DiBiasio, Christopher

This study is performed as a partial aid to a larger study that aims to determine if
electromagnetic fields produced by underwater power cables have any effect on marine
species. In this study, a new numerical method for calculating magnetic fields around
subsea power cables is presented and tested. The numerical method is derived from
electromagnetic theory, and the program, Matlab, is implemented in order to run the
simulations. The Matlab code is validated by performing a series of tests in which the
theoretical code is compared with other previously validated magnetic field solvers. Three
main tests are carried out; two of these tests are physical and involve the use of a
magnetometer, and the third is numerical and compares the code with another numerical
model known as Ansys. The data produced by the Matlab code remains consistent with
the measured values from both the magnetometer and the Ansys program; thus, the code is
considered valid. The validated Matlab code can then be implemented into other parts of
the study in order to plot the magnetic field around a specific power cable.