Interconnect Technology for ROVs
in elsatomers such as polyurethane and neoprene. Various other techniques and materials are available for front-end and back-end-to-cable sealing in subsea interconnects including: Connector Sealing
ROVs are the backbone of all deepwater offshore operations: From installing assets and bringing wells online, to the complex business of decommissioning end-of- life fields. ROV equipment sets are pressure resistant, making it possible for the submersible to function and operate in harsh and remote depths up to 10,000 feet. In the demanding deep-water operations environment, electrical engineers specifying interconnect technology must consider extremes in temperature, pressure, and corrosion when choosing appropriate cables and connector sets to bring power and data to equipment and tools. Connectors must be evaluated for mating durability and wire-to-connector termination durability by considering working conditions including cathodic delamination, corrosion due to dissimilar metals, and mechanical stress due to cable routing and wave action. Pressure resistant connectors are required on all ROVs for electrical and optical circuits interconnecting payload components and/or for umbilical connectivity topside. 10k psi is the standard for ROV connectors. Connectors typically employ front-end sealing technology that allows for wet underwater mating (not currently supplied by Glenair) and/or open-face exposure of connector halves to subsea pressures (a major Glenair strength—see our revolutionary SeaKing connector series later in this special edition of QwikConnect ).
Technologies Glass-to-Metal Welding/Brazing Metal-to-Metal Seals Rubber-molded connectors Needle valves Tapered threads Potting/Adhesives/Sealants O-rings
O-rings are the unsung hero of sealing, and when properly applied can yield reliable, high pressure sealing results. O-rings are small, cheap, suitable for high-mating cycle applications, easy to inspect, easily serviced and, as mentioned, extremely effective when proper attention is applied to engineering best-practices. These practices focus on gland design (or the relative advantages and disadvantages of axial face seals compared to radial piston or rod seals), as well as careful attention to metal-to-metal extrusion gaps, and O-ring groove widths.
Glenair SeaKing™ cutaway diagram showing replaceable Nitrile or Buna-N (NBR) O-ring seals that facilitate fast and trouble-free field replacement
Dual O-rings
Dual O-rings
Back-end sealing technology protects the termination zone for both cable and contact, and is a often a weak point in connector and cable sealing. Glenair brings over 60 years of mission-critical sealing expertise to our subsea interconnect designs, including deep materials science fluency
Dual O-rings
Qwik Connect n October 2016
3
Powered by FlippingBook