Marine Power Conduit Locking Interface for Cable Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power conduit systems for offshore wind turbines experience wear and tear during installation and operation due to the relative movement of cables through sockets, leading to high maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A marine power conduit interface assembly featuring a housing with a bore, a slide, and a locking device with radially movable locking arms and a lock operator, which secures the assembly within a socket by expanding locking arms once fully inserted, using a latch mechanism to lock the assembly in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a power conduit is fed through a socket in the base, then electrical power can be transmitted from the turbine, but the cable experiences wear and tear due to relative movement during installation and operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an interface assembly as an intermediary component between the power conduit and the socket. This assembly includes a housing with a bore that receives the cable, and a locking device with locking arms that secure the cable in position. The interface assembly acts as a mediator that prevents direct relative movement between the cable and socket, thereby eliminating wear while maintaining electrical power transmission capability
2Object-affected harmful factors
If an interface assembly with locking device is used to secure the power conduit, then cable wear is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device employs dynamic elements including locking arms that can move between engaged and disengaged positions, and a lock operator that actuates these arms. The locking arms are designed to radially expand or contract to engage with the housing, providing automatic locking capability that secures the cable without requiring complex external locking mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The interface assembly uses a nested structure where the locking arms are disposed within the housing, the cable is received within the housing bore, and the entire assembly fits within the socket. The locking arms nest within the housing while maintaining the ability to radially expand for locking engagement, creating a compact multi-functional structure that reduces overall system complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces wear on power conduits by stabilizing their position within the socket, minimizing maintenance needs and extending the lifespan of the cable connections.
Implementation Method 1
relative sliding movement of the housing and slide in an axial direction moves the tapered faces of the lock operator and the locking arm relative to one another
Data Source
AI summary
A marine power conduit interface assembly has a slide slidable within a housing. Sliding of the slide in the housing locks the assembly in a socket of a energy generator. The slide has a leg extending axially within a groove formed in the inner surface of the bore of the housing, connected to a ring with a flange which extends radially outwards from an outer surface of the housing. The ring is connected to the leg by a radially inwardly extending finger passing through a slot in the housing. The lock can be activated and deactivated by sliding of the slide in the housing