Submarine cable protection device and installation method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a submarine cable protection device and an installation method thereof. The submarine cable protection device comprises a plurality of pile casing assemblies which are connected in a nested mode. Each pile casing assembly comprises a sleeve, nested connection structures connected to the two ends of the sleeve and an annular flow guide structure arranged on the outer surface of the sleeve, and all the sleeves and the nested connection structures are of hollow structures and used for submarine cables to penetrate through in the axial direction. Each nested connection structure comprises a mother end and a son end, and the mother ends and the son ends connected with the same sleeve are respectively used for being in nested connection with the corresponding son ends and mother ends connected with different sleeves; each mother end is composed of two symmetrical semispherical mother end units, and each son end is composed of two symmetrical semispherical son end units; each annular flow guide structure comprises an annular base and a plurality of flow guide plates with spaced protrusions, the outer surfaces of the corresponding sleeves are sleeved with the annular bases, the flow guide plates are fixed to the corresponding areas of the annular bases, and the annular bases are of an openable structure. The invention aims to realize anti-bending protection of the submarine cable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of marine cables, and in particular to a marine cable protection device and an installation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] At present, submarine cables are the main way of power transmission in offshore wind farms, which directly affects the stable operation of offshore wind power. In order to protect submarine cables, most cables are laid under the seabed, which can effectively protect the submarine cables from damage caused by ocean current loads and seabed organisms. The cables are connected to the wind power foundation through a curved tube near the wind power foundation, which effectively limits the bending of the submarine cables. However, the transition section of the cable extending from the end of the curved tube to the seabed usually forms a suspended section. In a complex offshore environment, especially in offshore areas, the ocean currents and surges are strong, resulting in scour pits around the foundation piles and submarine cables, which gradually expand under the long-term action of the ocean currents, and the suspended section of the submarine cable is extended. This not only increases the risk of excessive bending of the submarine cable, but also causes alternating vortex shedding of the suspended submarine cable under the action of the incoming current, which may cause vortex-induced vibration, leading to mechanical damage and seriously threatening the safety of the submarine cable. In addition, the submarine cable exposed outside the seabed may rub and collide with the seabed rocks under the ocean current load, damaging the outer protective layer of the submarine cable, and eventually causing the submarine cable to fail.

[0003] Existing submarine cable protection measures can be divided into direct protection and indirect protection. Direct protection includes submarine cable bending protection, such as using bend limiters, anti-bending pipes and brackets to prevent excessive bending of submarine cables; the other type is outer layer protection, which prevents damage to the outer layer of submarine cables by using protective pipes, covering or burying. However, covering and burying methods cannot be applied to the suspended section near the submarine cable foundation. Although traditional bending protection devices can prevent overbending to a certain extent, they do not take into account the limitation of the submarine cable in the pipe. The submarine cable will still swing in the curved pipe, rub against the pipe wall, and damage the outer layer. In addition, due to the complex seabed conditions, once the anti-bending device is damaged, it is difficult to maintain. Indirect protection solves the problem of local scouring and prevents the extension of the suspended section, thereby avoiding excessive bending of the submarine cable or generating vortex-induced vibration. Traditional methods include filling the scouring pit near the foundation piles with riprap and sandbags to reduce the length of the suspended section and play an indirect protective role. However, these methods are difficult to construct, the protection effect is unstable, and there may be a risk of secondary scouring. The hollowing effect of water flow can cause the fill to settle, so it needs regular inspection and reinforcement, which increases the subsequent maintenance costs and may have a negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment.

[0004] The invention patent with the existing publication number CN118399306A discloses a submarine cable protection device, which includes: a casing unit, the casing unit includes: a sleeve, an internal buffer assembly, and an external buffer assembly; the sleeve is used for the submarine cable to pass through; the internal buffer assembly includes a plurality of internal buffer units, and the plurality of internal buffer units are arranged at circumferential intervals along the inner circumferential wall of the sleeve, and the internal buffer unit includes a first flexible protective strip, which extends axially and is installed on the inner circumferential wall of the sleeve; the external buffer assembly includes a connecting cable and a plurality of second flexible protective strips, the connecting cable hoop is arranged on the outer circumference of the sleeve, and the plurality of flexible protective strips are connected by the connecting cable, and the plurality of flexible protective strips are arranged at circumferential intervals along the sleeve, and the flexible protective strips extend along the axis. Although the device can realize the collision protection and vortex-induced vibration suppression protection of the suspended span section submarine cable, the applicable position is limited, and it cannot provide comprehensive protection for the suspended section close to the wind power foundation. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a submarine cable protection device and an installation method thereof, aiming to solve the technical problem that the existing submarine cable protection device has poor comprehensive protection effect on the suspended section of the submarine cable.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a submarine cable protection device, the device comprising a plurality of nested and connected casing assemblies;

[0007] A single casing assembly includes a sleeve, a nested connection structure connected to both ends of the sleeve, and an annular flow guide structure disposed on the outer surface of the sleeve. Each sleeve and the nested connection structure are hollow structures and are used for the submarine cable to pass through in the axial direction.

[0008] Each nested connection structure includes a female end and a sub-end, and the female end and the sub-end connected to the same sleeve are used for nested connection with the corresponding sub-end and female end connected to different sleeves;

[0009] Each female end is composed of two symmetrical hemispherical female end units, and each sub-end is composed of two symmetrical hemispherical sub-end units;

[0010] Each annular guide structure includes an annular base and a plurality of guide plates with spaced protrusions. The annular base is sleeved on the outer surface of the corresponding sleeve, and each guide plate is fixed to a corresponding area on the annular base. The annular base is an openable and closable structure.

[0011] Optionally, the inner surface of each sleeve is further provided with a plurality of grooves, and a corresponding buffer strip is embedded in each groove.

[0012] Optionally, each groove is T-shaped.

[0013] Optionally, each buffer strip is a flexible buffer strip.

[0014] Optionally, each sleeve is composed of two symmetrical half protective shells.

[0015] Optionally, each annular base is composed of two symmetrical annular base half structures.

[0016] Optionally, two symmetrical connecting protrusions are provided in the corresponding area of ​​each hemispherical female end unit, and each connecting protrusion is provided with at least two through holes, and each through hole is used to symmetrically fix the two hemispherical female end units.

[0017] Optionally, each annular guide structure includes an annular base and three guide plates with spaced protrusions.

[0018] Optionally, each guide plate is made of a highly elastic polyurethane material.

[0019] In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention also provides a method for installing a submarine cable protection device, the method comprising the following steps:

[0020] Step 1: pre-embed the flexible buffer strips into the inner grooves from both ends of the half protective shell, and fix the two hemispherical female end units and the hemispherical sub-end units of the nested connection structure at both ends of the metal sleeve to form two symmetrical half units of the sleeve assembly;

[0021] Step 2, placing the submarine cable in the half protective shell and aligning the two half units of the casing assembly, and then symmetrically fixing the outer sides of the sleeve and the female end of the nested structure respectively;

[0022] Step 3, fixing the annular guide structure on the sleeve to complete the installation of a single casing assembly;

[0023] Step 4, when multiple casing assemblies need to be installed, obtain two casing assembly half units of the new section, and continue to axially pass the original submarine cable through the two casing assembly half units of the new section, and then nest the hemispherical female end units in the two casing assembly half units of the new section on the sub-end of another casing assembly, and symmetrically fix the corresponding annular guide structures on the outer side of the corresponding sleeve and the female end of the nested structure, and repeat the operation of the new section until the preset length is reached to complete the nested connection of multiple casing assemblies.

[0024] Beneficial effects:

[0025] (1) The device adopts multiple nested connected casing assemblies, which can be extended according to actual needs, and the sub-end is nested in the corresponding female end, which can limit the bending degree between the casing assemblies and realize anti-bending protection of the submarine cable.

[0026] (2) The annular flow guide structure guides the flow by driving the sleeve to rotate under the force of the guide plate, thereby reducing the effect of the water flow on the submarine cable. The rotating flow guide structure effectively suppresses the regular discharge of the vortex in the wake field of the submarine cable, thereby avoiding the occurrence of vortex-induced vibration and alleviating the fatigue failure of the submarine cable. The hinge connection design makes the annular flow guide structure faster to install underwater and realizes flexible replacement of accessories, which reduces the difficulty of construction and the cost of later operation and maintenance.

[0027] (3) The guide plate is made of highly elastic polyurethane material, which has excellent wear resistance, tear resistance and corrosion resistance, which can further improve the service life and effectively control costs.

[0028] (4) The entire submarine cable protection device has a simple construction process, is easy to install underwater, and has low cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0030] Figure 1 A side view of a single casing assembly of an embodiment of a submarine cable protection device of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a half unit of a casing assembly is shown;

[0032] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the half protective shell shown;

[0033] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the buffer strip in FIG.

[0034] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the annular base;

[0035] Figure 6 A top view of the connection of multiple casing assemblies of an embodiment of a submarine cable protection device of the present invention.

[0036] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0037]

[0038]

[0039] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the implementation methods and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0042] In addition, in the present invention, the descriptions such as "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.

[0043] Furthermore, the technical solutions between the various embodiments of the present invention may be combined with each other, but this must be based on the fact that they can be implemented by ordinary technicians in the field. When the combination of technical solutions is mutually contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0044] See also Figure 1-6 The present invention provides an embodiment of a submarine cable protection device, the device includes a plurality of nested connected casing assemblies; wherein a single casing assembly includes a sleeve 1, a nested connection structure 3 connected to both ends of the sleeve 1, and an annular flow guide structure 2 disposed on the outer surface of the sleeve 1, each sleeve 1 and the nested connection structure 3 are hollow structures and are used for the submarine cable to pass through in the axial direction. And each nested connection structure 3 includes a female end and a sub-end, the two ends of the sleeve 1 are respectively connected to a female end and a sub-end, the female end and the sub-end connected to the same sleeve 1 are used for nested connection with the corresponding sub-end and female end connected to different sleeves 1, and then the setting of successive nested connection is adopted, and the casing assembly can be extended according to actual needs.

[0045] Furthermore, if Figure 1-2As shown, each female end is composed of two symmetrical hemispherical female end units 31, and each sub-end is composed of two symmetrical hemispherical sub-end units 32, and each hemispherical female end unit 31 is provided with two symmetrical connecting protrusions 33, and each connecting protrusion 33 is provided with at least two through holes 3301, and each through hole 3301 is used to symmetrically fix the two hemispherical female end units 31. And the outer diameter of each sub-end is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the corresponding nested female end, so that the sub-end can be nested in the corresponding female end, which can limit the bending degree between the casing components and realize the anti-bending protection of the submarine cable. And the specific connection diagram is as follows Figure 6 As shown, the number of casing components can be increased by engaging the hemispherical female end unit 31 and the hemispherical sub-end unit 32 with each other, thereby extending the protection device and effectively controlling the cost.

[0046] Furthermore, if Figure 5 As shown, each annular flow guide structure 2 includes an annular base 21 and a plurality of flow guide plates 22 with spaced protrusions, the annular base 21 is sleeved on the outer surface of the corresponding sleeve 1, and each flow guide plate 22 is fixed to the corresponding area on the annular base 21. Preferably, one end of each flow guide plate 22 is centrally symmetrically connected to the corresponding annular base 21; more preferably, each annular flow guide structure 2 includes an openable annular base 21 and three flow guide plates 22 with spaced protrusions. In actual application, under the action of water flow, the annular flow guide device can drive the casing assembly to rotate, and while achieving flow diversion, it can disrupt the wake field of the submarine cable, reduce the fluid force on the surface of the submarine cable, and suppress the regular discharge of the vortex in the wake field of the submarine cable, thereby avoiding the occurrence of vortex-induced vibration, thereby alleviating fatigue failure of the submarine cable.

[0047] Furthermore, if Figure 2-3 As shown, the inner surface of each sleeve 1 is also provided with a plurality of grooves 15, and a corresponding buffer strip 4 is embedded in each groove 15. Preferably, each groove 15 is T-shaped. And each buffer strip 4 is a flexible buffer strip. Thus, the flexible buffer strip enables the submarine cable to have a certain anti-collision and anti-friction effect in the sleeve.

[0048] Furthermore, if Figure 4 As shown, each buffer strip 4 includes a waterproof protective cover 41 and compression springs 42 arranged at equal intervals and disposed in the waterproof protective cover 41, which effectively improves the anti-collision and anti-friction effect of the submarine cable in the sleeve.

[0049] Furthermore, if Figure 3As shown, each sleeve 1 is composed of two symmetrical half-protective shells 11, and each half-protective shell 11 is provided with a plurality of first fixing holes 12, second fixing holes 13, and third fixing holes 14, wherein the first fixing holes 12 are provided at both ends of the edge of the half-protective shell 11 and are used for connecting and fixing the two half-protective shells 11; and the second fixing holes 13 are provided at both ends of the two half-protective shells 11 and are respectively used for correspondingly connecting and fixing with the corresponding hemispherical female end unit 31 and hemispherical sub-end unit 32; and the third fixing holes 14 are provided on the side surface of the half-protective shell 11 and are used for connecting and fixing with the annular guide structure 2. Preferably, the half-protective shell 11 is made of metal.

[0050] Furthermore, if Figure 5 As shown, each annular base 21 is composed of two symmetrical annular base half structures, and the two annular base half structures are fixed together by hinges 23. The hinge connection makes it easier to install underwater and realizes flexible replacement of accessories, which reduces the difficulty of construction and the cost of later operation and maintenance. Preferably, each guide plate 22 is made of highly elastic polyurethane material, so that the annular guide structure also has excellent wear resistance, tear resistance and corrosion resistance, which can further improve the service life and further control the cost.

[0051] Furthermore, each annular base 21 is also provided with a plurality of first mounting holes 24, which are used to correspond to the third fixing holes 14 provided on the side surface of the semi-protective shell 11, and the connection and fixation of each annular base 21 and the semi-protective shell 11 are achieved through the third fixing holes 14 and the first mounting holes 24.

[0052] Furthermore, if Figure 2 As shown, a second mounting hole 34 is also provided at the end of the hemispherical female end unit 31, and the second mounting hole 34 is used to correspond to the corresponding second fixing hole 13 on the half protective shell 11, and the fixation of the hemispherical female end unit 31 and the half protective shell 11 is achieved through the second mounting hole 34 and the second fixing hole 13; similarly, a corresponding third mounting hole will also be provided on the hemispherical sub-end unit 32, and the fixation of the hemispherical sub-end unit 32 and the half protective shell 11 is achieved through the third mounting hole and the second fixing hole 13 at the other end of the half protective shell 11.

[0053] In addition, in order to better illustrate a submarine cable protection device of the present invention, the following is described in detail through a specific installation method, which includes the following steps:

[0054] Step 1, pre-embed the flexible buffer strip 4 from both ends of the half protective shell 1 into the inner groove 15, and fix the two hemispherical female end units 31 and the hemispherical sub-end units 32 of the nested connection structure at the two ends of the sleeve 1, respectively, to form two symmetrical half units of the sleeve assembly;

[0055] Step 2, placing the submarine cable in the half protective shell and aligning the two half units of the casing assembly, and then symmetrically fixing the outer sides of the female ends of the sleeve 1 and the nested connection structure 3;

[0056] Step 3, fixing the annular guide structure 2 on the sleeve to complete the installation of a single casing assembly;

[0057] Step 4, when multiple casing assemblies need to be installed, obtain two casing assembly half units of the new section, and continue to axially pass the original submarine cable through the two casing assembly half units of the new section, and then nest the hemispherical female end unit 31 in the two casing assembly half units of the new section on the sub-end of another casing assembly, and symmetrically fix the corresponding sleeve 1 and the outer side of the female end of the nesting structure 3 and install the corresponding annular guide structure 2, repeat the operation of the new section until the preset length is reached to complete the nested connection of multiple casing assemblies.

[0058] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A submarine cable protection device, characterized in that: The device includes a plurality of nested and connected casing assemblies; A single casing assembly comprises a sleeve (1), a nested connection structure (3) connected to both ends of the sleeve (1), and an annular flow guide structure (2) disposed on the outer surface of the sleeve (1); each sleeve (1) and the nested connection structure (3) are hollow structures and are used for the submarine cable to pass through in the axial direction; Each nested connection structure (3) comprises a female end and a sub-end, and the female end and the sub-end connected to the same sleeve (1) are used for nested connection with the corresponding sub-end and female end connected to different sleeves (1); Each female end is composed of two symmetrical hemispherical female end units (31), and each sub-end is composed of two symmetrical hemispherical sub-end units (32); Each annular flow guide structure (2) comprises an annular base (21) and a plurality of flow guide plates (22) with spaced protrusions. The annular base (21) is sleeved on the outer surface of the corresponding sleeve (1). Each flow guide plate (22) is fixed to a corresponding area on the annular base (21). The annular base (21) is an openable and closable structure.

2. The submarine cable protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner surface of each sleeve (1) is also provided with a plurality of grooves (15), and a corresponding buffer strip (4) is embedded in each groove (15).

3. The submarine cable protection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each groove (15) is T-shaped.

4. The submarine cable protection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each buffer strip (4) is a flexible buffer strip.

5. The submarine cable protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each sleeve (1) is composed of two symmetrical half protective shells (11).

6. The submarine cable protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each annular base (21) is composed of two symmetrical annular base half structures.

7. The submarine cable protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The corresponding area of ​​each hemispherical female end unit (31) is provided with two symmetrical connecting protrusions (33), each connecting protrusion is provided with at least two through holes (3301), and each through hole (3301) is used to symmetrically fix the two hemispherical female end units (31).

8. The submarine cable protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each annular flow guiding structure (2) comprises an annular base (21) and three flow guiding plates (22) with spaced protrusions.

9. The submarine cable protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Each guide plate (22) is made of high elastic polyurethane material.

10. The method for installing a submarine cable protection device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the method comprising the following steps: Step 1: pre-embed the flexible buffer strips into the inner grooves from both ends of the half protective shell, and fix the two hemispherical female end units and the hemispherical sub-end units of the nested connection structure at both ends of the metal sleeve to form two symmetrical half units of the sleeve assembly; Step 2, placing the submarine cable in the half protective shell and aligning the two half units of the casing assembly, and then symmetrically fixing the outer sides of the sleeve and the female end of the nested structure respectively; Step 3, fixing the annular guide structure on the sleeve to complete the installation of a single casing assembly; Step 4, when multiple casing assemblies need to be installed, obtain two casing assembly half units of the new section, and continue to axially pass the original submarine cable through the two casing assembly half units of the new section, and then nest the hemispherical female end units in the two casing assembly half units of the new section on the sub-end of another casing assembly, and symmetrically fix the corresponding sleeves and the outer sides of the female ends of the nested structure and install the corresponding annular guide structures, repeat the operation of the new section until the preset length is reached to complete the nested connection of multiple casing assemblies.

Images