Submarine cable joint box and submarine cable system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of submarine cable fittings, and provided are a submarine cable joint box and a submarine cable system. Two submarine cables are connected by means of an intermediate connector. The submarine cable joint box comprises: sealing ends, a sealing cylinder and a heat shrink tube. The sealing cylinder is sleeved on the intermediate connector; the sealing ends are respectively sleeved on the submarine cables at the two ends of the intermediate connector; two ends of the sealing cylinder are respectively in sealed connection with the corresponding sealing ends. The two sealing ends, the sealing cylinder and the intermediate connector form an accommodation chamber, and the accommodation chamber is filled with a waterproof sealant. The heat shrink tube is sleeved on the sealing cylinder and the sealing ends, and two ends of the heat shrink tube are in heat shrink connection with the submarine cables at the two ends respectively. The present application uses the mode of combining the sealing ends and the heat shrink tube to perform double sealing, thus improving the sealing performance of the repair joint box in deepwater areas.

Description

Submarine cable junction box and submarine cable system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 27, 2023, with application number 202323202511.5 and application name “Submarine Cable Joint Box and Submarine Cable System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of submarine cable accessories, and in particular to a submarine cable junction box and a submarine cable system. Background Art

[0003] Submarine cables, or submarine optical cables, are laid in the ocean and are crucial for offshore power and telecommunications transmission. With the development of offshore wind power generation, subsea oil and gas extraction, and communications technology, the number of submarine cables deployed has increased annually. However, problems with their use have become increasingly prominent. During installation and operation, submarine cables are inevitably subject to tension and other external forces, such as sand and gravel friction and anchor damage, which can damage the cable. Damaged cables require repair using splice closures. Due to production length limitations, even long submarine cable runs require splicing using splice closures.

[0004] Splice closures are used not only to restore the electrical performance of submarine cables, but also their mechanical properties. However, due to the harsh underwater environment, especially in deep-water operation, proper sealing of the splice closure is crucial. Existing sealing methods, which use single-layer fluororubber sealing rings and heat shrink tubing, cannot meet the waterproof sealing requirements of splice closures in deep water.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a submarine cable splice box and a submarine cable system, which are used to solve the problem in the prior art that the sealing of the submarine cable splice box cannot meet the waterproof sealing requirements in deep water areas.

[0007] The present application provides a submarine cable joint box, in which two submarine cables are butt-jointed via an intermediate joint. The submarine cable joint box comprises: a sealing end head, a sealing cylinder, and a heat shrink tube. The sealing cylinder is sleeved on the intermediate joint. The submarine cables at both ends of the intermediate joint are respectively sleeved with the sealing end heads, and the two ends of the sealing cylinder are respectively sealedly connected to the corresponding sealing end heads. The two sealing end heads, the sealing cylinder, and the intermediate joint form a accommodating cavity, and the accommodating cavity is filled with waterproof sealant. The heat shrink tube is sleeved on the sealing cylinder and the sealing end head, and the two ends of the heat shrink tube are respectively heat-shrinkably connected to the submarine cables at the two ends.

[0008] According to a submarine cable junction box provided in the present application, the sealing end includes a first sealing member, which is sleeved on the peripheral wall of the submarine cable and clamped between the sealing cylinder and the submarine cable.

[0009] According to a submarine cable junction box provided in the present application, both ends of the sealing cylinder are respectively provided with abutment parts, which abut against the corresponding submarine cable. The sealing end also includes a first clamping part, which is connected to the sealing cylinder, and the first clamping part matches the abutment part to limit the first sealing part.

[0010] According to a submarine cable junction box provided by the present application, the sealing end also includes a second sealing member and a second pressing member, and the second sealing member and the second pressing member are clamped in sequence between the submarine cable and the sealing tube; wherein, the first sealing member is located between the abutting portion and the second pressing member, and the second sealing member is located between the first pressing member and the second pressing member.

[0011] According to a submarine cable junction box provided by the present application, the second sealing member is a V-shaped sealing member, the opening of the V-shaped sealing member faces the first clamping member, the first clamping member has an end opposite to the opening, and the second clamping member is provided with an arc-shaped groove matching the shape of the end on the side close to the V-shaped seal.

[0012] According to a submarine cable splice box provided by the present application, the first sealing member is a conical sealing member, and the inner wall of the sealing cylinder is adapted to the conical sealing member.

[0013] According to a submarine cable joint box provided by the present application, the submarine cable joint box further includes a sealing assembly, the sealing cylinder includes a plurality of cylinders connected in sequence, and the sealing assembly is sandwiched between the connection between two adjacent cylinders and the middle joint.

[0014] According to a submarine cable joint box provided by the present application, the sealing assembly includes a sealing bushing, and the sealing bushing is sleeved on the peripheral wall of the intermediate joint.

[0015] According to a submarine cable joint box provided by the present application, the sealing assembly further includes a plurality of third sealing members, and the plurality of third sealing members are intermittently sandwiched between the sealing bushing and the cylinder.

[0016] The present application also provides a submarine cable system, comprising the submarine cable splice box as described in any one of the above items.

[0017] The submarine cable junction box and submarine cable system provided by the present application protect the intermediate joint by sheathing a sealing cylinder on the outer wall of the intermediate joint, and by arranging sealing ends between the submarine cables at both ends of the intermediate joint and the sealing cylinder. The two sealing ends, the sealing cylinder and the intermediate joint form a receiving cavity, and the sealing ends can prevent external water from entering the receiving cavity through the gap between the sealing cylinder and the submarine cable and contacting the intermediate joint, thereby achieving sealing; by filling the receiving cavity with waterproof sealant, water blocking is achieved, and pressure can be withstood, reducing the impact of seawater on the submarine cable; by sheathing a heat shrink tube on the outer wall of the sealing cylinder, and the two ends of the heat shrink tube are respectively connected to the submarine cables at both ends by heat shrinkage, preventing external water from contacting the sealing joint, thereby achieving sealing. The present application adopts a combination of sealing ends and heat shrink tubes for double sealing, thereby improving the sealing performance of the junction box for repairing in deep water areas. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present application or the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0019] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a submarine cable provided by the present application;

[0020] FIG2 is a partial enlarged view of area A in FIG1 provided by the present application;

[0021] FIG3 is a partial enlarged view of area B in FIG1 provided by this application.

[0022] Figure numerals: 1. submarine cable; 2. intermediate joint; 3. sealing cylinder; 31. abutting part; 4. sealing end; 41. first sealing member; 42. first pressing member; 43. second sealing member; 44. second pressing member; 5. heat shrink tube; 6. accommodating cavity; 7. waterproof sealant; 8. sealing assembly; 81. sealing bushing; 82. third sealing member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application more clear, the technical solutions in this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0025] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0026] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. Throughout the description of this application, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0027] The following describes in detail embodiments of the present application, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present application, and should not be construed as limiting the present application.

[0028] The disclosure below provides many different embodiments or examples for realizing different structures of the present application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present application. In addition, the present application may repeat reference numbers and / or letters in different examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present application provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the applicability of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0029] With the rapid development of industries such as offshore wind power construction and offshore oil and gas extraction, submarine cable installation is gradually expanding into deeper waters. This increasing depth of submarine cable operation places higher demands on the waterproof and sealing performance of submarine cable accessories. Submarine cable splice boxes, used to connect two sections of submarine cable, often operate underwater. Restoring and repairing the sealing performance of the single-phase PE sheath of the submarine cable within the splice box is particularly important.

[0030] At present, conventional single-phase sealing of submarine cables is usually suitable for working conditions with a water depth of less than 100 meters and cannot adapt to the sealing requirements of submarine cables at greater water depths. Therefore, it is necessary to design a single-phase sealing structure for submarine cables 1 that can be used in water depths of 100 to 500 meters.

[0031] The submarine cable splice box and the submarine cable system provided by the present application are described below with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 .

[0032] The two submarine cables 1 are butt-jointed through an intermediate joint 2. The submarine cable joint box includes: a sealing end 4, a sealing cylinder 3 and a heat shrink tube 5. The sealing cylinder 3 is sleeved on the intermediate joint 2. The submarine cables 1 at both ends of the intermediate joint 2 are respectively sleeved with sealing end heads 4, and the two ends of the sealing cylinder 3 are respectively sealed and connected with the corresponding sealing end heads 4. The two sealing end heads 4, the sealing cylinder 3 and the intermediate joint 2 form an accommodating cavity 6, and the accommodating cavity 6 is filled with waterproof sealant 7; the heat shrink tube 5 is sleeved on the sealing cylinder 3 and the sealing end head 4, and the two ends of the heat shrink tube 5 are respectively heat-shrink connected with the submarine cables 1 at both ends.

[0033] The sealing cylinder 3 is sleeved on the intermediate joint 2, and the length of the sealing cylinder 3 is greater than the intermediate joint 2. It can be understood that there is a distance between the two ends of the sealing cylinder 3 and the submarine cable 1 at both ends of the intermediate joint 2. The sealing end head 4 is clamped between the sealing cylinder 3 and the submarine cable 1 to prevent seawater from entering the sealing cylinder 3 through the inner wall of the sealing cylinder 3 and the outer wall of the submarine cable 1 and contacting the intermediate joint 2 to achieve sealing; further, the sealing end head 4 is connected to the sealing cylinder 3 to limit the position of the sealing end head 4. The two sealing end heads 4, the sealing cylinder 3, the intermediate joint 2 and the submarine cable 1 are surrounded to form a accommodating chamber 6, and the accommodating chamber 6 is filled with waterproof sealant 7 for blocking water and fixing pressure to reduce the pressure of seawater on the submarine cable 1.

[0034] Furthermore, the submarine cable junction box also includes a heat shrink tube 5, which is arranged on the outer wall of the sealing tube 3, and the inner wall of the heat shrink tube 5 is in contact with the outer wall of the sealing tube 3. The length of the heat shrink tube 5 is greater than or equal to the length of the sealing tube 3. When the length of the heat shrink tube 5 is equal to the length of the sealing tube 3, the two ends of the heat shrink tube 5 are respectively connected to the two ends of the outer wall of the sealing tube 3 by heat shrinkage, thereby protecting the sealing tube 3 and strengthening the seal; when the length of the heat shrink tube 5 is greater than the length of the sealing tube 3, the two ends of the heat shrink tube 5 are respectively connected to the outer wall of the corresponding submarine cable 1 by heat shrinkage, thereby protecting the sealing tube 3 and the sealing end 4 and strengthening the seal.

[0035] The submarine cable junction box provided by the present application protects the intermediate joint 2 by sleeve-mounting a sealing cylinder 3 on the outer wall of the intermediate joint 2, and provides a sealing end 4 between the submarine cable 1 at both ends of the intermediate joint 2 and the sealing cylinder 3. The two sealing ends 4, the sealing cylinder 3 and the intermediate joint 2 form a receiving cavity 6. The sealing end 4 can prevent external water from entering the receiving cavity 6 through the gap between the sealing cylinder 3 and the submarine cable 1 and contacting the intermediate joint 2, thereby achieving sealing; by filling the receiving cavity 6 with waterproof sealant 7, water blocking is achieved, and it can withstand pressure, reducing the impact of seawater on the submarine cable 1; by sleeve-mounting a heat shrink tube 5 on the outer wall of the sealing cylinder 3, and the two ends of the heat shrink tube 5 are respectively connected to the submarine cables 1 at both ends by heat shrinkage, preventing external water from contacting the sealing joint, thereby achieving sealing. The present application adopts a combination of sealing end 4 and heat shrink tube 5 for double sealing, thereby improving the sealing performance of the submarine cable junction box for repairing in deep water areas.

[0036] The sealing end head 4 in the present application includes a first sealing member 41, which is an annular structure. The first sealing member 41 is sleeved on the peripheral wall of the submarine cable 1 and is clamped between the sealing tube 3 and the submarine cable 1, that is, the inner wall surface of the first sealing member 41 is in contact with the outer wall surface of the submarine cable 1, and the outer wall surface of the first sealing member 41 is in contact with the tube body to achieve sealing and prevent external water from contacting the intermediate joint 2.

[0037] Referring to Figures 1 and 2 , each end of the sealing cylinder 3 is provided with an abutment portion 31, which abuts the corresponding submarine cable 1. The sealing cylinder 3, the submarine cable 1, and the intermediate joint 2 form a receiving chamber 6, which is filled with a waterproof sealant 7 to provide water resistance and pressure resistance. The sealing end 4 also includes a first compression member 42, which is connected to the sealing cylinder 3 and mates with the abutment portion 31 to constrain the first sealing member 41.

[0038] Specifically, the first clamping part 42 includes a clamping part and a connecting part. The clamping part is an annular structure. The clamping part is embedded between the submarine cable 1 and the cylinder body. The outer wall surface of the clamping part is in contact with the inner wall surface of the sealing cylinder 3. The inner wall surface of the clamping part is in contact with the submarine cable 1. The clamping part and the abutting part 31 are matched to press the first sealing part 41 between the clamping part and the abutting part 31.

[0039] Furthermore, the connecting portion is connected to the pressing portion, and the connecting portion is connected to the sealing cylinder 3. As shown in Figure 2, the connecting portion is perpendicular to the pressing portion, and the connecting portion extends in a direction away from the pressing portion. The sealing cylinder 3 is pressed on the pressing portion, and the connecting portion is located on the outside of the end face of the sealing cylinder 3. The connecting portion is connected to the sealing cylinder 3 by bolts to prevent the first sealing member 41 from moving, thereby ensuring the sealing effect.

[0040] The sealing end 4 also includes a second sealing member 43 and a second pressing member 44, which are clamped in sequence between the submarine cable 1 and the sealing tube 3; wherein the first sealing member 41 is located between the abutting portion 31 and the second pressing member 44, and the second sealing member 43 is located between the first pressing member 42 and the second pressing member 44.

[0041] The second sealing member 43 and the second pressing member 44 in the present application can both be annular structures.

[0042] The second sealing member 43 in the present application is a V-shaped sealing member, the opening of the V-shaped sealing member faces the first pressing member 42, the first pressing member 42 has an end opposite to the opening, and the second pressing member 44 is provided with an arc groove matching the end shape on the side close to the V-shaped sealing member.

[0043] Specifically, the first pressing member 42 is provided with a V-shaped protrusion on the end face close to the V-shaped seal, the V-shaped protrusion matches the opening of the V-shaped seal, and the V-shaped protrusion abuts the opening of the V-shaped seal; the second pressing member 44 is provided with an arc groove on the end face close to the V-shaped seal, and the arc groove matches the V-shaped protrusion to match the V-shaped seal with the first pressing member 42 and the second pressing member 44, so as to avoid the V-shaped seal from moving relative to the sealing tube 3 during the deformation process and affecting the sealing effect, thereby ensuring radial sealing and waterproofing.

[0044] In this application, there are multiple V-shaped seals, which can be adjusted according to the water pressure requirements. The more the number, the stronger the pressure-bearing capacity. As shown in Figure 2, there are four V-shaped seals.

[0045] The first sealing member 41 in the present application is a conical sealing member, and the inner wall surface of the sealing cylinder 3 is adapted to the conical sealing member, as shown in FIG2 .

[0046] The submarine cable 1 and the sealing tube 3 of the present application are sealed by combining conical seals and V-shaped seals, which has a good sealing effect and can meet the waterproof sealing effect requirements within a water depth of 500 meters, thereby improving the sealing performance of the submarine cable junction box under deep water conditions.

[0047] The submarine cable joint box provided in the present application further includes a sealing assembly 8 . The sealing cylinder 3 includes a plurality of cylinders connected in sequence. A sealing assembly 8 is sandwiched between the connection between two adjacent cylinders and the middle joint 2 .

[0048] Referring to Figure 1, the sealing cylinder 3 includes a first cylinder, a second cylinder and a third cylinder. The two ends of the second cylinder are connected to the first cylinder and the third cylinder respectively (the flange surfaces of the two adjacent cylinders can be connected by bolts). A sealing component 8 is provided between the inner wall surface of the connection between the first cylinder and the second cylinder and the intermediate joint 2 to prevent external water from entering through the connection between the first cylinder and the second cylinder and contacting the intermediate joint 2, thereby achieving sealing; a sealing component 8 is provided between the inner wall surface of the connection between the second cylinder and the third cylinder and the intermediate joint 2 to prevent water from entering through the connection between the second cylinder and the third cylinder and contacting the intermediate joint 2, thereby achieving sealing.

[0049] 3 , the sealing assembly 8 includes a sealing bushing 81 , which is sleeved on the peripheral wall of the intermediate joint 2 . The sealing bushing 81 is sandwiched between the connection between two adjacent cylinders and the intermediate joint 2 to prevent external water from contacting the intermediate joint 2 and achieve sealing.

[0050] Furthermore, the sealing assembly 8 further includes a plurality of third sealing members 82, which are interspaced and sandwiched between the sealing bushing 81 and the cylinder to prevent the sealing bushing 81 from moving and ensure the sealing effect. The third sealing member 82 in this application can be an O-ring.

[0051] The present application also provides a submarine cable 1 system, comprising a submarine cable splice box as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0052] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A submarine cable joint box, characterized in that: Two submarine cables are butt-jointed via an intermediate joint, and the submarine cable joint box comprises: a sealing end, a sealing cylinder and a heat shrink tube, the sealing cylinder is sleeved on the intermediate joint, the submarine cables at both ends of the intermediate joint are respectively sleeved with the sealing end heads, and the two ends of the sealing cylinder are respectively sealed and connected with the corresponding sealing end heads, the two sealing end heads, the sealing cylinder and the intermediate joint form a accommodating cavity, and the accommodating cavity is filled with waterproof sealant; the heat shrink tube is sleeved on the sealing cylinder and the sealing end head, and the two ends of the heat shrink tube are respectively heat-shrinkably connected with the submarine cables at the two ends.

2. The submarine cable splice box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing end head comprises a first sealing member, which is sleeved on the peripheral wall of the submarine cable and clamped between the sealing tube and the submarine cable.

3. The submarine cable splice box according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two ends of the sealing tube are respectively provided with abutment parts, which abut against the corresponding submarine cable. The sealing end also includes a first clamping member, which is connected to the sealing tube and matches with the abutment part to restrict the first sealing member.

4. The submarine cable splice box according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sealing end head further comprises a second sealing member and a second pressing member, wherein the second sealing member and the second pressing member are sequentially sandwiched between the submarine cable and the sealing cylinder; Wherein, the first sealing member is located between the abutting portion and the second pressing member, and the second sealing member is located between the first pressing member and the second pressing member.

5. The submarine cable splice box according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second sealing member is a V-shaped sealing member, the opening of which faces the first pressing member, the first pressing member has an end opposite to the opening, and the second pressing member is provided with an arc groove matching the shape of the end on one side close to the V-shaped sealing member.

6. The submarine cable splice box according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first sealing member is a conical sealing member, and the inner wall of the sealing cylinder is adapted to the conical sealing member.

7. The submarine cable splice box according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The submarine cable joint box also includes a sealing component. The sealing cylinder includes a plurality of cylinder bodies connected in sequence. The sealing component is sandwiched between the connection point of two adjacent cylinder bodies and the middle joint.

8. The submarine cable splice box according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sealing assembly comprises a sealing bushing which is sleeved on the peripheral wall of the intermediate joint.

9. The submarine cable splice box according to claim 8, characterized in that: The sealing assembly further comprises a plurality of third sealing members, and the plurality of third sealing members are sandwiched between the sealing bushing and the cylinder at intervals.

10. A submarine cable system, characterized in that: It comprises a submarine cable joint box as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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