An unpredictable environment
Installing turbines in deep waters allows strong and steady winds to be exploited, but also reduces noise and visual pollution. In the context of energy transition, floating offshore wind appears as a not-to-be-missed key solution.
Maintaining a wind turbine afloat remains, however, a challenge. Indeed, the movement of the blades, the waves, or the weight of the turbine leads to numerous imbalances for the floating offshore wind. Thus, the complexity of the marine environment generates excessive constraints on the cables that conntect the turbine to the seabed.
Therefore, facing this challenge requires the development of high-performance cable protection systems capable of withstanding these difficult and unpredictable conditions.
Subsea cable protection comes into play
Designed to reduce excessive forces and stresses on subsea cables, Bend Stiffeners and Bend Restrictors play a key role in the development and installation of floating offshore wind farms.
Bend Stiffeners are attached to cable termination points where they are most likely to be subjected to twisting and bending. Their inherent stiffness and flexibility allows them to bend with the movements of the floating structure without breaking and thus improving the fatigue resistance of the cable.
Bend Restrictors are tipically used for static applications. They are designed to mechanically lock at a certain radius and hence prevent over-bending of the cable.
High-performance cable protection with EXSTO
Our teams combine in-depth knowledge of materials with a real understanding of the unique challenges of the floating offshore wind. Furthermore, our large-scale in-house facilities allow us to test our products exhaustively. Thus, this expertise has enabled us to develop a superior manufacturing and quality control process.
In addition, ton ensure high-performance equipment, our Bend Stiffeners and Bend Restrictors are made from ELADEEP®.
It is therefore capable of protecting cables against all types of potential damage to which they may be exposed. Moreover, ELADEEP® is particularly known for its high transparency, allowing precise visualization of potential impurities during inspection.
By developing high-performance subsa cable protection solutions, EXSTO ensures the integrity and durability of floating offshore wind installations.