{"id":155301,"date":"2021-01-14T17:35:31","date_gmt":"2021-01-14T14:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-does-a-rock-climbing-belay-device-have-in-common-with-a-subsea-cable-installation-vessel\/"},"modified":"2021-01-14T17:35:31","modified_gmt":"2021-01-14T14:35:31","slug":"what-does-a-rock-climbing-belay-device-have-in-common-with-a-subsea-cable-installation-vessel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-does-a-rock-climbing-belay-device-have-in-common-with-a-subsea-cable-installation-vessel\/","title":{"rendered":"#What does a rock climbing belay device have in common with a subsea cable installation vessel?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#What does a rock climbing belay device have in common with a subsea cable installation vessel?<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\n A cable exhibiting torsion (above) and writhing (below). Credit: SINTEF
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,What does a rock climbing belay device have in common with a subsea cable installation vessel?<\/p>\n

The answer is that both can cause torsion, meaning the climbing rope or cable will start to twist. Up until now, no-one could explain why this happ<\/a>ened. However, two enthusiastic researchers, who happen to be rock climbers, made it their business to solve the mystery.<\/p>\n

The construction of offshore wind and solar farms requires electrical cables, both as components of the farms themselves, and to carry the generated electricity onshore. Operators responsible for handling the cables during their manufacture, transport and installation have from time to time found that they quite literally have a tendency to twist and curl up. The same thing can happen to a rope when a climber is abseiling.<\/p>\n

The tendency for subsea electrical cables and flexible pipes to twist during their manufacture, handling and installation is a phenomenon that up until now has proved difficult to explain. It is a major drawback during handling and storage, and can be very expensive.<\/p>\n

“It will perhaps come as a surprise to many that the torsion is caused by friction inside the cable,” says SINTEF researcher and torsion enthusiast Philippe Main\u00e7on.<\/p>\n

Cable torsion can cost millions<\/b><\/p>\n

There are many examples of instances where internal friction has caused major problems.<\/p>\n

“In one case, a vessel had to abort the installation of a major electrical cable due to the cable writhing and curling on deck, says Main\u00e7on, who has been called “Dr. Twist’ by one of SINTEF’s clients.<\/p>\n

The cable had to be cut and abandoned on the seabed. The vessel returned to port and had to wait for months before the cable could be recovered, spliced together and the installation completed.<\/p>\n


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