Cable Design Research Articles

A Novel Crossover Wiring of DC Cable for Photovoltaic System Against Lightning-Induced Overvoltage

Photovoltaic (PV) arrays are installed in wide-open areas, and they are vulnerable to indirect lightning strikes. The electronic devices in proximity may be damaged by the induced voltage caused by the impulse magnetic field across the dc cable loop for PV system. By compensating the magnetic flux, a novel crossover cable wiring is proposed in this article against lightning-induced overvoltage. Considering the electromagnetic coupling of PV bracket and metal frames, the magnetic field near PV array is computed, and the differential-mode-induced voltages in cables under different wirings are then compared. The influences of lightning striking points, mounting system structure, PV oblique angle and soil, etc., are discussed. The results indicate that the use of the proposed cable wiring scheme can reduce the induced voltage remarkably without any additional protective devices. The proposed crossover wiring scheme is easy to implement and cost-effective, which can provide guidance for cable wiring design of PV systems.

The Pretension Design of Cable Mesh considering the Large Deformation of Ring Truss

The conventional pretension design of cable mesh usually takes the ring truss as a rigid body or assumes small deformation. This method needs to be more accurate in designing super large aperture antennas. A cable mesh design method considering the large deformation of the ring truss is proposed in this paper based on the flexible multibody dynamics (FMD) and the force density method (FDM). With this method, the significant range deviation of the boundary points’ position of the ring truss under the tension of the external area of the cable mesh after the completion of the pretension design can be predicted with high accuracy. After the ring truss and cable mesh surface are assembled stably, there is only a minimal deviation between the actual mesh surface and the theoretical mesh surface of the antenna, and there is only a minimal deviation between the genuine mesh pretension and the design pretension. The above calculation method is verified by numerical simulation, and the simulation results show that the technique can be applied to the mesh pretension design of a super large aperture ring deployable antenna.

Simulation for the Fault Current Limiting Operation of REBCO CORC Superconducting Cables With Different Core Materials

With high power density and low loss, CORC superconducting cables composed of RE <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula> Ba <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> Cu <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{3}$</tex-math></inline-formula> O <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{7-\delta }$</tex-math></inline-formula> (REBCO)-coated conductors are of great interest for power transmission applications. They can also effectively be designed to serve as fault current limiters, thanks to their sharp superconducting-to-normal transition. Coupled electromagnetic-thermal finite-element simulations implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics were developed and validated against the published results for the fault current limiting (FCL) performance of two CORC cables of REBCO-coasted conductors wound on either copper or stainless steel cores. For improved accuracy, temperature dependencies of electrical and thermal properties of all component materials were considered in the simulations. The simulations were performed in the cross sections of the cables for every individual layer of each REBCO tape to deliver comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the current distribution and temperature rise in those layers. The studies can suggest approaches to optimize cable design for FCL applications by assessing the role of individual components. In the article, possible computational errors, challenges, and improvements are also discussed.

Damage modes and residual capacity of strand cables subjected to blast loads

This paper presents experimental and numerical studies on the damage mode of the strand cables under explosions, followed by an assessment of the residual capacity of the blast-damaged cables. Field blast tests were carried out to obtain the damage profile and dynamic response of four strand cables considering different charge weights and standoff distances. The numerical model was established in LS-DYNA, in which the strands were innovatively simulated by the equivalent beam-shell model. The finite element model was then validated by the test results. The experiments revealed that the strand cable presented a whiplash motion under blast loading and the remaining force in the cable was proportional to the number of remaining strands. The damage of the strands can be classified into three levels according to the experimental observations, providing the basis for the prediction of its residual capacity. Based on the validated model, parametric studies were conducted to investigate the influence of prestressing force, cable dimension, charge weight, and standoff distance on the damage degree of strand cables. An empirical formula was then derived through multi-variable regression analysis, which could accurately predict the residual capacity of strand cables after explosions. The empirical formula can be used for the preliminary blast-resistant design of strand cables, emergency disposal of blast-damaged cables, and also provides a reference for the risk assessment of cable-stayed structures.

Pre-stressed anchor cable force evolution laws of plane sliding bedding slopes

This paper aims to understand how anchor cable force evolution laws can improve reinforcement designs. The self-developed weak plane sustained deterioration technology was conducted in the indoor test on the reinforced bedding rock slope containing a linear type weak plane. The force evolution laws of anchor cables with the weak plane sustained deterioration was studied. Furthermore, the theoretical equations were derived on the basis of the rigid assumption of the rockmass and the limit equilibrium method, and the equations have been verified to be reliable through comparison with the test results. The numerical simulations in different rockmass mechanical parameters reveal that the theoretical equations are suitable for hard rockmass. The results indicate that, with the weak plane sustained deterioration, the anchor cable axial forces increase gradually, and the axial force increase is inversely proportional to the length of the free sections. The findings could provide the theoretical guideline for the pre-stress safety reserves during the reinforcement designs of anchor cables in different positions of bedding rock slopes.

Research on dynamic characteristics of large deformation shearer cable based on absolute node coordinate formulation method.

The development of intelligent and unmanned coal mining has put forward higher requirements on the service life and dynamic reliability of shearer cables. However, it is difficult to comprehensively consider the complexity of hosting conditions of coal mining working face and the dynamic characteristics of cables in different towing systems in the design and development of cables. The cables are periodized by pitch and have the same cross-sectional structure and properties. Based on the homogenization theory and volume average principle, the cable was assumed to be an orthotropic elastomer, and the tensile experimental method and finite element method were combined to calibrate the cable equivalent mechanical parameters. Based on the Absolute Node Coordinate Formulation (ANCF) method, the rigid-flexible coupled virtual prototype co-simulation model of shearer cable towing system was constructed to obtain the kinetic and kinematic parameters of each node of the cable and study the dynamic gradual change characteristics of the cable in different working areas. This research method has an important theoretical significance and engineering application value for the acquisition of dynamic characteristic parameters of shearer cables and the optimal design and dynamic reliability of cables.

Life-Based Geometric Design of HVDC Cables—Part 2: Effect of Electrical and Thermal Transients

This study, in two parts, investigates the design of high-voltage direct-current (HVdc) cables depending on electrothermal life modeling of the insulating material. The first part investigated the way in which different parameters affect the design of an HVdc cable in steady-state conditions, i.e., with known nominal voltage and ampacity. This article investigates the effect of electrical (i.e., voltage) transients, such as voltage polarity reversals (VPRs), in addition to thermal transients (such as load cycles of cable current) on the electrothermal life map of HVdc cables, and their influence on cable feasibility. An ad hoc MATLAB code has been developed for this study. The results show a considerable negative effect of electrical transients on the expected life. A more severe effect of electrical transients is noticed for materials with a lower value of the temperature coefficient of conductivity, due to a longer duration of transients. On the contrary, thermal transients associated with load cycles—which mostly imply current values equal to or lower than cable ampacity—imply insulation temperature values always lower than the maximum permissible temperature, and thus, they have a positive effect on the electrothermal life since the thermal stress applied on the cable insulation will be reduced, allowing for smaller cable geometries for a fixed voltage and ampacity rating. It must be noticed that only the electrothermal life is investigated in this article, and other types of stresses (e.g., mechanical stress) may also affect insulation life, but this is out of the scope of this study.

Investigation of the effects of surrounding media on the distributed acoustic sensing of a helically wound fibre-optic cable with application to the New Afton deposit, British Columbia

Abstract. Fibre-optic sensing technology has recently become popular for oil and gas extraction, mining, geotechnical engineering, and hydrogeology applications. With a successful track record in many applications, distributed acoustic sensing using straight fibre-optic cables has become a method of choice for seismic studies. However, distributed acoustic sensing using straight fibre-optic cables cannot detect off-axial strain at high incident angles (the angle between the ray and normal vector of the surface); hence, a helically wound cable design was introduced to overcome this limitation. The helically wound cable field data at the New Afton deposit in British Columbia, Canada, showed that the quality of the data is highly dependent on the incident angle and surrounding media. A 3D finite element model developed using COMSOL Multiphysics quickly and efficiently assessed the effects of various materials surrounding a helically wound cable for simple geometry for scenarios corresponding to a real deployment of such cable underground at the New Afton mine. The proposed numerical modelling workflow could be applied to more complicated scenarios (e.g., non-linear material constitutive behaviour and the effects of pore fluids). The results of this paper can be used as a guideline for analyzing the impact of surrounding media and incident angle on the response of helically wound cable, optimizing the installation of helically wound cable in various conditions, and validating boundary conditions of 3D numerical models built for analyzing complex scenarios.

Theoretical investigations of weakly- and strongly-coupled multi-core fibers for the applications of optical submarine communications under power and fiber count limits.

The practical cable design for optical submarine communications has a limited fiber pair count due to the mechanical considerations of cable weight and size. Consequently, multi-core fibers (MCFs) could exhibit higher capacity than conventional single-mode fibers (SMFs) thanks to space division multiplexing (SDM). That is because the power supply to a submarine cable is fed by the voltage difference between shores. Under the power-limited condition, SDM improves the cable capacity by using more paths which outperforms the SMF link whose capacity approximately complies with a logarithmic relationship to optical power. At the same time, fiber nonlinearity can be alleviated by the reduced power density of transmitted light in MCFs, due to the increased spatial diversity and mode coupling among coupled cores. In this work, we theoretically investigate the potentials of MCFs including weakly-coupled multicore fiber (WC-MCF) and strongly-coupled multicore fiber (SC-MCF) as the propagation media for submarine communications across the Atlantic and the Pacific. To fairly compare the performances of SMFs- and MCFs-based submarine cables, the Gaussian noise (GN) model for SDM links is employed to optimize the systematic settings including spatial multiplicity and single span length. Then, we develop an SDM and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) fiber transmission model based on coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equations (CNSE) to investigate the optical filed coupling effect in MCFs-based cables. The developed transmission model has been self-examined by measuring the inter-core crosstalk (IC-XT) and spatial mode dispersion (SMD), referring to the set values. As indicated by the theoretical analysis, the WC-MCFs cable exhibits a larger capacity than the SMFs cable, when the fiber pair count is limited below 32. Moreover, the SC-MCFs cable outperforms the WC-MCFs cable thanks to the reduced fiber nonlinearity due to the random mode coupling and the assistance of multiple-input and multiple-output digital signal processing (MIMO-DSP). At last, the marginal influences of IC-XT, SMD, and insertion loss of Fan-in and Fan-out couplers are also analyzed for the MCFs cable.

Reliability-assisted determination of partial factors for the design of main cables considering secondary stress effect

The main cables of suspension bridges typically serve as the primary load-carrying components. Determination of reasonable main cable sizes is crucial for the bridge safety and functionality. The limit state design method with the combination of partial factors has been widely used in multiple countries as a substitute for the factor of safety design method. Determination of reasonable partial factors that can properly satisfy a target reliability index has received much attention. However, most of the existing research neglects the secondary stress effect, which can be of a significant magnitude, for the main cable. To address the gap, this paper proposes a reliability-assisted framework for the determination of the partial factors considering both first and secondary stresses for the main cable design. Three suspension bridges with main span lengths ranging from 850 m to 2300 m are used as the engineering background. Results show that the recommended design factors can be used in the preliminary design stage to facilitate a reasonable cable design that yields the target reliability index, therefore validating the feasibility of the proposed framework.

Geological and geotechnical characterisation of soft Holocene marine sediments: A case study from the north Irish Sea

The seabed of the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt (north Irish Sea) comprises a thick sequence of fine-grained Holocene marine sediments that overlay complex glacial deposits. The Holocene sequence preserves a record of environmental change in the area. Part of this area is earmarked for a number of offshore wind farm developments. The area poses a number of geotechnical challenges to such developments, including soft marine silts and clays as well as shallow gas. This paper characterises the soil conditions in the area in the context of offshore renewable energy development using various geophysical techniques, geotechnical data and shallow (3 m) sediment samples obtained across multiple research surveys between 2009 and 2020. The purpose is to assess the use of such techniques, including multichannel sparker seismic and underwater multichannel analysis of surface waves (UMASW), in characterising these kinds of sediments. It is also intended to build on previous research and provide a reference dataset and case study for further work in developing offshore wind in the area. UMASW and in-situ cone penetration testing with pore pressure measurement (CPTu) results showed good agreement in characterising these Holocene sediments, with multichannel sparker delineating shallow gas from surrounding sediments. Core profiles show distinct lithological variation in the upper 3 m, which can be related to CPTu parameters, but is not resolvable by UMASW profiles. Paleoenvironmental reconstruction for this upper 3 m suggests changes in depositional setting over the past ca. 7000 years, which could influence sedimentary structure. These parameters have implications for cable installation design.

Techno-Economic Optimization of the NbTi DTT Feeders

The superconducting (SC) coils of the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility will be connected to the current leads by a set of SC feeders, currently designed as cable-in-conduit conductors wound using commercial NbTi strands to be cooled by Supercritical Helium at 4.5 K. The feeders are immersed in the magnetic field generated by the SC coil and plasma outside of magnet system, so that the maximum field on the most loaded feeder can reach 4 T at the full rated current (including the self-field effect). Here the performance of the feeder conductors is assessed during a plasma pulse, based on the DTT standard single-null operating scenario, for the most loaded feeder of the Central Solenoid and of the Toroidal and Poloidal Field coils, computing the minimum temperature margin to current sharing throughout the plasma scenario. Several alternative cabling configurations are analyzed, designed to withstand the nominal current at the peak field with a different number of SC and stabilizer strands. A figure of merit is built parametrically based on the variation of the minimum temperature margin as a function of the material, manufacturing and operational costs of the different alternative feeder layouts. Based on such techno-economical characterization, the optimal (cheapest) design of the feeder cables is identified.

Microcontroller-based aging test system design and implementation for medium voltage cables

• The design, development, and application of an accelerated water treeing test (AWTT) system are presented. • A current measurement system is designed to use on the medium voltage side. • The AWTT system can detect the life of medium voltage cables between 15 and 36kV. • The AWTT system is designed according to HD 620 S2 European cable standard. • The AWTT system tested two different medium voltage cables successfully. In this study, the design and implementation of a new cable test system were carried out for the aging process of medium voltage (MV) cables. Two different pools, medium voltage systems, and microcontroller-based control circuits of these systems were developed for the accelerated water tree test (AWTT) process. Moreover, a new current measurement system was proposed for improve insulation to MV applications. A water aging process was applied to 15 and 36 kV distribution system cables to test the performance of the developed test system. Since the aging test process of the 15 kV cable has been completed, the breakdown voltage of the cable was determined. However, the aging test process for the 36 kV cable continues. The test results show that the AWTT process for two medium voltage cables was carried out successfully by the developed microcontroller-based test system by satisfying the requirement of international standards.

Optimization Design Method of the Umbilical Cable Global Configuration Based on Representative Fatigue Conditions

Umbilical cable is one of the key equipment for deep sea oil and gas exploration. To ensure structural safety and normal functioning, the umbilical cable is often presented with a specific global configuration for compensating for the floating body motion due to the harsh environmental load during operation. Considering the reciprocating periodicity of the dynamic response of the umbilical cable under ocean wave loads, the fatigue analysis is required to ensure the safe operation. However, the numerous sea conditions lead to a huge amount of calculation. Aiming at the global configuration design of the lazy-wave umbilical cable, this study carried out a global configuration optimization design method based on a few representative fatigue conditions. The design variables were the control parameters of the global configuration, and the total length and the cumulative fatigue damage were the two objective functions. By resolving the optimization formulation, an optimal global configuration design for a dynamic umbilical cable with antifatigue performance and economic cost was obtained.

Numerical analysis of the mechanical and electrical properties of CORC cables under torsional loading

The type II high-temperature superconducting (HTS) ReBCO tapes have been widely used in high-field magnets. Conductors on round core (CORC) cables can carry very high currents in background magnetic fields exceeding 20 T, making it one of the most important types of HTS cables. However, the cables of the magnets in the fusion reactor are subjected to large mechanical and electromagnetic loads that may twist the CORC cables. The intrinsic strain of the superconducting cable is constrained by the brittleness of the HTS tape, which, if exceeded, will cause irreversible damage by producing cracks in the ReBCO layer. A finite element (FE) model was developed to predict how the CORC cable will perform in torsional cases. A comparison of numerical simulations with experiments for a single- and double-layer CORC cable is first performed to validate the model's reliability. For single-layer CORC cables, our model reduces the error between FE results and experiments from 46.7% to 6.7%. Variations in the winding angle, tape width, Poisson's ratio of the CORC cable core material, and core radius were made as part of the parametric analysis. The critical torsion angle is analyzed from the perspective of critical current density reduction. The results show that maintaining a small tape gap (smaller winding angle (26−30°), smaller core diameter, and larger tape width) and a small Poisson ratio can improve the strain limit of the ReBCO layer. The reason for the plateau phenomenon in the normalized critical current density curve of the double-layer CORC cable is reinterpreted. It is also confirmed that multi-layer CORC cables still need to maintain a small tape gap. The FE model can guide optimizing a cable design for specific application conditions.

Ways to ensure the attenuation coefficient within the limits of normal values of single shielded twisted pair cables for industrial Ethernet networks

In recent years, the concept of Industry 4.0 and IioT has seen an intensive transition of industrial networks to wired data transmission based on the Ethernet family of technologies. The given chronology of the development of international standards of industrial Ethernet and corresponding cables based on twisted pairs proves the perspective of using a single twisted pair with the possibility of transmitting a power signal, which significantly reduces the number, weight and cost of cables in the network. According to international standards on cables for industrial Ethernet, shielded solutions based on a single shielded twisted pair must ensure the transmission of digital signals in the frequency range of up to 20 MHz over a distance of up to 1 kilometre. The need to use a shielded twisted pair is due to operating conditions under the influence of strong electromagnetic interference. An analytical review of scientific publications shows that shielded cable designs have increased values of electrical capacity. On the basis of numerical modelling of the electric field in the twisted pair, the value of the electrical capacity is determined depending on the design of the screen. It is shown that the shielded twisted pair has significantly larger (by 80 %), electrical capacity values compared to the unshielded one, provided the insulation, screen and protective polymer shell are of the same thickness. The effectiveness of the use of a two-layer aluminium polymer screen is substantiated. It has been proven that varying the thickness and dielectric permeability of the screen film material allows optimizing the cable design to ensure lower values of the working capacity compared to an unshielded pair. On the basis of numerical calculations, it is shown that when the two-layer screen is placed with the film outwards, the working capacity increases significantly and does not differ from the capacity shielded with a solid metal screen. The validity and adequacy of the performed numerical calculations of the electrical capacity of twisted pairs is confirmed by experimental results of measurements of the attenuation coefficient in the frequency range up to 20 MHz of unshielded and shielded twisted pair with a two-layer laminated screen.

Thermal-hydraulic analysis of alternative cable-in-conduit conductors for the European DEMO hybrid central solenoid

A hybrid design of the Central Solenoid is under study within the conceptual design phase of the European DEMO fusion reactor. It is based on HTS conductors in the innermost high-field layers, and Nb3Sn and NbTi conductors for field values below 15 T. Since the resistance of the stainless steel jacket to mechanical fatigue drives the whole magnet design, alternative layouts of the cable-in-conduit conductors are aimed at decoupling the mechanical and hydraulic functions of the jacket itself. Thus, a reduced steel thickness, a smaller radial build of the coil and a larger magnetic flux are achievable. In this work, we analyse a new cable design based on filled conductors and tight He channels, both for the HTS and the LTS layers, and study their thermal-hydraulic performance by means of numerical simulations. After having introduced the geometrical and material details of the considered conductors, we describe the model and assumptions made for estimating the AC losses, assumed as the only heating source. Finally, we discuss the resulting minimum temperature margin of the conductors and provide useful insights for future activities on conductor development.

A Method to Quantify Technical-Economic Aspects of HTS Electric Power Cables

In prevision of an expansion in the installed power and the progressive increase in electrification toward energy transition, high-efficiency electric grids are required. In this process, superconducting power cables could play an important role as they can be installed either to realize new lines or to replace existing infrastructures, potentially reducing the costs and the environmental impact compared to conventional solutions. The technical-economic convenience of the superconducting choice depends on the design parameters of the line, such as the voltage and power levels and the line length. For each condition, the configuration of the cable and its cooling system must be optimized while complying with a number of electrical and geometrical constraints. Identifying a priori the optimal cable configuration is not trivial, as the numerous variables involved are mutually dependent. This article describes a novel tool developed to quantify technical-economic aspects of superconducting cables, allowing the user to freely select the operating conditions for a generic electric line. The tool adopts a genetic algorithm to solve a constrained minimization problem for a multivariable function, returning the cable configuration characterized by the lowest costs. For this study, ac concentric cables realized with high temperature superconductors are selected, but the approach described can easily be adapted to other types of cable. By means of suitable simplifying hypotheses, the equations used to size the cable components and their corresponding costs, estimate the thermal inputs and describe the cryogen flows are introduced as parametric equations. Finally, the results of a detailed study on the impact of the relevant parameters on the cable design and costs is provided.

Comparison of Raman, Brillouin, and Rayleigh Distributed Temperature Measurements in High-Rate Wells

With the maturity of and demand for fiber-optic sensing technology growing steadily over the last few years across multiple basins, operators are seeking fiber-optic sensing solutions that address the technology challenges associated with the life-of-field monitoring of subsea developments. Single-ended distributed temperature sensing (DTS) measurements have been acquired for decades now, typically using Raman optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) on multimode fiber. However, for topside interrogation of subsea completions, Raman DTS performs poorly. This is due to the available optical power budget and the potential wavelength dependency of optical attenuation across multiple connectors and splices comprising the optical subsea infrastructure. Any wavelength-dependent attenuation as the signals pass through connectors, splices, and optical feedthrough systems will generate step changes in the measured Raman DTS temperature profile. Brillouin OTDR can provide a DTS alternative that overcomes these challenges and operates on single-mode fiber. Brillouin OTDR operates with a large dynamic range to measure a wavelength (frequency) shift of the Stokes/anti-Stokes components that is proportional to both strain and temperature. Since downhole cables are manufactured with optical fibers suspended in a gel and with appropriate extra fiber length (EFL), any fiber strain relaxes, and the Brillouin wavelength shift is an absolute temperature measurement. An additional alternative is also explored here. We typically associate coherent Rayleigh OTDR with distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) on single-mode fibers, but low frequencies also contain a relative temperature dependence. The low-pass filtering of DAS data can then be used as a form of Rayleigh DTS with appropriate data processing. In this paper, we report on a comparison of Raman, Brillouin, and Rayleigh DTS simultaneously acquired in the same high-rate producer and injector wells. We validate that, with appropriate cable design, Brillouin DTS can be simultaneously operated on the same single-mode fiber with DAS and can deliver absolute temperature measurements suitable for production analysis. We also use a laboratory experiment to show that Rayleigh DTS provides an accurate measure of temperature changes comparable in precision to a traditional thermocouple. We conclude with a discussion about the implementation of this DAS-DTS solution for sensing subsea completions.

Evaluation of the power frequency magnetic field generated by three-core armored cables through 3D finite element simulations

The great expansion in offshore power plants is raising the concern regarding the cumulative effect of the electromagnetic field emissions caused by submarine power cables. In this sense, owners are required to predict these emissions during the permitting and consenting process of new power plants. This is a challenging task, especially in the case of HVAC three-core armored cables due to their complex geometry. Customarily, 2D approaches based on the finite element method (FEM) have been employed for evaluating the magnetic field emissions caused by these cables. However, inaccurate results are obtained since the phase conductors and armor twisting is omitted. This work develops, for the first time in the literature, an in-depth analysis of the magnetic field caused by this type of cable through an ultra-shortened 3D-FEM model, which is also faced to experimental measurements taken on an actual 132 kV, 800 mm 2 three-core armored cable. Relevant conclusions are derived regarding the impact of the cable design on the magnetic field emissions, including material properties, as well as single and double-layer armors, presenting the proposed model not only as a valuable tool for predicting purposes, but also for optimizing cable design in terms of magnetic field emissions. • 2D approaches overestimate the magnetic field emitted by three-core armored cables. • Ultra-shortened 3D-FEM models include the effect of conductor and armor twisting. • Good accuracy in predicting the magnetic field emitted by the three-core cable. • In-depth analysis of the impact of cable design on magnetic field emissions. • Application for evaluating the environmental impact of power cables in the seabed.