Submarine Cable Composite Testing Under Simultaneous Seawater Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current testing methods for dynamic submarine cables, used in floating offshore wind turbines, fail to simulate the simultaneous mechanical, electrical, and thermal stresses experienced in their actual underwater environment, leading to unreliable evaluation results.
Innovation Solution
A system for submarine cable thermal-electrical-mechanical composite testing that includes a seawater tank module, mechanical test module, electrical test module, thermal test module, and control module, allowing for simultaneous application of mechanical, electrical, and thermal stresses to a dynamic cable in a seawater environment, mimicking its installation conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mechanical, electrical, and thermal tests are performed separately on land, then test simplicity and ease of operation are improved, but measurement precision and reliability of evaluation results deteriorate because the tests do not reflect simultaneous stresses in actual underwater environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines mechanical, electrical, and thermal test modules into a single integrated testing system that can apply all three types of stresses simultaneously to the cable sample. The mechanical test module applies tensile and bending forces, the electrical test module applies voltage and measures current, and the thermal test module controls temperature, all within one seawater tank environment. This merging resolves the contradiction by maintaining operational simplicity through integration while achieving measurement precision through simultaneous multi-stress application that replicates actual underwater conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing system is designed as a universal platform capable of performing multiple test functions simultaneously - mechanical stress application, electrical performance measurement, and thermal condition control - all within a single seawater environment. This multi-functionality allows the system to evaluate cable performance under combined stresses that mirror real-world underwater installation conditions, thereby improving measurement precision without requiring separate specialized test facilities.
2Device complexity
If separate tests are conducted on different samples, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability of evaluation results worsens because results differ from actual usage environment where stresses occur simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges mechanical, electrical, and thermal testing capabilities into a single integrated system that tests one cable sample under combined stresses simultaneously. The system includes a seawater tank for thermal and environmental conditions, mechanical actuators for stress application, electrical connections for performance measurement, all coordinated through a control module. This integration improves reliability by replicating actual underwater conditions where multiple stresses occur concurrently, while managing device complexity through unified control architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The control module serves as an intermediary that coordinates all test parameters - mechanical forces, electrical voltages, thermal temperatures - to apply them simultaneously and proportionally to the cable sample. This intermediary control ensures that the combined stresses reflect actual usage conditions while maintaining manageable system complexity through centralized coordination rather than independent separate tests.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional separate testing methods are used, then ease of manufacture and test setup are improved, but the tests fail to simulate actual underwater environment where mechanical, electrical, and thermal stresses are simultaneously formed
Solution Approach 1:
The testing system is designed as a universal platform that can simulate multiple environmental conditions - seawater immersion, thermal variations, mechanical stresses, and electrical loads - all simultaneously within one integrated setup. The seawater tank provides both thermal mass and corrosive environment simulation, while the coordinated test modules apply combined stresses that replicate actual underwater cable installation conditions, thereby improving environmental simulation capability without requiring multiple separate test facilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the seawater environment chamber with mechanical, electrical, and thermal test modules into a single integrated testing apparatus. This combination allows the system to simulate the actual underwater environment where all stressors occur simultaneously, improving adaptability and environmental simulation capability while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular integrated design rather than multiple separate test setups.
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
Ensures reliable evaluation results by accurately simulating the stresses dynamic cables face, thereby improving the quality and durability of submarine cables.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal test module for measuring heat of the dummy cable generated while applying a current to the dummy cable and for applying a current to the test cable while monitoring the heat as generated heat of the test cable
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a system capable of simultaneously performing a thermal test, an electrical test, and a mechanical test in an environment similar to the installation environment of a dynamic cable. The system includes a seawater tank module configured to form a seawater environment for a test cable, a mechanical test module configured to perform mechanical aging of the test cable according to an actuator operation, an electrical test module configured to perform electrical aging of the test cable by applying a voltage to each of opposite ends of the test cable, a thermal test module configured to perform thermal aging by applying a current to a dummy cable formed independently of the test cable, and a control module configured to perform data input, control processing, monitoring, and storage of the seawater tank module, the mechanical test module, the thermal test module, and the electrical test module.