Direct electric heating system for heating a subsea pipeline

1. A direct electric heating system for heating a subsea pipeline, the direct electric heating system comprising:

a subsea power cable adapted to be electrically coupled to a three phase electric power source for providing three phase electric power to a subsea location; and

two or more subsea direct electric heating (DEH) modules, each subsea DEH module of the two or more subsea DEH modules adaptable for heating a different pipeline section of the subsea pipeline having a different pipeline length, the two or more subsea DEH modules being adapted to be installed subsea at different subsea locations,

wherein each subsea DEH module of the two or more subsea DEH modules comprises:

a three phase transformer;

first electric connections adapted to electrically couple the three phase transformer of the subsea DEH module to the subsea power cable for supplying the three phase electric power to the three phase transformer;

second electric connections adapted to electrically couple the subsea DEH module to the respective pipeline section for providing electric power to the pipeline section for heating the pipeline section;

a symmetrisation unit coupled between the three phase transformer and the second electric connections, wherein the symmetrisation unit is adapted to distribute an electric load of the pipeline section evenly between the three phases of an output of the three phase transformer, so as to achieve a balanced three phase load on the three phase power source; and

a compensation reactor adapted to compensate for reactive power arising from a capacitance of the subsea power cable.

2. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein each subsea DEH module of the two or more subsea DEH modules is adapted to heat the respective pipeline section by single phase electric power, the pipeline section constituting a single phase load for the respective DEH module.

3. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein the pipeline section is coupled between a first phase and a third phase of the output of the three phase transformer, and

wherein the symmetrisation unit comprises a capacitance coupled between the first phase and a second phase of the output of the three phase transformer, and an inductance coupled between the second phase and the third phase of the output of the three phase transformer.

4. The direct electric heating system of claim 3 , wherein the capacitance, the inductance, or the capacitance and the inductance are adjustable.

5. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein the second electric connections comprise an electric connection from an output of the symmetrisation unit to one end of the respective pipeline section and an electric connection from the output of the symmetrisation unit to the other end of the respective pipeline section.

6. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein the three phase transformer comprises an on-load tap changer, the three phase transformer being controllable for adjusting a level of the voltage supplied to the second electric connections based on pipeline length.

7. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein the compensation reactor comprises a coil having an inductance, a value of the inductance being adjustable in accordance with a control signal based on a length of the subsea power cable.

8. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein the subsea power cable is electrically coupled to the three phase power source at a topside installation, and

wherein the direct electric heating system further comprises a topside three phase transformer at the topside installation, the topside three phase transformer being connected between the three phase power source and the subsea power cable for transforming a voltage supplied by the three phase power source to a higher voltage level.

9. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein the subsea power cable is electrically coupled to the three phase power source at a topside installation, and

wherein the direct electric heating system further comprises a topside variable frequency drive at the topside installation for adjusting a frequency, a voltage, or the frequency and the voltage of the three phase electric power supplied by the three phase power source.

10. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein the subsea power cable comprises a three core cable, each core of the three core cable supplying a phase of the three phase electric power to the subsea location.

11. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein the subsea DEH module further comprises a communication interface for communication with a topside installation, and

wherein the transformer, the symmetrisation unit, or the transformer and the symmetrisation unit are controllable via the communication interface.

12. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller for adjusting the symmetrisation unit for balancing a load on the three phase output of the three phase transformer automatically or in accordance with a received control signal.

13. The direct electric heating system of claim 1 , wherein each subsea DEH module of the two or more subsea DEH modules comprises a subsea enclosure, the three phase transformer and the symmetrisation unit being arranged in the subsea enclosure.

14. The direct electric heating system of claim 11 , wherein the transformer, the symmetrisation unit, or the transformer and the symmetrisation unit are controllable via control signals received from the topside installation on the communication interface.

15. The direct electric heating system of claim 2 , wherein the pipeline section is coupled between a first phase and a third phase of the output of the three phase transformer, and

wherein the symmetrisation unit comprises a capacitance coupled between the first phase and a second phase of the output of the three phase transformer, and an inductance coupled between the second phase and the third phase of the output of the three phase transformer.

16. A direct electric heating system for heating a subsea pipeline, the direct electric heating system comprising:

a subsea power cable adapted to be electrically coupled to a three phase electric power source for providing three phase electric power to a subsea location; and

two or more subsea direct electric heating (DEH) modules, each subsea DEH module of the two or more subsea DEH modules configured for individually adjusting heating of a different pipeline section of the subsea pipeline, the two or more subsea DEH modules being adapted to be installed subsea at different subsea locations,

wherein each subsea DEH module of the two or more subsea DEH modules comprises:

a three phase transformer;

first electric connections adapted to electrically couple the three phase transformer of the subsea DEH module to the subsea power cable for supplying the three phase electric power to the three phase transformer;

second electric connections adapted to electrically couple the subsea DEH module to the respective pipeline section for providing electric power to the pipeline section for heating the pipeline section;

a symmetrisation unit coupled between the three phase transformer and the second electric connections, wherein the symmetrisation unit is adapted to distribute an electric load of the pipeline section evenly between the three phases of an output of the three phase transformer, so as to achieve a balanced three phase load on the three phase power source; and

a three phase circuit breaker adapted to disconnect the subsea DEH module from the three phase power source.

17. The direct electric heating system of claim 16 , wherein each subsea DEH module of the two or more subsea DEH modules comprise a compensation unit adapted to compensate for reactive power arising from heating of the respective pipeline section.

18. The direct electric heating system of claim 17 , wherein the compensation unit comprises a capacitance value being controllable.

19. A direct electric heating system for heating a subsea pipeline, the direct electric heating system comprising:

a subsea power cable adapted to be electrically coupled to a three phase electric power source for providing three phase electric power to a subsea location and to be electrically coupled to a three phase power source at a topside installation;

a topside compensation reactor connected to the subsea power cable at the topside installation, the topside compensation reactor being adapted to compensate for reactive power arising from a capacitance of the subsea power cable; and

two or more subsea direct electric heating (DEH) modules, each subsea DEH module of the two or more subsea DEH modules configured for individually adjusting heating of a different pipeline section of the subsea pipeline having a different pipeline length, the two or more subsea DEH modules being adapted to be installed subsea at different subsea locations,

wherein each subsea DEH module of the two or more subsea DEH modules comprises:

a three phase transformer;

first electric connections adapted to electrically couple the three phase transformer of the subsea DEH module to the subsea power cable for supplying the three phase electric power to the three phase transformer;

second electric connections adapted to electrically couple the subsea DEH module to the respective pipeline section for providing electric power to the pipeline section for heating the pipeline section; and

a symmetrisation unit coupled between the three phase transformer and the second electric connections, wherein the symmetrisation unit is adapted to distribute an electric load of the pipeline section evenly between the three phases of an output of the three phase transformer, so as to achieve a balanced three phase load on the three phase power source.