Project Summary
“Designing and developing subsea cable solutions for safe, long-term operation in extreme marine conditions.”
Tadek carried out the design and engineering of the Dynamic Power Cable (DPC) for HarshLab 2.0, an offshore testing platform operated by Tecnalia at BiMEP. The project delivered a subsea cable configuration, capable of continuous operation for over 10 years.
The Challenge
HarshLab required a dynamic cable for connection to the grid, subject to:
- The cable is exposed to large waves (with Hs > 12m) and strong currents, leading to high loads and motions.
- The cable route was constrained by subsea, whilst the cable on the seabed was prone to instability.
- Due to its novelty, cable, connectors, and ancillaries had to be bespoke designs, with strict requirements on fatigue and strength performance.
Tadek’s Role
Tadek led the full engineering design and analysis of the subsea power cable, including:
- Selection of optimal subsea cable route and layout
- Development and application of industry-approved methodology for strength and fatigue analysis
- Calibration against experiments of Harshlab hydrodynamic model, using OrcaWave and in-house tools
- Concept and final cable design to optimise performance under operational and survival conditions
- Specification and validation of cable connectors and ancillary components ready for procurement
Our Approach
The project followed an iterative design process, combining engineering rigour with practical offshore considerations:
- Initial route and concept design informed by environmental and operational constraints
- Strength analysis to evaluate tension, curvature, and sensitivity to marine growth and buoyancy loss
- Fatigue analysis using bespoke S-N curves to estimate cable life under cyclic loading
- Refinement of cable configuration through suppliers engagement to achieve a balance between durability, operational safety, and procurement feasibility
Outcomes
- Final cable route selected and comprehensive analysis reports delivered, supporting confident procurement decisions
- Optimised Dynamic Power Cable configuration capable of withstanding Hs = 12.1 m and Tp = 15 s under survival conditions, with a fatigue life of 110 years, complying with a safety factor of 10
- Definition of connectors and subsea components, identified through suppliers engagement
- Guidelines and recommendations for deployment and installation, through storyboards and dedicated workshops
