERYD Tor - Hitachi Energy
