August 01, 2024 – Offshore wind energy is crucial for the energy transition, providing millions with sustainable electricity through export cables that connect offshore farms to the onshore grid. However, traditional acoustic and magnetic methods used for cable surveying are often time-consuming, expensive, and unreliable. To address these challenges, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, in collaboration with the University of Bremen and TenneT Offshore GmbH, are developing a groundbreaking measuring system under the SASACD project.
This innovative system employs seismic measurements to precisely locate subsea cables in the seabed, achieving high accuracy even at depths of up to ten meters. It significantly improves upon existing survey methods, allowing for efficient mapping over extensive areas without the need to power down cables during surveys. As offshore wind farms proliferate, accurate cable localization is increasingly essential to prevent infrastructure damage and ensure operational reliability.
The SASACD system utilizes a towed data acquisition platform equipped with hydrophones and advanced positioning technologies. By capturing sound waves emitted from a surface signal source, the system creates high-resolution images of cable positions in real time, ensuring that cables can be located with decimeter accuracy.
Dr. Jude Castelino, a project manager at Fraunhofer IWES, emphasizes the significance of this technology: “Searching for underwater cables is extremely challenging. Our seismo-acoustic system allows us to pinpoint the approximate location of cables efficiently.” This method will not only streamline the installation of new cables but also enhance the maintenance of existing infrastructure, ultimately leading to more reliable offshore wind operations.
With support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the project is poised to revolutionize subsea cable monitoring, marking a significant step forward in offshore energy management.
Find the original press release here.