Simulated in-line deployment of offshore rigid field joint – A testing concept

A testing platform for subsea power cable deployment

“…Hence, it was decided to perform a trial of a deployment/installation test with an OFJ in conjunction with the third water penetration test as per the requirement of a part of the type test. The outcome of the investigations can be found in [1]. The repeated failure in the type test proved that inadequate joint design and poor joint assembly work could lead to joint failure.…”

“…[8] revealed that out of 49 failure incidents that took place in a 7000 km subsea cable, only four were due to joint failures. The ratio of joint failures has changed, during the period 1986 to 2009, from 0.22 to 0.095 failures/year/100 km as reported in [1]. The reduction in the failure rate was attributed to the continuous improvement in the design of submarine cables that makes cable joints more reliable.…”

“…Ref. [1] indicated that offshore rigid joints require complicated rigging arrangements for offshore deployment. Offshore rigid field joints should be designed and installed using the appropriate methods.…”

“…Pervious work published in the literatures [1][2][3][4], has highlighted that jointing operations are complex and involve valuable vessel time. The jointing operations to be undertaken offshore require good planning, highly qualified personnel and an installation vessel equipped with proper equipment for handling and deployment.…”

“…Ref. [1] presented a testing platform for the in-line offshore field joint (In-line joint is illustrated by Figure 1 and Figure 2) which can replace the sea trials undertaken offshore, whereas this paper proposes a testing scheme applicable only for the Omega offshore field joints. The Omega offshore field joint refers to a joint that will be deployed on the seabed in a "U" configuration, in an over length loop (Omega joint is illustrated by Figure 3 and Figure 4) .…”