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A cable protection system (CPS) protects subsea power cables against various factors that could reduce the cable's lifetime, when entering an offshore structure.
When a subsea power cable is laid, there is an area where the cable can be subjected to increased dynamic forces the cable is not necessarily designed to withstand over its lifetime.
Cable protection systems allow the specification, and thus cost, of a subsea power cable to be reduced by removing the need for additional armoring. Cables can be produced more cheaply, whilst still providing the 20-plus-year lifetime required.
Offshore windfarm developers have widely adopted cable protection systems due to the dynamic areas where the cable leaves from the seabed and enters the monopile/J-tube, in part due to the potential for localised scouring to occur near the structure.
A CPS generally consists of three sections: a Centraliser or Monopile interface, a protection system for the dynamic area, and a protection system for the static area.
The installation of J-Tubes for offshore renewable monopiles was viewed as a costly approach, and a 'latching' type of cable protection system which penetrates the outer wall of the monopile, via a specifically designed angled aperture enables the simplification of monopile design, and removes the need for additional works post pile driving which usually involved the use of divers. This approach has become an industry standard in monopile design, assisting developers to reduce their costs for construction.