Research on the Burial Depth of Submarine Cable in Sandy Seabed

Abstract

[Introduction] In order to obtain the safe burial depth of the submarine cable under the conditions of the sandy seabed and to ensure that the submarine cable is not threatened by the anchor, the safe burial depth of the anchor under the conditions of the sea sand seabed is given. [Method] In order to verify of the reasonableness and safety of the buried depth, based on the South China & Hainan power grid interconnection project I, the process of dragging anchor in sandy seabed was simulated, and the 3D finite element model of Hall’s anchor was established. The 3D sandy seabed numerical model based on Finite Element Method and Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (FEM-SPH) was established. The process of dragging anchor was simulated and the drag curve of anchor in sandy seabed was obtained. The influence of mass of anchor, constitutive parameter and other factor to the penetration depth and drag force was analyzed. [Result] The simulation results show that the buried depth of the submarine cable should not be less than 0.35 m under the condition of sandy seabed with different soil quality. [Conclusion] Our results can provide theoretical basis and technical support for the design of submarine cable protection under sandy seabed conditions, and also can optimize the buried depth of submarine cables under sandy seabed conditions.

Keywords

• submarine cable
• burial depth
• anchor
• sandy seabed
• smooth particle hydrodynamics