Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 10

21, rue d’Artois, F-75008 PARIS B1-105 CIGRE 2014

http : //www.cigre.org

The first HVAC and HVDC grid connection projects for wind power integration
in German North Sea: experience, challenge and outlook

Dr. Dongping Zhang, Volker Werle, Dr. Jochen Jung


TenneT Offshore GmbH
Germany

SUMMARY

Following the legal obligation, TenneT Offshore GmbH (earlier: E.ON Netz Offshore and
transpower offshore gmbh) started to implement grid connections of offshore wind farms
(OWF) in the North Sea since 2006. After the decision of German Federal Government, to
shut down all nuclear power plants until 2022, the task turns more urgent. According to the
expectation of the German government, the offshore installation capacity is estimated to
6.5 GW till 2020, which is adjusted to the actual situation of German offshore wind farms.
As the first cross-border grid operator in Europe, TenneT is contributing to the
“Energiewende” by connecting OWF in the German North Sea to the onshore grid. A lot of
projects of HVAC and HVDC grid connection are now accomplished or under construction
which have the transmission capacity of approx. 6.2 GW (as of January 2014). Further
projects, based on the 320 kV-900 MW-class, are still under tender phase. It is planned to
finalise the tenders in 2014 in order to meet the expectations and the ambition of the German
government. With those projects, TenneT is now the largest utility operating DC VSC
converters and DC XLPE cable technology worldwide.
This publication describes the achieved experience, challenges and outlook of further
development, especially for AC and DC submarine cable technology. Some considerations,
e.g. the quality assurance of the DC XLPE cables, cable installation in environmental-
sensitive area, offshore maintenance etc. will also be discussed in order to indicate the special
problems to be faced by an offshore TSO.

KEYWORDS

XLPE cables, HVAC, HVDC, Wind integration, Germany North Sea, Energiewende, offshore TSO,
offshore maintenance, Standardization

dongping.zhang@tennet.eu
1. Introduction
Following legal obligations based on the German Energy Laws, TenneT Offshore GmbH
(former E.ON Netz Offshore GmbH and transpower offshore gmbh) started with its activities
in offshore grid connection projects in December 2006.
Concerning the transmission capacity, length of the grid transmission systems and other
boundary conditions, there are two general technical variants to be chosen to connect the
OWF to the onshore grid: HVAC and HVDC. For a small transmission capacity and a short
transmission distance, an HVAC link system can generally be realized, i.e. a direct route
between the grid connection point (NAP) of one wind farm and the onshore grid coupling
point (NVP). Enlarging the transmission capacity and/or the transmission distance over an
economical and technical threshold value, then the HVDC variant is preferred for the grid
links [1].
However, the choice of the grid connection variants must be subject to a particular project-
relevant investigation. Especially the development scenario shall be applied as basis for this
investigation. In the summation of the coetaneous demand of transmission capacity, there is a
tendency of utilising high-capacitive HVDC connection systems in the German North Sea.
Figure 1 shows the typical grid connection systems with the application of HVDC VSC
technology. The electrical power generated by wind turbines is collected at the substation of
the OWF and is transmitted to the offshore converter substation via HVAC submarine cables
which have a typical length of up to 30 km. Due to the advantages such as the black-start
capability etc., the HVDC VSC technology will be applied in the offshore converter station
and the onshore converter station which are connected by HVDC XLPE submarine and land
cables.

Figure 1: Typical offshore grid connection with the application of HVDC VSC technology

According to the geographical location of OWF, there are four clusters to be introduced for
the grid integration of offshore wind energy in the German North Sea: BorWin, DolWin,
HelWin and SylWin, which are defined with the allocated high-capacitive transmission routes
and the grid coupling point (NVP) to the 400 kV transmission grids. According to the time
sequence of the projects, the name of the projects will also have one identification number,
e.g. BorWin1, DolWin1 etc. Figure 2 shows the geographical location of the projects and their
onshore NVPs.

1
SylWin1
SylWin2

BorWin2
BorWin3 HelWin2
BorWin1
BorWin4 HelWin1
BorWin5
DolWin1 alpha ventus
DolWin2
DolWin3
DolWin4
Nordergründe
CS Büttel

Riffgat
UW Hagermarsch
UW Inhausen
UW Emden
CS Emden/Ost

CS Diele

CS Dörpen West

Figure 2: Geographical allocation of the cluster connection projects in German North Sea

2. The projects overview


As of January 2014, there are already eleven grid connection projects in operation or under
construction in German North Sea as followed:

Table 1: Overview of the TenneT offshore projects of the grid connection


XLPE Cable
Projects MW KV length1
alpha ventus 60 AC 110 78 km
BorWin1 400 DC 150 400 km
BorWin2 800 DC 300 400 km
DolWin1 800 DC 320 343 km
DolWin2 900 DC 320 268 km
HelWin1 576 DC 250 260 km
HelWin2 690 DC 320 260 km
SylWin1 864 DC 320 410 km
DolWin3 900 DC 320 322 km
Riffgat 108 AC 155 138 km
Nordergründe 111 AC 155 40 km
Total 6209 2919 km

1
AC export cables between the AC substation platform and DC converter platform are not included.

2
Table 1 shows that more than 2600 km DC XLPE cables were installed, produced or in
manufacturing process in the recent six years. Furthermore, there are two DC projects -
BorWin3 and BorWin4 - of 320 kV and 900 MW class, which are in the tender phase as of
January 2014. The huge demand has changed the market dramatically, especially for the cable
technology of DC XLPE.

3. Technical Experience and Challenge


For a TSO, reliability, availability, maintainability (RAM) and the total cost of ownership
(TCO) are key issues for evaluation of the technical assets. Higher voltage level and larger
transmission capacity require reliable cable design, more cable production facilities and
superior testing methods for submarine cables, especially concerning their critical
installation/repair conditions.
Since there is no operation experience of DC XLPE cable above 300 kV worldwide so far, the
quality assurance of those cables which have a typical production length of more than ten
kilometres, even up to 30 km, must face a gigantic challenge.
TenneT Offshore GmbH has standardized offshore DC cluster connections with the
transmission capacity of 900 MW and the voltage level of 320 kV. Based on the cable
technology, 320 kV is the realistic limit for such offshore grid connection projects in
Germany, especially considering the absence of any operation/service experience of such
cable systems.
Already a miniature adjustment of the production parameter can result in a fatal change of the
cable quality, especially by the introduction of new production facilities. It is recommended
that the qualification of such new production facilities should not only be limited to CIGRE
recommendation [2] [4]. A more detailed investigation shall be performed to ensure that the
new production facility, e.g. the new extrusion line, can also fulfil the critical technical
requirements to produce the HVDC cable, particularly for the know-how transfer between
different locations and for the deviations between old and new production lines.
The cleanliness of the insulation material, including the semi-conductive screens, and the
production process are the essential factors affecting quality, reliability and availability of a
cable system. Particularly for HVDC submarine cables, some special aspects shall be taken
into account, e.g. achieving the maximum production length, minimizing the number of
factory joints, which are not only time consuming in the manufacturing process but also could
be technical weak points for HVDC cables, and moreover reducing the risk of scorch during
the extrusion process, which forces a shutting down of the extrusion line for cleaning and
therefore limits the maximal continuous manufacturing length.
Furthermore, the interface between different materials in the accessories is also an essential
challenge for DC XLPE cables. The testing of the cable system, especially of the accessories,
shall be sufficient in order to identify the potential problems, especially for the total service
life of next 30 to 40 years.
The factory joint is widely applied for submarine cables. But there is no qualitative and
satisfying test method for this component apart of the HV routine test. There is a strong need
to develop a more sensitive test method, e.g. a PD (partial discharge) test for each factory
joint even at very long cable length.
Moreover, according to the experience of TenneT Offshore GmbH, a significant amount of
mechanical damages occurred during the production, transportation or installation of
submarine cables. These mechanical damages are mainly due to the length of the cable.
During the cable production, a lot of improvements have been achieved in order to reduce this
3
risk, like optimizing the intermediate storage facility and tools. Normally the cable
manufacturer and the installation company are two different entities. Therefore a clear
definition and supervision of the interfaces between the different companies is very important
in order to minimize the risk of mechanical damage during cable transportation and
installation. Figure 3 shows an example where an HV cable is improperly installed on the
offshore platform. Due to the unavoidable movement of the platform (up to ±1m), the cable
was mechanically damaged and had to be replaced.

Figure 3: Mechanical damage on the platform cable due to improper installation work

Also for the cable design, there are some special requirements regarding the offshore
implementation. For example, the cable installed on an offshore platform shall have a semi-
conductive layer for DC HV test after the installation as well as a fire retardant layer beside
the normal PE-sheath. For this, some manufacturers offer so-called “Sandwich”-Oversheath.
In order to minimize the risks of space charge effects in DC XLPE cables, TenneT Offshore
GmbH decided to slightly modify the after-installation-test compared to the CIGRE-
recommendation [3]. The testing voltage is positive polarity on the positive pole and negative
polarity on the negative pole of the cables. In order to determine the discharge on the cable,
especially after the testing, the measurement of residual voltage has also been introduced.

Figure 4: Vibration sword for the cable installation in the Waddensea area

4
In TenneT offshore GmbH’s projects, the HDD (Horizontal Direct Drilling) is widely utilized
for the land cables and landing point of submarine cables. Even some drillings with length of
more than 1.500 m were realized, e.g. at the crossing of river Ems and at the landfall.
The vibration sword (Fig. 4), which has less environmental impact, is applied in the German
Waddensea area (World Natural Heritage by UNESCO). The selection of offshore laying and
burial methods and the suitable equipment are also a challenge because the German
authorities have strict requirements for cable burial depths. For this purpose an anchor
penetration test has been performed successfully by TenneT Offshore GmbH and has been
adapted by the Authorities. As remedial measurement of post-laying, the Mass Flow
Excavator (MFE) has been used for some sections of the cable route. But it is questionable
whether this method can also be applied for DC XLPE live cables. Until today there is no
experience and no investigation of the cooling shock effect and the thereby caused overstress
on the cable insulation and the semi-conductive screens.
Different cable locating systems have been tested to ensure the horizontal and vertical
position of the submarine cables to fulfil the requirement of the authorities.
It is well-known that it is not realistic to dimension the HVAC export cables of OWF and
HVDC cluster cables with a 100% load factor. Instead it is well accepted to calculate the
current rating of those cables with load factors based on wind load statistics. However the 2K-
criteria [5] - the special requirement of the German authorities for minimizing the thermal
environmental impact – has also a significant influence on the cable dimensioning. The
requirements introduced by TenneT Offshore GmbH for the cable current rating are:
1) The whole cable route must be capable to transmit 100% load without considering the
2K-criteria;
2) The wind load based on the wind statistics derived from the FINO 1 measurement
platform in the German North Sea shall be applied for the calculation of the
transmission capacity without violating the 2K-criteria.

Figure 5: Temperature distribution of HVDC cables laying in Waddensea by FEM simulation

To verify the compliance with the 2K-criteria, a temperature monitoring system has been

5
installed [6] in two morphologic different areas of the Waddensea near Hilgenriedersiel:
Mischwatt (mixed sediment mudflat) and Sandwatt (sand flat) - . Temperature measurements
and load data from alpha ventus are now available for more than 18 months of operation.
Both, temperature measurements and calculations based on the load of alpha ventus, show
that the 2K-criterion is never violated, and that there is a large safety margin even during
strongest wind load phase. The calculations are based both on the IEC-standard - which is
also part of the approval system of the German authorities [5] - and FEM-methods (Fig. 5).
Temperature increase in Mischwatt and Sandwatt, measurement depth: 15 cm
0.8
calculation
24 h mean Mischwatt
24 h mean Sandwatt

0.6

0.4
Temperature [°C]

0.2

−0.2

−0.4

−0.6
Dec−20−2011 Jul−07−2012 Jan−23−2013 Jun−26−2013

Figure 6: Temperature rise in Wattensea with the burial depth of 15 cm


Temperature increase in Mischwatt and Sandwatt, measurement depth: 100 cm
3.5
calculation
24 h mean Mischwatt
24 h mean Sandwatt

2.5
Temperature [°C]

1.5

0.5
Dec−20−2011 Jul−07−2012 Jan−23−2013 Jun−26−2013

Figure 7: Temperature rise in Wattensea with the burial depth of 1 m

The comparison of the calculation results based on IEC 60853-2 and the temperature
measurements demonstrates the validity of the calculation method in burial depths of at least
1 m where the seasonal variation is slight (Fig. 7). At less laying depth the environmental

6
impact increases and dominates the temperature variation (Fig. 6).
Figure 8 shows the typical forced energy unavailability of offshore grid connection. It is
obvious that the offshore DC cables play the dominate role for the forced outage of an
offshore DC grid connection system.

Offshore DC Cable
Main Circuit Onshore
Onshore DC cables
Air Cooling System…
Auxiliary Power…
Valve Cooling…
Control & Protection
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Figure 8: Example of forced energy unavailability, contribution per system

Therefore, the planning of the spare parts, particularly for the offshore DC cable, is crucial.
Generally the spare parts for the offshore cables are planned for two repairs.
Normally, the demand of spare cable length for one repair is about three times of the water
depth of the cable location. For German North Sea with water depth less than 50 m, this
would yield in a theoretical spare length of 150 m per cable failure. But due to different
uncertainties, e.g. inaccuracy of fault location, layout of the applied repair ship, unexpected
longitudinal water ingress etc., a longer spare cable should be planned and kept in whole
length without any pre-cutting.

4. Outlook and Expectation for the further development


It is well-known that lack of experience and lack of standards are the tremendous challenges
for offshore grid connection systems. For the cable technology, especially the HVDC
submarine cables, there is no international standard except the CIGRE-recommendations. It is
estimated that an international standard will be introduced shortly with the substantially
increasing number of projects and by means of the accordant experience. This standardisation
should cover every component of grid connection systems from the planning to the operation.
In order to optimize the measurements of quality assurance, the testing methods, particularly
on the DC XLPE cables, will be further developed and verified, e.g. the routine-test method(s)
on the factory joints of the submarine cables shall be amplified from the HV test. Furthermore
the space charge measurement shall not be defined only as an item of development test by the
manufacturers. Such measurement shall also be one of the criterions to identify the quality of
DC cables. It is recommended to integrate this measurement into the type test or even into the
routine test. Certainly there is the necessity to standardize the reliable method and the
threshold value.

7
It is also estimated that the research work will be performed for the behaviour of water-tree
under DC voltage, especially for the whole service life of 30-40 years. For example, the task
could be to identify not only the qualitative but also the quantitative allowable volume of
moisture in the insulation and the semi-conductive screens of DC XLPE cables.
Moreover, the possibility of DC High Voltage tests combined with the partial discharge
measurement shall be verified, especially for the FAT and the After-Installation-Test.
Due to the difficulty of the transportation of the traditional resonance equipment to an
offshore platform, the suitable test method for the long offshore cable linked between offshore
platforms shall be further investigated, e.g. VLF test method or a shippable resonance test
equipment. Till today, only the soak-test (24 hours at U0) is technically and economically
feasible for those HV submarine cables.
As well known, the offshore bad weather impinges on the duration of submarine cable repair.
The new repair method is estimated with the minimized influence by bad weather.
Innovative solutions can be anticipated, such as cable temperature monitoring system, cable
failure monitoring system, cable failure location system (online and offline) especially for
submarine cable system with a cable route more than 100 km where it is not possible to
integrate repeaters with external power supply.
Of course, it is also to anticipate that new DC XLPE material will be introduced with the
higher voltage, e.g. 500 kV. But as above mentioned reason, it is recommended to expand the
operation and service experience firstly.
It is also estimated to a market development of operation services of the offshore grid
systems. More offers and service providers could be expected, such as the cable repair, cable
route survey, platform maintenance etc., due to an increasing number of OWFs and grid
connection systems in the German North Sea and in Europe.
In order to enlarge the number of the suppliers, new TenneT projects, starting with BorWin3,
have been split into different lots based on the experience of the previous projects. Therefore
all project implementation phases (milestones of the project) of the grid connection systems
and also the maintenance in the prospective operation must be further standardized, especially
the interfaces between the system components, e.g. platforms, converter stations and cable
systems etc. shall be further clearly defined and verified.

5. Summary
As the only TSO, which has made huge investment in offshore grid connection infrastructure
based on new technologies, such as HVDC VSC and DC XLPE cables, in the last six years,
TenneT Offshore GmbH has gathered plenty of experience during the project execution and
operation phase and will face enormous challenges still.
It is necessary to extend and modify the international standards according to the special
requirements of the offshore grid connection system, especially for DC XLPE cables.
DC XLPE cables with a voltage level above 300 kV shouldn’t be treated as an immature
technology. However, in comparison with AC-technology, especially with regard to decades
of experience in operation, this technology is still in development. The sharing of knowledge,
know-how and experience between suppliers, research institutions and utilities will promote
and accelerate this development.

8
BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] Dr. D. Zhang, Dr. T. J. Lebioda, Dr. Masoumeh Koochack-Zadeh and Dr. Jochen Jung:
“The First Three 800 MW Wind Park Grid Connection Projects with XLPE HVDC Cables”,
10th International Workshop on Large Scale Integration of Wind Power and on Transmission
Networks for offshore Wind Farms, Aarhus, 2011, Paper-No. WIW11-023
[2] CIGRE TB 490 Recommendations for Testing of Long AC Submarine Cables with Extruded
Insulation for System Voltage above 30 (36) to 500 (550) kV, Feb. 2012
[3] CIGRE TB 496 Recommendations for Testing DC Extruded Cable Systems for Power
Transmission at a Rated Voltage up to 500 kV, April 2012
[4] CIGRE TB 303 REVISION OF QUALIFICATION PROCEDURES FOR HV AND EHV AC
EXTRUDED UNDERGROUND CABLE SYSTEMS, August 2006
[5] Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH), Standard Konstruktive Ausführung von
Offshore-Windenergieanlagen, 2007; http://www.bsh.de/
[6] Bioconsult, Schuchardt & Scholle GbR, Temperaurmonitoring - Einbau der Sonden und erste
Datenauslesung

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi