innovations
Hang-off connector will reduce costs and risk
UK-based connector specialist First Subsea unveiled a new type of cable connector for offshore wind turbines at Windforce 2014 in Bremen in June
BASED in Lancaster in the UK, First Subsea is well known as the developer and supplier of Ballgrab ball and taper-based connector technology, which is widely use in the offshore oil and gas sector.
In 2013, First Subsea supplied cable connectors to the Fukushima floating offshore windfarm pilot project offshore Japan. The connectors were used to connect 66kV and 22kV cables to a 2 megawatt (MW) wind turbine and floating substation. The facility’s floating 66kV power substation was the first of its kind for the offshore wind energy industry.
The Ballgrab wind turbine cable connector was developed to provide remotely operated vehicle (ROV)- less and diver-less cable connection for the installation of offshore wind turbines. Due to the quick connect
and disconnect time and the fact that no diver or ROV intervention is needed during installation, significant vessel time can be saved. Due to the design of the connector, greater operational flexibility, tighter installation tolerances and greater depths can be achieved, thanks to the Ballgrab’s unique integrated cable and connector design. First Subsea says its latest innovation, the new hang-off connector, reduces the time, cost and risk associated with offshore cable installation. Unlike traditional hang-off devices, the First Subsea connector provides an instant airtight structural connection to the hang-off deck, significantly reducing cable installation and termination times. “With the offshore wind industry
under pressure to reduce capex needed to deploy offshore wind, the cost of installing foundations, turbines and subsea cables is under scrutiny,” said the company. “The cable connector that we have developed enables a leaner installation of array cables, whether installed through a J-tubeless monopile entry point or a traditional J-tube. It provides a quick and instantaneous structural connection to the monopile’s internal hang-off deck.” By the industry’s own estimates,
The new cable connector provides an instantaneous structural connection to the monopile’s hang-off deck
50 I Offshore Wind Journal I 3rd Quarter 2014
pre-termination of power cables can reduce installation times by 36 hours per cable, with an equivalent cost saving of just under €100,000 per turbine. Pre-stripped cables will contribute significantly to this figure by reducing the time needed to install the cable to just a couple of hours. First Subsea’s hang-off connector is assembled onto a factory pre-stripped cable. This can be done either on shore
The hang-off connector will reduce the time, cost and risk associated with offshore cable installation
or off shore. The cores are cut to length, protected and prepared for installation and connection to the distribution board, effectively removing this element of cable preparation from the offshore critical path. “Fewer people are now needed to work on the monopile, stripping the cable and assembling the traditional connector,” said First Subsea. “It also significantly reduces the number of crew transferred from one vessel to another and from vessel to monopile, in turn, eliminating a number of offshore operations and the health and safety risk associated with them.” The company says that, in the event of damage to the cable or perhaps a cable failure, First Subsea’s connector can be readily disengaged and the cable recovered, whilst leaving the cable protection system in place. “The hang-off connector marks a step-change in the ease, speed and safety with which cable is connected to the monopile,” claimed Greg Campbell-Smith, sales and business development manager, First Subsea Ltd. “Shorter installation times reduce the weather window needed for cable installation, allowing greater optimisation of expensive offshore vessels and resources.” OWJ
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