Hellenic Cables and CRP Subsea and have completed testing of dynamic cables for floating wind at the University of Exeter in the UK, as part of the EU-funded MaRINET2 research programme.
The results show that when tested with a CRP Subsea Bend Stiffener (protecting it against overbending) the power cable survived 3.7 times as many cycles and was on average 72.5% stiffer than the power cable alone.
The partners said these results highlight the “importance of a Bend Stiffener’s presence to extend the fatigue life of the system to be used in future floating offshore wind applications”.
The testing at the University of Exeter used a dynamic cable designed and manufactured by Hellenic Cables and a Bend Stiffener designed and manufactured by CRP Subsea.
The power cable (only) and power cable with Bend Stiffener were individually tested to compare both performance and fatigue.
John Duggan, principal design Engineer at CRP Subsea, said: “Our Bend Stiffener is designed to maintain a cable or flexible pipe above a given minimum bend radius in a dynamic application.
“This, in turn, increases the life of the product by protecting it against damage and fatigue, which can result due to over bending.”
The study is related to one of the key challenges for floating wind developers, which is to ensure the long-term integrity of the dynamic cable, connecting the floating platform to the offshore substation.
Whilst dynamic cable assemblies are recognised as a key technical risk, the sector is not at a commercial scale yet, so funded research and development support is required to demonstrate and enhance dynamic cable solutions the sector.