Continuous External Protection for Subsea Heating Cables
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of external protection for subsea DEH cables is time-consuming and challenging due to the need for multiple sections with staggered joints, making it difficult to wrap around the cable effectively, especially in marine environments where impact resistance is crucial.
Innovation Solution
A continuous and homogeneous external protection system using elongated extruded hollow profiles, which can be spooled and stranded around the cable, forming a ring structure with complementary parts for secure fixation, allowing for efficient transportation and installation without additional assembly, and providing enhanced impact resistance up to 20 kJ.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple sections with staggered joints are used for external protection, then the protection can be transported and handled more easily, but the installation becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The external protection is divided into multiple sections that can be transported and handled separately, then assembled around the cable during installation. This segmentation allows for manageable transportation while maintaining the overall protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple protection sections into a continuous protective structure around the cable. The sections are joined together with staggered joints to form an integrated protection system that maintains structural integrity while allowing for easier handling of individual segments.
2Ease of operation
If multiple sections with staggered joints are used for external protection, then the protection can be transported and handled more easily, but the installation time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The protection sections are pre-assembled and prepared before installation on the vessel. The staggered joint configuration is predetermined, allowing for faster on-site installation by eliminating the need for complex measurements and adjustments during the installation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The installation system uses dynamic positioning and tensioning mechanisms to accommodate the flexibility of the cable and the protection sections during installation. This allows for efficient assembly even in the challenging marine environment, reducing installation time while maintaining proper alignment of staggered joints.
3Productivity
If a continuous single-element protection is used, then the installation is simplified and faster, but the transportation and handling become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous protection structure is segmented into multiple sections that can be transported and handled separately. Each section maintains the protective function while being manageable in size for transportation, then assembled into a continuous protection system during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection sections are designed to nest or stack during transportation, maximizing space efficiency. This allows multiple sections to be transported in a compact arrangement, then deployed and assembled into the continuous protective structure around the cable.
4Ease of manufacture
If multiple sections are used for external protection, then the protection can be manufactured in manageable lengths, but the homogeneous and continuous protection structure is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The staggered joint configuration creates local variations in the protection structure, with joints positioned at different locations along the cable length. This local differentiation allows for manageable section manufacturing while maintaining overall protective homogeneity through proper joint staggering that distributes potential weak points.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection system uses composite construction with multiple sections joined together, creating a unified protective structure that combines the advantages of segmented manufacturing with the benefits of continuous protection. The joint design ensures structural integrity and homogeneous protection characteristics along the entire cable length.
Data Source
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Figure 3a~3b
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AI summary
The present invention concerns an elongated object (1) including a cable (2) surrounded by at least one external protection (3), said external protection (3) including at least two elongated extruded hollow profiles (31), characterized in that each profile (31) of said external protection is a single element along the whole length of the cable portion to be protected.