Subsea Cable Crossing Sleeve With Spacers for Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing subsea cable crossing devices face issues such as overheating due to poor heat dissipation, potential damage from seawater currents, and high installation costs, as well as instability and buoyancy problems with existing materials like plastic and concrete.
Innovation Solution
A subsea cable crossing device comprising cable sleeve elements with radial spacer elements and support elements made of iron, which provide a stable and heat-conductive solution that maintains cable clearance and can be easily installed and reused, using a design that allows for flexible alignment with the cable and effective seawater flow for cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If plastic bend restrictors are used to guide cable crossings, then cable clearance is maintained, but heat dissipation is poor and installation is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to metal, fundamentally altering thermal conductivity properties. This enables effective heat dissipation while maintaining the structural function of cable guidance and clearance maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs simple metal rings that can be easily installed and potentially replaced if needed, rather than complex plastic structures. The simplicity of the metal ring design makes installation straightforward while achieving the thermal management objective.
2Reliability
If plastic bend restrictors are used to maintain cable distance, then cable clearance is provided, but the structure is unstable under seawater currents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines metal rings with concrete elements to create a composite structure. The metal rings provide structural integrity and stability against currents, while the concrete provides additional weight and anchoring capability, together resisting seawater current forces effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses concrete elements as counterweights to balance the buoyancy of the metal rings. This combination ensures the overall structure remains stable and anchored on the seabed, preventing displacement by seawater currents while maintaining cable clearance.
3Reliability
If concrete beddings are used to guide cable crossings, then cable clearance is maintained, but the structure floats away under seawater currents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite structure combining metal rings with concrete elements. The metal provides structural strength and the concrete provides ballast weight, together creating a stable assembly that resists buoyancy forces and remains anchored against seawater currents while maintaining cable clearance.
4Strength
If ring-shaped plastic elements are used to surround cables, then cable clearance is provided, but the elements may be forced apart causing cable damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines metal rings with concrete elements to create a composite structure where the metal rings maintain consistent spacing and the concrete provides stabilizing weight. This prevents the rings from being forced apart by currents or cable weight, ensuring reliable cable protection without spacing instability.
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
The solution ensures stable and efficient heat dissipation, prevents cable damage, and reduces installation complexity and costs, while maintaining effective clearance between cables and the seabed, with a durable and recyclable material that withstands seawater conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the plastic material is a thermal insulator, which gives rise to poor discharge of heat from the cable, for example caused by resistive heating by the electric current in the cable
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a subsea cable crossing device to guide a crossing between subsea cables, comprising two or more cable sleeve elements, which are configured to be arranged end-to-end and to surround the cable along a longitudinal direction of the cable. The device is characterized in that the subsea cable crossing device further comprises: - one or more spacer elements, configured to be arranged at an outer perimeter of at least one of the cable sleeve elements and to project outwardly in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal cable direction, and - one or more support elements, configured to be associated with the spacer elements at an outer edge of the spacer elements, to be set at a distance away from the cable sleeve elements.