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Cleaner and Reliable Connections - Turning the tide to a net-zero future

28-07-2021

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The recent QR Connect contract success for Hydro Group together with Ecole Centrale de Nantes and Bourbon Subsea Services is the latest in a string of projects for Hydro Group within the growing Renewables Sector.

Hydro Group's 20KVA submarine export cable connection system will be positioned directly on the seabed to allow a quick connection and disconnection of future prototypes. It is the second phase of the SEM-REV marine renewable energy project which Hydro Group successfully delivered and installed in 2017. Our 24kV/600A HRC Connector, Power Distribution Hub and Export Cable have all been fully operational since.

Hydro Group has developed various solutions for dry and wet-mate connectors, specifically for use within the Renewables Sector with its products deployed in a range of international floating wind, wave and tidal energy projects. These projects include Pempa’q Tidal Energy Project, Ocean Energy’s wave device at the US Navy Wave Test Site in Hawaii and the KRISO-WETS project in South Korea.

Continually developing new solutions, we are also currently participating in the European project Flotant. The scope is to develop and performance test mooring, anchoring systems and dynamic cables, and we aim to improve the cost-efficiency and robustness of solutions that will be deployed at between 100m to 600m water depths.

Heather Andrade, Head of Sales, said: “Hydro Group has been quietly supplying product to the Renewables Industry since 2006, gaining valuable experience and knowledge along the way. The floating offshore wind, tidal and wave energy markets are still maturing, but with most Governments around the world focussing on cleaner energy sources, the global opportunities for Hydro Group are growing quickly.”

MAINTAINING RELIABLE CONNECTIONS
Hydro Group’s Power Distribution Hub (PDH) interconnects heavy armoured seabed cables with multiple power generation units. With a service life conservatively estimated at 25 years, several subsea devices can be deployed from a single cable, reducing the risk of cable faults as well as installation costs and time.

The 36kV/600A Hydro Renewable Connector (HRC) allows subsea connectivity with a device cable and an export cable in series, allowing two three-phase electrical cables to be deck-mated at sea without compromising the circuit before being submerged.

Stainless steel strain termination bodies, or ‘hang-offs’, utilise wire-locking technology, providing cable strength and scope for bend restrictor and stiffener mounting. Fitted with a locking sleeve and pull head, the locking collar works with tube flange mountings and retains the full mechanical load capabilities of the armoured cable.

Ian Walters, Head of Engineering commented, “The development and testing of a new subsea 66kV electrical connector and emergency cable breakaway are all current priorities for Hydro Group. We are focusing on modifications to existing designs to increase our power capability and incorporate an emergency release mechanism into our current 'hang-off connection system' which will support both emergency scenarios and maintenance periods.”

Subsea products & services

· Subsea optical/electrical connectors up to 36kV - (66kV currently in development)
· Mechanical hang-offs
· Quick disconnection systems
· Dynamic inter-array and export cables
· Power distribution hubs
· Strain terminations and cable bend stiffeners
· In-line splices and cable glands
· Armoured electrical/optical cables
· Specialist underwater and harsh environment electrical/optical cables, tethers, and umbilicals
· Electrical pressure hull penetrators
· Subsea electrical cable terminations