Discussion on Copper v's Fiber In Connector Design Considerations
In January of 2011 Brad Fisher and Dave Jenkins of SEA CON Presented at the Underwater Intervention Cable & Connector Workshop
The paper they presented covered the merits, pros & cons of fiber v's copper in current connector and cable designs.
One of the areas which they addressed at the conference was the use of cable pathways in connectors or a PBOF pressure balanced oil filled chamber.
Their paper covered a lot of ground and is very detailed on the options for design using both materials. The ground they covered was not to removed from the earlier work in 2003 of B. Zhang and F. Canizales. of Princeton in the Underwater Magazine.
Zhang and Canizales concluded that the future for high speed fibre communication was massive spurred on by a reduction in production costs of materials.
The paper they presented covered the merits, pros & cons of fiber v's copper in current connector and cable designs.
One of the areas which they addressed at the conference was the use of cable pathways in connectors or a PBOF pressure balanced oil filled chamber.
Their paper covered a lot of ground and is very detailed on the options for design using both materials. The ground they covered was not to removed from the earlier work in 2003 of B. Zhang and F. Canizales. of Princeton in the Underwater Magazine.
Zhang and Canizales concluded that the future for high speed fibre communication was massive spurred on by a reduction in production costs of materials.
Underwater Electrical Connectors
These connectors are the lifeblood of for offshore activities which include , oil and Gas extraction, Renewable energy ( Wind farms and Tidal Power) and oceanographic exploration.
Hybrid Electrical and Optical Connectors
Offshore work requires a variety of connector types which can service the power and communication need for static and mobile offshore platforms and facilities. Different environments and situations will require the use of different connection technologies. Harsh environment electrical engineering has really taken off in the last 45 years. Vital strings of connectors keep power and communications flowing through massive distances of cables make use of radical new designs and materials. In the early days heat conduction, loss of power and signal strength at each connector had to be overcome. Today exotic metals such as Titanium, Nitronic® and Elgiloy® are used alongside traditional materials like Stainless Steel and Bronze to deliver the most efficient connectors possible. Manufacturers work hard to develop new technology to minimize signal and power loss through individual connectors so that the cumulative effect of several connectors is manged. Loss of power and signal is described by the term Attenuation which measures signal loss in decibles per kilometer at certain wavelengths. |
Types of underwater Connectors
Electrical Dry Mate These are mated or connected above surface and then submerged. The above example Are Known as GRE Glass Reinforced Epoxy. Where the contacts are are gold plated and the the casing is made from molded GRE.
Underwater Mateable connectors
Allow for connection whilst submerged and are designed to have a flexible working life time which offers the ability to mate and de mate the connectors of a period of many years. You would expect to find these connectors used in sonar grids by the military. In the grids which measure seismic activity globally. |