Adaptive Rigid Sea Joint Kit for Modular Submarine Cable Repairs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Submarine power cable operators face significant costs and logistical challenges in maintaining large stockpiles of spare parts for repairs, with many parts expiring and requiring periodic replacement, leading to waste and quality risks due to the need for type-tested and right-sized joints for each specific cable system.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive rigid sea joint kit that includes base components and adaptive components of different designs and sizes, allowing for the creation of various sized and designed joints suitable for a range of submarine power cables, reducing the need for multiple spare parts and enabling efficient repair and installation across different systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If operators stock multiple dedicated spare joints for each cable system, then repair reliability is improved, but capital tied up in stock and management costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The joint is designed with universal base components that can accommodate multiple cable sizes and types through interchangeable adapters. The base joint structure serves multiple functions by working with different cable configurations, eliminating the need for separate dedicated joints for each cable system.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint is divided into modular segments: a universal base component and interchangeable adaptive components (adapters, seals, glands). This segmentation allows operators to stock fewer base components and replace only the adaptive parts when cable specifications change, reducing overall inventory capital requirements.
2Ease of operation
If operators maintain large stockpiles of spare parts, then repair readiness is improved, but management complexity and inspection requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single universal base joint design with multiple adaptive components reduces the variety of spare parts that need to be managed. Operators can maintain a standardized inventory structure where one base component type works with multiple cable systems, simplifying tracking, storage, and inspection procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design enables selective replacement of adaptive components while retaining the base joint structure. After a repair, the base joint can be recovered and reused with a different adaptive component for another cable system, reducing the total number of joints that need to be stocked and managed.
3Reliability
If operators use dedicated type-tested joints for each cable system, then joint performance is improved, but adaptability to different cable systems decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The base joint is designed as a universal platform that has been type-tested once, then adapted to different cable systems through interchangeable adapters. This maintains the reliability of the proven base design while providing versatility to accommodate various cable sizes, voltages, and configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
Adaptive adapters serve as intermediary components between the universal base joint and specific cable types. These adapters maintain the electrical and mechanical performance characteristics of the type-tested base joint while providing the necessary adaptation to different cable specifications, preserving both reliability and adaptability.
4Reliability
If operators stock expired parts for replacement, then quality risks are reduced, but waste and replacement costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The modular design allows operators to identify and replace only the adaptive components that are subject to expiration (such as seals and gaskets) while retaining the non-expiring base joint structure. This reduces waste by keeping usable components in service longer and reduces replacement costs by avoiding disposal of entire joints when only minor components expire.
Data Source
AI summary
Adaptive rigid sea joint kit for jointing submarine power cables, wherein the adaptive rigid sea joint kit includes: A2) an inner watertight casing kit, A4) a rigid outer mechanical casing kit, wherein each of the kits A2 and A4 includes at least one base component, which can be fitted with a plurality of types and/or sizes of submarine power cables, and wherein each of the kits A2 and A4 includes one set of an adaptive component or a plurality of sets of a respective adaptive component, each set of an adaptive component including a plurality of members of different designs and/or sizes of the adaptive component, enabling the at least one base component of the same kit to fit with different sizes and/or designs of submarine power cables, wherein the adaptive rigid sea joint kit thereby enables building part of one of any of a plurality of differently sized and/or designed rigid sea joints from the kits A2 and A4 for jointing different types of submarine power cables falling within an applicability range of the adaptive rigid sea joint kit.