Submarine Cable Production Using Separating Slot Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional submarine cables for offshore wind farms are complex, heavy, and expensive due to their armoring, leading to higher production, storage, transport, and laying costs, with long delivery times and significant transmission losses.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for producing submarine cables with a flexible plastic protective tube that includes a separating slot, allowing for easier assembly and sealing of conductors, reducing the need for complex armoring and enabling quicker production and laying, using standard components and simpler manufacturing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex armoring is used in submarine cables, then mechanical protection and reliability are improved, but weight, outer diameter, and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex metal armoring layers (steel wire bedding, steel tape armor, steel wire armor) from conventional submarine cable designs, retaining only the essential protective functions through simplified structures like polyethylene sheathing and optional lightweight reinforcement, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining adequate protection for offshore wind farm applications
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces expensive, complex metal armoring with more economical protective layers such as polyethylene sheathing and bitumen embedding, using materials that are easier to manufacture and handle, accepting that these materials may require more frequent replacement but reducing initial construction costs and handling difficulty
2Reliability
If complex armoring is used in submarine cables, then mechanical protection is improved, but handling and transport difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the heavy metal armoring components (steel wires, steel tapes) from the cable structure, the patent significantly reduces the cable's weight and complexity, making it much easier to handle during production, storage, transport, and laying operations while still providing adequate mechanical protection through simplified protective layers
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the protective structure by replacing dense metal armoring with lighter polymeric materials (polyethylene sheathing, bitumen embedding), thereby reducing weight and complexity while maintaining sufficient mechanical protection for the specific application of offshore wind farm connections
3Reliability
If complex armoring is used in submarine cables, then mechanical protection is improved, but production and laying costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the complex and expensive metal armoring manufacturing process (including steel wire bedding, steel tape armor, and steel wire armor layers) from submarine cable production, replacing it with simpler extrusion and embedding processes using polyethylene and bitumen, thereby significantly reducing production costs while maintaining adequate mechanical protection
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes expensive metal armoring materials with more economical polymeric protective layers (polyethylene sheathing, bitumen embedding), accepting that these materials may have different durability characteristics but achieving significant cost reduction in both material and manufacturing expenses for offshore wind farm cable applications
4Reliability
If complex armoring is used in submarine cables, then mechanical protection is improved, but delivery time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the complex multi-layer metal armoring structure from the cable design, the patent simplifies the manufacturing process to fewer production steps (extrusion, embedding, curing), enabling faster production cycles and shorter delivery times from manufacturer to installation site while still providing adequate mechanical protection for offshore applications
5Loss of energy
If large cross-sectional area of conductors is used, then transmission losses are reduced, but cable weight and diameter increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the heavy metal armoring layers that would be required to protect larger conductor cross-sections, allowing the use of adequate but not excessive conductor sizes without the penalty of additional weight from protective armor, thereby optimizing the balance between transmission loss and cable weight for offshore wind farm applications
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method and to an apparatus for producing a submarine cable containing a number of conductors (4), in particular energy conductors (4) and/or data conductors (4), that are accommodated inside a cable-protecting pipe (5), the following method steps being carried out: a) providing the conductors (4) and the cable-protecting sheath (5) and conveying the same into a common assembly region (18); b) bringing the conductors (4) and the cable-protecting pipe (5) together; c) opening the separating slit (12) in the cable-protecting pipe (5) such that an insertion opening (16) of the open separating slit (12) is formed; e) holding the open separating slit (12) open; f) inserting the conductors (4) into the cable-protecting pipe (5) through the insertion opening (16) in the open separating slit (12); g) releasing the open separating slit (12).