Posters

Abstract

Subsea cables are used to connect the wind turbines together and transport power to shore. They are subject to failure and fatigue damage during installation and operational lifetime. Subsea power cable failure is frequently reported as a major issue for offshore wind farm operators. To prevent this issue, a Bend Restrictor (BR) is used and designed to protect cables & pipes from over-bending fatigue. They consist in various number of interlocking elements which articulate when external loads occur. They are commonly made of polyurethane elastomers (PU) at a 82D hardness and supplied as two-piece units that are bolted together. As they are present all along the cables, BR are usually under the sea and subject to extreme conditions. They are critical to ensure a long lasting wind installation. Our new development aims to introduce several benefits: - An Increase of the BR’s lifetime: as they are immerged in water with bending pressure, the hydrolysis resistance of the material is a key point as well as its elongation behaviour. - Lighten the BR: improving their design will help to optimize their weight and consequently, this will reduce the loading on the pipe and facilitate the installation. To achieve this result, the hardness of the part must be increased. The 85 Shore D hardness is considered as ‘extra hard’ in the hardness scale and is close to the limit a PU elastomer can reach while maintaining high performance. - Improving the sustainability by increasing the BR’s lifetime and integrating sustainable raw material