Cable with lightweight tensile elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11189396-B2
Application number	US-201616337809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 29, 2016
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

A cable has a tensile armor having a number of elongated polymeric tensile elements. At least one of the elongated polymeric tensile elements includes a bundle of high tensile fibers and a jacket tightly retaining the bundle of fibers. The elongated polymeric tensile elements are arranged with a lay loss of 1.5% at most. A method of manufacturing such a cable is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cable suitable for submarine deployment, the cable comprising:
an insulated conductive core comprising an electric conductor, an insulation layer surrounding the electrical conductor, and a hermetic metal sheath surrounding the insulation layer;
a tensile armor surrounding the insulated conductive core, the tensile armor comprising a plurality of elongated polymeric tensile elements; and
a serving layer surrounding and in physical contact with the tensile armor;
wherein each of the elongated polymeric tensile elements comprises bundles of high tensile fibers and a jacket tightly retaining the bundles of high tensile fibers, wherein a portion of the jacket partially separates the bundles of high tensile fibers;
wherein at least one of the elongated polymeric tensile elements is arranged with a lay loss between 0.4% and 1.0%;
wherein the jacket houses the bundles of high tensile fibers with a compaction between 55% and 90%;
wherein the high tensile fibers comprise fibers have a Young modulus between 50 GPa and 200 GPa; and
wherein a density of the high tensile fibers within the jacket is between 0.9 g/cm 3 and 3 g/cm 3 .

2. The cable of claim 1 , wherein the elongated polymeric tensile elements are arranged with a lay loss from 0.4% to 0.9%.

3. The cable of claim 1 ,
wherein each of the bundles comprises unidirectional high tensile fibers, extending substantially along a longitudinal axis of the elongated polymeric tensile elements.

4. The cable of claim 3 , wherein the tensile armor comprises a layer of the elongated polymeric tensile elements wound around the insulated conductive core.

5. The cable of claim 1 , wherein the jacket houses the bundle of high tensile fibers with a compaction between 60% and 80%.

6. The cable of claim 1 , wherein one of the bundles of high tensile fibers is partially in contact with another one of the bundles of high tensile fibers.

7. The cable of claim 1 , wherein the bundles of high tensile fibers comprise a first bundle of high tensile fibers and a second bundle of high tensile fibers directly contacting the first bundle of high tensile fibers at a contact region, the portion of the jacket partially separating the first bundle of high tensile fibers from the second bundle of high tensile fibers.

8. The cable of claim 7 , further comprising another portion of the jacket partially separating the first bundle of high tensile fibers from the second bundle of high tensile fibers, the another portion being separated from the portion by the contact region.

9. A cable comprising:
a core that includes a cable element selected from the group consisting of an optical cable element, a power cable element, and an umbilical cable element;
a tensile armor comprising a plurality of elongated polymeric tensile elements disposed in an annular region surrounding the core, wherein at least one of the elongated polymeric tensile elements comprises bundles of high tensile fibers and a jacket tightly retaining the bundles of high tensile fibers, wherein a portion of the jacket partially separates the bundles of high tensile fibers, wherein the elongated polymeric tensile elements are arranged in the annular region with a lay loss between 0.4% and 1.0% and no elongated polymeric tensile elements are arranged outside the annular region and wherein the high tensile fibers are unidirectional, extending substantially along a longitudinal axis of the elongated polymeric tensile elements; and
a serving layer surrounding the annular region and physically touching at least some of the elongated polymeric tensile elements.

10. The cable of claim 9 , wherein the high tensile fibers comprise fibers having a Young modulus between 50 GPa and 200 GPa.

11. The cable of claim 9 , wherein the jacket houses the bundles of high tensile fibers with a compaction between 55% and 90%.

12. The cable of claim 9 , wherein the high tensile fibers within the jacket have a density between 0.9 g/cm 3 and 3 g/cm 3 .

13. The cable of claim 9 , wherein the core comprises:
an insulated conductive core comprising an electric conductor;
an insulation layer surrounding the electrical conductor; and
a hermetic metal sheath surrounding the insulation layer.

14. The cable of claim 9 , wherein the core comprises:
a steel tube capable of transporting fluid;
an optical fiber cable;
an insulated electric core; and
a plurality of fillers.

15. The cable of claim 9 , further comprising a separating sleeve interposed between the core and the tensile armor.

16. The cable of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of elongated polymeric tensile elements are a first plurality of elongated polymeric tensile elements, wherein the cable further comprises a second plurality of elongated polymeric tensile elements disposed in the annular region, wherein at least one of the second plurality of elongated polymeric tensile elements comprises further bundles of high tensile fibers and a second jacket tightly retaining the further bundles of high tensile fibers, wherein the second plurality of elongated polymeric tensile elements are arranged in the annular region with a helix angle in opposing direction to a helix angle of the first plurality of elongated polymeric tensile elements, the second plurality of elongated polymeric tensile elements being arranged with a lay loss between 0.4% and 1.0%.

17. The cable of claim 9 , wherein one of the bundles of high tensile fibers is partially in contact with another one of the bundles of high tensile fibers.

18. The cable of claim 9 , wherein the bundles of high tensile fibers comprise a first bundle of high tensile fibers and a second bundle of high tensile fibers directly contacting the first bundle of high tensile fibers at a contact region, the portion of the jacket partially separating the first bundle of high tensile fibers from the second bundle of high tensile fibers.

19. The cable of claim 18 , further comprising another portion of the jacket partially separating the first bundle of high tensile fibers from the second bundle of high tensile fibers, the another portion being separated from the portion by the contact region.

Assignees

• Prysmian Spa

Inventors

• Consonni Enrico Maria
• Miramonti Gianni
• De Rai Luca Giorgio Maria
• Veggetti Paolo

Classifications

• H01B7/183 Primary

  forming part of an outer sheath · CPC title

• H01B7/182 Primary

  comprising synthetic filaments · CPC title

• H01B7/041 Primary

  attached to mobile objects, e.g. portable tools, elevators, mining equipment, hoisting cables · CPC title

• H01B7/14

  Submarine cables · CPC title

• H01B9/00

  Power cables · CPC title