An Innovative Testing Method to Qualify Deep-Water 66kV Power and Hydraulic Combined Umbilical

With the development of deep-water offshore oil & gas and the extensive application of subsea high-voltage equipment, integration of 66kV power cable into umbilical will become a trend. With the increasing water depth of oil & gas field development, how to verify the reliability and safety of the 66kV power and hydraulic combined umbilical for deep-water application is a topic worthy of discussion. An innovative testing method is proposed, which incorporates mechanical tests in API 17E and type test in IEC 63026 on a single testing sample. The main purpose of the test is to verify the performance of the umbilical taking into account high voltage and deep water characteristics. An innovative 66kV power and hydraulic combined umbilical was designed and manufactured, and subjected to a series of tests based on the testing method proposed in this paper. The results show that the designed umbilical performs well and the testing results are more conservative. The proposed testing method can provide a reference for the validation of high voltage power cable integration umbilical for deep water applications in the future.