A submarine cable construction traction head and traction monitoring system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a submarine cable construction traction head and traction monitoring system, wherein the submarine cable construction traction head includes a sealing assembly sealedly mounted at the end of a cable core, a steel wire fixing hardware fixedly mounted on the sealing assembly, and the steel wire fixing hardware having an annular structure, one end of which is fixedly connected to an outer cover disposed outside the sealing assembly, and the other end of which is fixedly connected to the steel wire armor layer of the cable. By providing a steel wire fixing hardware that is fixedly mounted on the sealing assembly and fixedly mounted to the armor layer of the cable, the present invention improves the connection strength with the cable, and simultaneously enables the cable core and the outer layer of the cable to jointly bear the tension during the traction process, effectively protecting the submarine cable from damage caused by the tension.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of submarine cable laying, and in particular to a submarine cable construction traction head and a traction monitoring system. Background Art

[0002] Submarine cables, as crucial media for transmitting energy and information, are widely used in offshore oil and gas, offshore wind power, and offshore photovoltaic platforms. During cable installation, a towing and traction device is installed at the cable head to secure the towing wire mesh. The towing head guides the cable, withstands the tension of the towing cable, and prevents water from entering the cable core. It is a crucial technical means for ensuring the safe laying of submarine cables. In existing technology, the towing head is typically installed by partially stripping the cable's sheath and then placing it over the exposed armor and jacket. Resin glue is then injected into the gap between the towing head and the armor, securing the armor and the towing head. With this structure, the towing head is only connected to the outer armor and jacket of the cable. If the connection is not secure enough, there is a risk of it falling off. If the connection is secure enough, the cable's outer layer is subject to stress, which can easily lead to damage from the pulling of the cable's surface. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to address the shortcomings of the existing technology and propose a submarine cable construction traction head and traction monitoring system to improve the connection strength between the traction head and the submarine cable, while effectively protecting the surface of the submarine cable from being easily damaged by tension.

[0004] The technical solution for achieving the purpose of the present invention is:

[0005] A submarine cable construction traction head includes a sealing assembly sealedly installed at the end of a cable core, a steel wire fixing hardware fixedly mounted on the sealing assembly, and the steel wire fixing hardware is a ring-shaped structure, one end of which is fixedly connected to an outer cover arranged outside the sealing assembly, and the other end is fixedly connected to the steel wire armor layer of the cable.

[0006] Furthermore, the steel wire fixing hardware is fastened to the outer cover by thread locking, and is fastened to the steel wire armor layer by welding.

[0007] Furthermore, water-blocking glue is filled between the two ends of the steel wire fixing hardware and the sealing component.

[0008] Furthermore, a plurality of rotatable rollers are installed on the outer wall of the outer cover.

[0009] Furthermore, the sealing assembly includes a first seal, a second seal and a sealing layer, the first seal is sealingly installed at the end of the insulated core of the cable, the second seal is sealingly installed at the end of the optical unit of the cable, the sealing layer is sealingly arranged outside the cable core and sealingly wraps the first seal and the second seal, and the steel wire fixing hardware is fixedly sleeved on the sealing layer.

[0010] Furthermore, the first sealing member includes a copper cover and a first heat shrink cover which are sequentially sleeved on the end of the insulated core of the cable from the inside to the outside; a first sealing tape and a second sealing tape are respectively wound around the interfaces between the copper cover, the first heat shrink cover and the insulated core; a first wrapping layer is wound around the outside of the second sealing tape; and the two ends of the first wrapping layer are respectively overlapped with the insulated core and the first heat shrink cover.

[0011] Furthermore, the second sealing member includes a second heat shrinkable cover sleeved on the end of the optical unit of the cable, a third sealing tape is wrapped around the interface between the second heat shrinkable cover and the optical unit, a second wrapping layer is wrapped around the outside of the third sealing tape, and the two ends of the second wrapping layer are respectively overlapped with the optical unit and the second heat shrinkable cover.

[0012] The first wrapping layer and the second wrapping layer are PVC tape or moisture-sensitive tape.

[0013] Furthermore, a torque detection sensor is provided at the end of the second sealing member, and a humidity detection sensor is provided in the inner cavity of the outer cover.

[0014] The humidity detection sensor comprises a detection circuit and a humidity sensitive unit electrically connected to the detection circuit. The humidity sensitive unit is a humidity sensitive element adhered to the inner wall of the outer cover or a humidity sensitive material filled between the outer cover and the sealing component.

[0015] Furthermore, a positioning sensor is provided on the inner wall of the outer cover.

[0016] A submarine cable construction traction monitoring system includes a controller, a receiving device, and the traction head as described above. The torque detection sensor and the humidity detection sensor are both connected to the receiving device signal, and the receiving device is connected to the controller signal. When the receiving device receives an abnormal signal from the torque detection sensor, the controller controls the humidity detection sensor to increase the signal sending frequency.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] (1) The traction head of the present invention is clamped on the sealing assembly by setting a steel wire fixing hardware and fixed with the armor layer of the cable, thereby improving the connection strength with the cable. At the same time, during the traction process, the cable core and the outer layer of the cable are jointly subjected to the tensile force, effectively protecting the submarine cable from being damaged by the tensile force.

[0019] (2) The traction head of the present invention realizes the fixed connection between the outer cover and the steel wire fixing hardware through thread locking, thereby realizing a detachable connection and convenient assembly.

[0020] (3) The traction head of the present invention is filled with water-blocking glue to prevent seawater from penetrating into the interior through the gaps between the two ends of the steel wire fixing hardware and the sealing component, thereby improving the sealing performance and achieving a better waterproof effect.

[0021] (4) The present invention effectively reduces the friction during the construction process and reduces the load of the traction device by adding rollers.

[0022] (5) The sealing component structure of the present invention adopts a multi-layer wrapping structure, first wrapping and sealing the insulating wire core and the optical unit in the cable core separately, and then wrapping and sealing the whole structure to improve the waterproofness of the whole structure.

[0023] (6) The present invention sets a humidity detection sensor and a torque detection sensor to detect the humidity inside the traction head and the stress condition of the light unit respectively. When an abnormality occurs, a signal can be sent in time to facilitate construction personnel to take corresponding measures.

[0024] (7) The present invention provides a positioning sensor, thereby facilitating the positioning and finding of the traction head during non-continuous construction.

[0025] (8) The traction monitoring system of the present invention is provided with a controller to control the signal sending frequency of the sensor. When the torque detection sensor detects that the optical cable is not under stress, the torque detection sensor and the humidity detection device periodically send the unstressed state of the optical cable and the humidity state inside the cover to the receiving device. The signal sending cycle is relatively long. When the torque detection sensor detects that the optical cable is under stress, that is, an abnormal stress signal, after the optical cable is under stress, the sealing component inside the cable is likely to slip with the steel wire fixing hardware. At this time, the sealing performance inside the cover may be greatly reduced. The controller controls the humidity detection device to increase the signal sending frequency, thereby closely monitoring the internal environment of the traction head. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to make the content of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below based on specific embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0027] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the traction head of the present invention.

[0028] The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings are:

[0029] Steel wire fixing hardware 1, outer cover 2, first sealing component 3, copper cover 3-1, first heat shrink cover 3-2, first sealing tape 3-3, second sealing tape 3-4, first wrapping layer 3-5, second sealing component 4, second heat shrink cover 4-1, third sealing tape 4-2, second wrapping layer 4-3, sealing layer 5, torque detection sensor 6, humidity detection sensor 7, positioning sensor 8, roller 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to better understand the above technical solution, the above technical solution will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0031] (Example 1)

[0032] like Figure 1 The submarine cable construction traction head shown includes a sealing assembly sealedly installed at the end of the cable core, on which a steel wire fixing hardware 1 with a ring structure is fixedly clamped, wherein one end of the steel wire fixing hardware 1 is fixedly connected to an outer cover 2 arranged outside the sealing assembly, and the other end is fixedly connected to the steel wire armor layer of the cable. The overall structure improves the connection strength with the cable, and at the same time, during the traction process, the cable core and the outer layer of the cable jointly bear the tension, effectively protecting the submarine cable from being easily damaged by the tension.

[0033] Specifically, the steel wire fixture 1 is secured to the outer housing 2 via a threaded lock, achieving a removable connection and facilitating assembly. It is also secured to the cable's steel wire armor layer via welding, enhancing connection strength. To further enhance sealing, a water-blocking adhesive is filled between the ends of the steel wire fixture 1 and the sealing assembly in this embodiment, providing enhanced water resistance.

[0034] The sealing assembly includes a first seal 3, a second seal 4, and a sealing layer 5. A steel wire fixing fitting 1 is fixedly mounted on the sealing layer 5. The first seal 3 is sealingly mounted on the end of the insulated core of the cable and includes a copper cover 3-1 and a first heat shrink cover 3-2, which are sequentially mounted on the end of the insulated core of the cable from the inside out. The interfaces between the copper cover 3-1, the first heat shrink cover 3-2, and the insulated core are respectively wound with a first sealing tape 3-3 and a second sealing tape 3-4. The second sealing tape 3-4 is wound with a first wrapping layer 3-5, and the two ends of the first wrapping layer 3-5 overlap the insulated core and the first heat shrink cover. The second seal 4 is sealingly mounted on the end of the optical unit of the cable and includes a second heat shrink cover 4-1, which is mounted on the end of the optical unit of the cable. The interface between the second heat shrink cover 4-1 and the optical unit is wound with a third sealing tape 4-2. The third sealing tape 4-2 is wound with a second wrapping layer 4-3, and the two ends of the second wrapping layer 4-3 overlap the optical unit and the second heat shrink cover. The sealing layer 5 is sealed outside the cable core and seals the first sealing member 3 and the second sealing member 4. The overall structure adopts a multi-layer wrapping structure, first wrapping and sealing the insulating core and optical unit in the cable core separately, and then wrapping and sealing the entire structure to further improve the waterproofness of the overall structure.

[0035] During the towing process, the submarine cable may twist, affecting the communication performance of the optical unit. Furthermore, during the towing process, it is important to ensure that the cable is dry. In this embodiment, the end of the second seal 4 is equipped with a torque detection sensor 6, and the inner cavity of the outer housing is equipped with a humidity detection sensor 7. The torque detection sensor 6 is constructed as a full-bridge circuit, with a resistive strain gauge attached to the outer surface of the optical fiber protection. When the optical fiber is subjected to force, causing twisting or stretching, the strain gauge resistance changes, and the voltage in the circuit also changes accordingly. By detecting this voltage change, the stress on the optical fiber can be determined. The humidity detection device 7 is constructed by attaching a humidity sensor to the outer housing. When the humidity within the housing changes, the resistance of the humidity sensor changes, and the voltage in its detection circuit also changes accordingly, thus detecting the humidity within the housing. The humidity detection sensor 7 and the torque detection sensor 7 respectively detect the humidity inside the towing head and the stress on the optical unit. When an abnormality occurs, a signal is promptly issued, facilitating appropriate action by construction personnel.

[0036] A positioning sensor 8 is installed on the inner wall of the outer cover 2, which facilitates the positioning and tracking of the traction head during discontinuous construction. In addition, to reduce the load, the outer wall of the outer cover 2 is equipped with multiple rotating rollers 9, which effectively reduce the friction during construction and reduce the load on the external traction device.

[0037] When installing the submarine cable traction head, first remove the submarine cable armor layer and internal filling to expose the insulated core and optical unit. Next, seal the insulated core by using a copper cover 3-1 on the end and a first sealing tape 3-3 to seal the interface. Then, put the first heat shrink cover 3-2 on the outside of the copper cover 3-1 and use the second sealing tape 3-4 to seal the interface of the heat shrink cover. Finally, use the first wrapping layer 3-5 to wrap the sealed area 1 / 2. The first wrapping layer 3-5 is a PVC tape. Then, seal the optical unit by first putting the second heat shrink cover 4-1 on the outside of the optical unit and then use the third sealing tape 4-2 to seal the interface. Finally, use the PVC tape as the second wrapping layer 4-3 to wrap the interface 1 / 2. Then, install the torque detection sensor 6 on the outside of the second heat shrink cover 4-1.

[0038] After the insulated wire core and optical unit are sealed, they are wrapped with water-blocking PVC tape to form a sealed assembly. After wrapping, the steel wire fixture 1 is fixed to the sealing assembly. Water-blocking glue is applied between the steel wire fixture 1 and the water-blocking PVC tape to ensure that the steel wire fixture fits securely and seamlessly to the sealing assembly, achieving a better sealing and water-blocking effect.

[0039] Then, the stripped steel wire armor of the submarine cable is welded to the outside of the steel wire fixing hardware 1, and the positioning sensor 8 and the humidity detection sensor 7 composed of a humidity sensitive element and a detection circuit are adhered to the inner cavity of the outer cover 2. Then, the outer cover 2 with the roller 9 is installed on the steel wire fixing hardware 1 through threads to complete the assembly of the traction head. Finally, the wire mesh sleeve is fixed to the traction head by welding.

[0040] (Example 2)

[0041] The structure of this embodiment is similar to that of embodiment 1, except that the first wrapping layer 3-5 and the second wrapping layer 4-3 are moisture-sensitive tapes, and the humidity detection sensor 7 is a detection circuit and a moisture-sensitive material filled between the outer cover and the sealing component. When the sealing inside the cover changes, a large amount of moisture-sensitive material will absorb the infiltrated water, so that while detecting the internal humidity change, it can also provide certain protection for the cable, and when the infiltrated water is small, it can also ensure the internal sealing of the cable.

[0042] (Example 3)

[0043] This embodiment provides a submarine cable construction traction monitoring system, including a controller, a receiving device and a traction head as in Example 1. The torque detection sensor 6 and the humidity detection sensor 7 are both connected to the receiving device signal, and the receiving device is connected to the controller signal. When the receiving device receives an abnormal signal from the torque detection sensor, the controller controls the humidity detection sensor to increase the signal sending frequency.

[0044] When the torque detection sensor 6 detects that the optical cable is not under stress, the torque detection sensor 6 and the humidity detection device 7 periodically send the unstressed state of the optical cable and the humidity state inside the cover to the receiving device at a relatively low frequency, and this signal sending cycle is relatively long; when the torque detection sensor detects that the optical cable is under stress, that is, an abnormal stress signal, after the optical cable is under stress, its internal sealing component is very likely to slip with the steel wire fixing hardware, and the sealing inside the cover may be greatly reduced at this time. The controller controls the humidity detection device to increase the signal sending frequency, thereby paying close attention to the internal environment of the traction head.

[0045] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above are only specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A submarine cable construction traction head, characterized by: It comprises a sealing assembly which is sealingly mounted on the end of the cable core, wherein a steel wire fixing hardware is fixedly mounted on the sealing assembly, and the steel wire fixing hardware is an annular structure, one end of which is fixedly connected to an outer cover which is arranged outside the sealing assembly, and the other end is fixedly connected to the steel wire armor layer of the cable; the sealing assembly comprises a first seal, a second seal and a sealing layer, the first seal is sealingly mounted on the end of the insulating core of the cable, the second seal is sealingly mounted on the end of the optical unit of the cable, the sealing layer is sealingly arranged outside the cable core and sealingly wraps the first seal and the second seal, and the steel wire fixing hardware is fixedly sleeved on the sealing layer; the end of the second seal is provided with a torque detection sensor, and the inner cavity of the outer cover is provided with a humidity detection sensor.

2. A submarine cable construction traction head according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steel wire fixing hardware is fixedly connected to the outer cover by screw thread locking, and is fixedly connected to the steel wire armor layer by welding.

3. A submarine cable construction traction head according to claim 1, characterized in that: Water-blocking glue is filled between the two ends of the steel wire fixing hardware and the sealing component.

4. A submarine cable construction traction head according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of rotatable rollers are installed on the outer wall of the outer cover.

5. A submarine cable construction traction head according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first sealing member includes a copper cover and a first heat shrink cover which are sequentially sleeved on the end of the insulated core of the cable from the inside to the outside. The interfaces between the copper cover, the first heat shrink cover and the insulated core are respectively wound with a first sealing tape and a second sealing tape. A first wrapping layer is wound around the outside of the second sealing tape. The two ends of the first wrapping layer are respectively overlapped with the insulated core and the first heat shrink cover.

6. A submarine cable construction traction head according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second sealing member includes a second heat shrinkable cover sleeved on the end of the optical unit of the cable, a third sealing tape is wrapped around the interface between the second heat shrinkable cover and the optical unit, a second wrapping layer is wrapped around the outside of the third sealing tape, and two ends of the second wrapping layer are respectively overlapped with the optical unit and the second heat shrinkable cover.

7. A submarine cable construction traction head according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positioning sensor is provided on the inner wall of the outer cover.

8. A submarine cable construction traction monitoring system, characterized by: It includes a controller, a receiving device and the traction head as described in claim 7, wherein the torque detection sensor and the humidity detection sensor are both connected to the receiving device signal and periodically send signals to the receiving device, and the receiving device is connected to the controller signal. When the receiving device receives an abnormal signal from the torque detection sensor, the controller controls the humidity detection sensor to increase the signal sending frequency.

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