Subsea Cable Protection Products
The Blue Ocean Projects (BOP) range of Cable Protection Products is designed to provide protection for subsea cables at offshore wind or tidal energy foundations, in shallow water and at landfalls, boulder fields or areas of rocky seabed where cable burial is impractical.
Consisting of a series of interlocking half shell modules to form a vertebrae bend restrictor around the cable, the BOP Cable Protectors are a development from conventional 'articulated pipe' (also known as 'split pipe') and are manufactured in ductile iron to provide:
- Protection against impact and abrasion
- Increased seabed stability through added weight
- Reliable and strong bend restriction to ensure that product minimum bend radius is respected
- Ease of installation and cost effective protection
- Greater articulation angle achieved at each joint than conventional split pipe, facilitating use over sheaves and chutes
- Smooth bore to facilitate longitudinal cable movement where required, for instance for cable pull-in or cable tension relief
- No sharp edges
- All bolted assembly. Identical top and bottom castings and use of large fasteners with built in nut recesses for simplicity, speed and reliability of assembly whether onshore, on deck or subsea by divers
- Smooth outer profile for ease of pulling through apertures and structures
Tooling is manufactured directly from 3D CAD software models for quality and precision. Castings are manufactured in a high capacity, highly automated UK foundry (with full ISO9001 quality and ISO14001 environmental certification) for quality, consistency of fitting, material traceability and dependable lead times.
A range of fittings, including male/male adaptors with cable clamps, female/female adaptors, end pieces, pulling heads and hang offs, and I/J tube centralisers are also available. A cable entry system for use on 'J-tubeless' monopiles is also available in both sealing and non sealing versions.
Cable Protectors
The BOP Cable Protector has a ball and socket (shoulder) joint between each interlocking module, allowing movement in any direction up to the lock out (minimum) bend radius. Normally supplied in self-coloured grade ENJ-GJS-400-15 ductile iron, with socket head cap screws and nuts as fasteners between each pair, galvanized or epoxy subsea grade paint finishes are also available. Example specifications are:
| Bore Internal diameter | Pitch (effective length) | Lock out bend radius | Casting Wall thickness | Weight in air/casting | Weight in air/metre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120mm | 400mm | 2.0m | 8.5mm | 8.2kg | 41kg/m |
| 150mm | 400mm | 2.5m | 8.5mm | 10.7kg | 54kg/m |
| 180mm | 400mm | 2.5m | 8.5mm | 12.7kg | 64kg/m |
Please note: larger and smaller sizes and specifications also available, including for telecom cables and PE pipe applications, please contact us for further information
Male/Male Adaptor ('Dogbone') and Cable Clamp
The male/male adaptor ('Dogbone') is designed to incorporate a cable clamp. This is typically used as the starting point for assembly. The standard cable clamp is designed as a three part clamp which provides greater tolerance of variations in cable diameter and cable 'out of roundness' than a conventional two part clamp, and also provides greater tension holding capability for a given clamping pressure.
Female/Female Adaptor
The female/female adaptor can be used as a transition adaptor with polyurethane tubular cable protectors; within 'second end' protection arrangements for array cables; and to couple runs starting from opposite directions.
End Piece
The end piece fitting has a flared internal bore to provide a mini bellmouth surface for the cable. This is the standard way of terminating a run of cable protectors to provide a smooth transition to unprotected/buried cable.
I/J tube Centraliser
The centraliser consists of a polymer outer shell normally mounted onto a male/male cable clamp, to provide a robust centraliser for I-tube or J-tube installations.
Pulling Head & 'Split Bowl' Hang Off
The pulling head can be used for deploying protector strings, for instance through a hang off flange, and then can be supported with a 'split bowl' hang off.
Cable Entry System
The cable entry system is deployed through the monopile wall for 'J-tubeless' cable installation, particularly for offshore wind farms. This is currently under development and will be available as a non-sealing, retractable design. Please contact us for further information on status of development and trials.
Uniplane Cable Protector
The Uniplane Cable Protector has a hinge (elbow) joint between each interlocking module enabling movement in one direction only up to the lock out minimum bend radius. This can be used for example to prevent unwanted cable movement or vibration from wave or current action in the horizontal plane for the section in suspension above the seabed.
Please download our product spec sheet here.
Please download typical I or J tube application here.
