Localization of Typical Defects in 220kV XLPE Submarine Cable Based on Frequency Domain Reflection Technology

Since cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated cables possess excellent insulation, mechanical and heat dissipation characteristics, they are widely used in the submarine cable transmission system, and the failure rate of them increases accordingly. Considering that submarine cables are usually unable to detect defects in a close range, how to quickly and accurately locate submarine cable faults becomes a big problem, which directly affects the operating stability and reliability of the system. In this paper, a method for locating typical defects in submarine cables based on the frequency domain reflection (FDR) technique was proposed. Firstly, the principle of defect location based on FDR was described in briefly. Then a 220 kV submarine cable model with four typical defects were fabricated, and it was used to verify the validity of the above method in locating defects. Results show that four typical defects in the submarine cable are all effectively identified and located, and the maximum location error is no more than 5%. This above research has a broad application prospect in the defect location and maintenance of submarine cables.