Subsea Umbilical Deformable Rods Radial Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing subsea power umbilicals lack effective radial load protection, with prior solutions requiring large, solid profiles that are cumbersome and inefficient in design, particularly for piggyback heating cables exposed to impact loads.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating deformable rods between the electrical conductor and the sheath of the power umbilical, allowing for customizable material hardness and shape to provide radial load protection, which can be easily integrated into the cable's cross-section, reducing material usage and enabling a more compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If solid continuous protection layers are used to protect the cable from impact loads, then impact protection is improved, but the cable flexibility and manufacturing complexity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous protection layer is segmented into discrete rod elements distributed around the cable core. These individual rods can be independently positioned and assembled, transforming a complex continuous layer extrusion process into a simpler modular assembly process while maintaining impact protection through the distributed rod structure.
2Strength
If large solid profiles are used for radial load protection, then impact resistance is improved, but material usage and cable compactness worsen
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a uniform solid profile throughout, the protection is localized to discrete rod elements positioned at specific locations around the cable core. This allows material to be concentrated where impact protection is most needed while reducing overall material usage compared to a continuous solid profile of equivalent protective capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable structure combines the conductor core with discrete rod elements made of protective material, creating a composite structure. This composite approach provides impact resistance through the rod elements while maintaining a more compact and material-efficient design than a solid homogeneous profile.
3Quantity of substance
If deformable rods are used for protection, then impact protection with reduced material is achieved, but manufacturing precision requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The rod elements are designed to serve multiple functions: providing impact protection, maintaining cable structure, and allowing for flexible assembly. Their deformable nature allows them to accommodate positioning variations during manufacturing while still providing effective protection, reducing the stringency of positioning precision requirements.
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 deformable rods enhance impact protection while reducing material requirements and allowing for a more flexible, customizable design that can accommodate additional cables without predefined filler elements, improving manufacturing efficiency and impact resistance.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of deformable rods evenly distributed between the electrical conductor and the sheath for radial load protection
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a subsea umbilical comprising an electrical conductor (2) and/or a fluid pipe, and an outer sheath (7) surrounding the electrical conductor (2) and/or the fluid pipe. The umbilical (1, 20, 21, 25, 30, 40, 51, 60) further comprising a plurality of deformable rods (3a, 3b, 15, 23a, 23b, 26a, 27a, 26b) evenly distributed between the electrical conductor (2) and/or the fluid pipe, and the outer sheath (7) for radial load protection of said electrical conductor (2) or fluid pipe.