Analysis of harmonics in subsea power transmission cables used in VSC-HVDC transmission systems operating under steady-state conditions

Subsea power cables are a critical component of a voltage-source converter-high-voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) transmission system in any offshore electrical power scheme. Subsea cables have complicated structures consisting of many different layers: conductor, insulation, sheath, and armor. Harmonic performance of the system depends upon the interactions between the subsea cable, the power converters, and other system components, such as smoothing capacitors. In this paper, a mathematical model of an HVDC-VSC transmission system is developed and its harmonic performance is investigated for steady-state operating conditions. The results suggest that the design of the subsea transmission cable has important effects on harmonic levels in the voltage and current waveforms in the cable and upon power loss within the transmission system. This paper demonstrates that it is always important to consider interactions between all of the system components when predicting harmonic performance in a VSC-HVDC transmission system.