WindEurope Bilbao 2024 Poster and Presentation.

Detection and localization of electrical faults in power cables can be challenging in a submarine environment. We have conducted a series of tests to evaluate the effectiveness of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) for detecting and localizing electrical faults in a submarine cable. Two distinct types of defects were intentionally applied to a buried and submerged cable: a defect in the outer serving and a defect in the insulation. Subsequently, a cable thumper was connected to generate a short-circuit and arc at the fault location, thereby inducing acoustic emission in the cable. To capture these vibrations and acoustics, a DAS system was connected to the optical fibers embedded in the power cable. The DAS system successfully detected the acoustics caused by the arc-for both defects. Furthermore, at a high measuring frequency, we observed the resulting shockwave traveling through the cable, enabling accurate fault localization along the cable. The proposed method offers a non-intrusive solution for electrical fault detection and localization in electrical submarine cables.