Starting June 2022, a new project, in cooperation with the company
FIELAX GmbH, aims to study the uncertainties and risks for buried offshore power cables from wind farms in sediments with shallow (biogenic) gases.
The demand for renewable energy production, for instance via offshore windfarming is growing and subsequently the connection to onshore power plants supplied by submarine power cables. Producing and repairing these cables is extremely challenging and costly – both in terms of money and resources. Designs of power cables are commonly based on the potential heat generation of a power cable during operation and conservative estimates for heat transfer in marine sediments. A critical aspect for the heat transfer in marine sediments could be areas with shallow gases, that are transferring heat poorly. Here, a feedback could be created through an additional heat source that forces an expansion and propagation of shallow biogenic gases.
This project is funded by the state of Bremen within the framework of the state program “Promotion of Research, Development and Innovation” (FEI) of the Senator for Economics, Labor and Europe of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.