Active cathodic protection for HV power cables in undersea application

Abstract This paper focuses on the performance analysis of the corrosion protection system of HV power cables for undersea applications. The aim of the work is to describe the relations between the main electrical parameters affecting the electric potential distribution in the cable layers and in the surrounding medium, when an active cathodic protection (CP) arrangement is used. In particular, the analysis focuses on the design of an active CP for reducing corrosion phenomena of the cable metallic shield. This study is based on a 2D analytical approach supported by a detailed 3D finite element analysis (FEM). It gives evidence to the relation between the electrical variables and the design criteria of the active cathodic protection system.