The world needs more power – and larger HV cables. The offshore wind power industry is growing and plays a vital role in the global strive for decarbonization. This calls for engineered fire-proof transits that make it possible to handle and seal stiff array and export cables on offshore substations. Roxtec has performed successful fire tests that were witnessed by DNV.
Many players in the cable manufacturing, power generation and power transmission industries produce and demand bigger and more powerful cables. This requires advanced fire protection testing of the deployed sealing solutions. As world-leading supplier of certified cable and pipe transits, Roxtec decided to fire test its round Roxtec RS off-center seals in openable sleeve plates with very large cables in its fire lab and invited classification society DNV to witness the tests.
Transits for large power cables
The advantage with this sealing solution is the flexibility. It does not only adapt to cables of different sizes. It also allows for stiff and heavy cables to enter the next compartment without any need for hard and time-consuming moving, bending and positioning of the cable.
In comparison to other methods, it is extremely quick to install. The installation only requires access from one side. The solution is delivered as a kit with plates, seals, bolts, nuts and pre-cut gaskets, and no additional sealant requiring curing is needed.
The sealing solution is frequently used for array cables coming in from wind turbines and up through the deck of an offshore substation, and it can be placed either on top of or beneath the deck. It is also ideal for larger HV export cables transmitting the power to shore.
Verified protection performance
Committed to safety, Roxtec set up the fire test with cables with an outer diameter of 142mm and that contained a high amount of copper. The off-center seal met all safety performance expectations without any insulation or additional material. The solution provides one hour Class A0 fire protection in accordance with the standard DNV ST-0145 for offshore converters. Roxtec thereby obtained an official verification from the classification society DNV.
