Testing

Testing can include reeling and unreeling, cyclic bend or bend-over-sheave testing, tensile and break-load testing, crush and clamp testing, bend-stiffness measurement, torque and rotation assessment, conductor resistance, insulation resistance, high-voltage withstand, partial-discharge evaluation, voltage breakdown and fibre-optic testing.

The required test programme is selected around the product, operating duty and customer acceptance criteria.

Factory acceptance testing confirms that a manufactured product meets its specified release requirements. Qualification testing is normally more extensive and demonstrates that a design can withstand representative mechanical, electrical or environmental loads.

A project may require both: qualification of the design followed by factory acceptance testing of the production length or completed assembly.

Yes, where the project specifies it. Fibron can design and qualify products with reference to ISO 13628-5/API 17E and can also work to other customer, industry or programme-specific requirements. The applicable standard, edition, test scope and acceptance criteria should be confirmed at the start of the project.

Yes. Fibron can work with third-party certification and test organisations when independent witnessing, testing, type approval or certification is required. The precise scope depends on the product, sector, contract and nominated approval body.

Fibron’s scope can include armour terminations, sleeves, integration plates, bend stiffeners, segmented bend restrictors, pull-in heads, hang-off collars, termination assemblies, junction boxes, mounting frames, multi-quick-connect plates, stab plates, J-tube seals, buoyancy modules, ballast modules, impact protection, abandonment kits and handling equipment.

The termination design is developed around the cable construction, load path and equipment interface.

Yes. Fibron can terminate and test assemblies using a range of established electrical and subsea connector systems. Diving hose ends can be supplied in common thread formats, and mechanical fittings, grips, D-rings, bend protection and oil or water stops can be added where required.

Connector suitability remains subject to the operating depth, pressure, voltage, mating method and system interface.

In many cases, yes. Fibron offers inspection, testing, repair, maintenance and re-termination services. The first stage is to determine the location and extent of the damage and whether the remaining construction can safely meet its required duty.

Some damage may require replacement rather than repair. Where a permanent repair cannot be completed immediately, Fibron can assess whether a controlled interim solution is technically and operationally appropriate.

Project documentation can include project plans, document registers, execution plans, work breakdown structures, inspection and test plans, quality plans, health and safety plans, qualification procedures, factory acceptance procedures, manufacturing records, test reports and manufacturing record books.

For larger or more complex contracts, a dedicated project manager can act as the principal point of contact.

For an umbilical cable, cyclic bend-over-sheave fatigue arises when the umbilical is repeatedly bent and straightened, under tension, as it passes over a pulley, winch or sheave wheel, during deployment, operation (during vessel heave, pitch and/or roll) or recovery. The combined effects of tension and bending create cyclic stresses in the components of the umbilical, causing them to sustain wear, fatigue and other progressive damage. A bend-over-sheave fatigue test is an industry-standard test used to demonstrate the durability of an umbilical.

Partial discharge testing is a non-destructive technique used to assess the quality of electrical insulation, usually on medium and high voltage electrical cables, by measuring localized sparks and emissions within or on the surface of electrical insulation. The test acts to find internal voids, cracks or defects in electrical insulation before it fails. It is an important test to confirm the quality of insulation extruded onto electrical conductor cores before they are assembled into umbilical cables, which are required to achieve and maintain high performance in harsh environments.

Voltage breakdown testing is a destructive test of an electrical cable’s insulation, in which voltage is increased until the cable's insulation fails. It is an important test to confirm the performance of insulation extruded onto electrical conductor cores before they are assembled into umbilical cables, which are required to achieve and maintain high performance in harsh environments.

Bend stiffness testing is used to determine how an umbilical behaves in response to bending loads, by measuring deflection or curvature under lateral loads or applied moments. The results can be used as design verification, to refine minimum bend radius limits and/or as inputs for umbilical cable stress, fatigue and dynamic analyses. The use of bend stiffness testing for oil and gas industry umbilicals is stipulated in API 17E because the results are important for subsea analysis, to understand the stability and behaviour of the umbilical in response to vortex induced vibrations and for catenary calculations during deployment and operation.

An umbilical’s clamp load is important because the clamp arrangement must generate enough friction to resist the loads trying to pull the umbilical from its hang-off or tensioner. The clamp load must be high enough to prevent the umbilical from slipping under its own weight and external forces but low enough to avoid crushing its internal components. The required clamp load is a function of the axial load to be sustained and the coefficient of friction between the clamp and the surface of the umbilical. The allowable clamp load (that cannot be exceeded) depends on the umbilical’s crushing strength.