EQUIPMENT & CABLING UPDATE
Cost and safety drive cable developments
The harsh conditions that cables are exposed to in the offshore environment are making manufacturers focus on ever more durable solutions. Sean Ottewell reports.
Angesichts der extremen Bedingungen, denen Kabel im Offshore-Bereich ausgesetzt sind, richten Hersteller ihren Fokus mehr und mehr auf dauerhafte Lösungen. Sean Ottewell berichtet.
Las difíciles condiciones a las que están sometidos los cables en el entorno submarino están haciendo que los fabricantes se concentren cada vez más en la creación de soluciones más duraderas. Comenta Sean Ottewell.
C
ables have to survive in environments where the risk of penetration by chemicals is typically very high.
Te traditional solution to this was to coat the cables in a lead sheath. Although a good barrier, lead suffers from an environmental and safety point of view. Nexans’ new range of HYPRON cables
are an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional lead-sheathed cables. Te technology took five years to develop, and consists of three concentric, co-extruded sheaths working together to provide three important characteristics: an inner aluminum polyethylene (AluPE) tape for watertightness; a high density polyethylene (HDPE) sheath for resistance to inorganic chemicals (chlorine, synthetic oils); and polyamide (PA) for resistance to organic chemicals (aromatics, benzene, petrol, oil). As such, HYPRON technology can be used in a wide variety of applications, including energy cables, control/ instrumentation/compensation cables, and communication cables (Fig. 1).
All the new cables can be customised to offer fire-reaction (reduced flammability, fire spread, heat release smoke emission and toxicity) and fire-resistance (electrical continuity under fire conditions), the latter achieved by Nexans patented INFIT technology. In the event of a fire, INFIT insulations are transformed into a tough ceramic jacket to assure circuit integrity and keep alarms, exit lighting, elevators, pumps, public address systems and fans operating. Cables can also be protected against rodents, UV, sulphur and more. Nexans points to other advantages,
too, including: 20 per cent less cost than with traditional lead-sheathed cables; more compact for higher plant network density; up to 45 per cent lighter for easier transportation, storage and installation; minimum of 25–30 year longevity; and an ability to withstand scorching temperatures up to 870C. Geocable Systems (GCS) designs and manufactures custom cable and umbilical assemblies for the total seismic market, from the harsh environment of marine
Fig. 1. HYPRON technology can be used in a wide variety of applications, including energy cables, control/instrumentation/compensation cables, and communication cables
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