With the expansion of offshore wind farms, research on power cables for delivering electricity from offshore to onshore has become increasingly important. In offshore wind farms, submarine cables are introduced and secured to the platform through J-tube conduits. During this process, the cables are exposed to three distinct thermal profiles: high temperatures in the upper section, temperature fluctuations due to water level changes in the middle section, and low temperatures in the seabed region. This study investigates the impact of thermal variations on the insulation performance of submarine cables. To analyze this effect, accelerated aging tests were conducted on both insulation specimens and actual cables. Additionally, dielectric breakdown tests were performed to quantitatively assess insulation degradation. Experimental results revealed that the insulation performance of the specimens exposed to periodic temperature fluctuations due to water level changes deteriorated by up to 7.5%. Based on these findings, the vulnerable sections of submarine cables in offshore wind farms were identified. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the necessity for monitoring and protective measures to mitigate insulation degradation in these critical regions.
