Cable preparation and injection systems and methods
AssigneeOneSubsea IP UK Limited
InventorsJoseph Allan Nicholson, Oliver Booth, Wayne Heigh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for preparing an electrical cable may include coupling an injection barrel to an electrical cable that includes one or more conductors surrounded by a porous insulating material. The method may also include injecting epoxy resin into a chamber of the injection barrel, and the chamber may be fluidly coupled to an end face of the porous insulating material. Additionally, the method may include pressurizing the chamber such that the epoxy resin is forced to penetrate into the end face of the porous insulating material and removing the injection barrel to expose an epoxy-injected portion of the porous insulating material.
Claims20
A method for preparing an electrical cable, comprising:
- coupling an injection barrel to the electrical cable, wherein the electrical cable comprises one or more conductors surrounded by a porous insulating material;
- injecting epoxy resin into a chamber of the injection barrel, wherein the chamber is fluidly coupled to an end face of the porous insulating material;
- pressurizing the chamber such that the epoxy resin is forced to penetrate into the end face of the porous insulating material;
- and
- removing the injection barrel to expose an epoxy-injected portion of the porous insulating material.
An electrical cable preparation tool, comprising:
- a cable clamp configured to be operatively coupled to an outer casing of an electrical cable, wherein the electrical cable comprises a conductor surrounded by a porous insulating material;
- and
- an injection barrel configured to couple to the cable clamp and comprising:
- a chamber configured to be operatively exposed to an end face of the porous insulating material;
- one or more ports configured to operatively fill the chamber with an epoxy resin;
- and
- a piston configured to actuate into the chamber and operatively pressurize the chamber such that the epoxy resin is pressurized against the end face of the porous insulating material.
A method for connecting a prepared electrical cable, comprising:
- inserting the prepared electrical cable into a cable connection, wherein the cable connection comprises a first geometry and the prepared electrical cable comprises a shaped epoxy-solidified portion of an insulating material comprising a second geometry complementary to the first geometry, wherein the prepared electrical cable is prepared by:
- coupling an injection barrel to an unprepared electrical cable, wherein the unprepared electrical cable comprises one or more conductors surrounded by the insulating material;
- injecting epoxy resin into a chamber of the injection barrel, wherein the chamber is fluidly coupled to an end face of the insulating material;
- pressurizing the chamber such that the epoxy resin is forced to penetrate into the end face of the insulating material;
- removing the injection barrel to expose the epoxy-injected portion of the insulating material;
- and
- shaping the epoxy-injected portion of the insulating material to generate the second geometry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.