Underwater oil-filled electrical cable installation with means locally supporting the cable above the bed of the water

Claim 1

In an underwater electric cable installation in which the cable rests on the bed of the water, said cable being a relatively long, oil-filled cable having a normally fluid impervious sheath and internal oil ducts, the combination therewith of means for confining the water which may flow into said cable due to a tear in said sheath to a predetermined length of said cable in which said tear occurs, said means comprising a plurality of similar casings encircling said cable in spaced relation therealong leaving the cable exposed intermediate said casings, each of said casings supporting the portion of the cable encircled thereby and having a dimension intermediate said cable and said bed at least equal to the diameter of said cable thereby to maintain said portion above said bed by a distance at least equal to the diameter of said cable and the spacing between the casings on said cable being sufficient to permit the cable to bend intermediate the casings and engage said bed, and each of said casings comprising two parts with means for holding them together around said cable, said two parts having inner surfaces spaced from each other and extending longitudinally of said cable to define a longitudinally extending cavity for receiving said cable, at least the inner surface nearer said bed being convex in longitudinal section and longer than the diameter of said cable to prevent deformation of said cable at the portion thereof within said casing.