Marine Power Conduit Interface Assembly

Abstract

The marine power conduit interface assembly includes a slide slidably movable within a housing. Sliding the slide within the housing locks the assembly to the energy generator socket. The slide has legs extending axially within grooves formed in the inner surface of the housing bore and connected to a ring having a flange extending radially outward from the outer surface of the housing. The ring is connected to the legs by fingers extending radially inward through slots in the housing. Sliding the slide within the housing activates and releases the lock.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a marine power conduit interface assembly for securing a power conduit to a marine energy generator such as a wind turbine, for example for connecting the power conduit to an offshore turbine device, typically a wind turbine. [Background technology]

[0002] In the construction of offshore wind farms, wind turbines are typically mounted on a base installed on the seabed. The base may consist of stationary legs or masts fixed to the seabed. Power generated by the wind turbine is extracted from the turbine through a power conduit, such as a cable, which typically runs through a socket that penetrates the base (e.g., through the sidewall of the leg). To reduce wear on the cable, the interface between the cable and the base may include an interface assembly that fits into an opening in the base and has a bore for receiving the cable. The cable runs through the bore in the interface. Exemplary systems are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0280468 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011 / 0226527, which are useful for understanding the present invention. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0280468 [Patent Document 2] US Patent Application Publication No. 2011 / 0226527 Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a marine power conduit interface assembly including a housing having a shaft and a bore for receiving a marine power conduit, at least one slide configured for axial sliding movement relative to the housing; a locking device configured to secure the assembly within a socket of a marine energy generator, the locking device comprising: at least one locking arm movable from a first radially retracted position relative to an axis to a second radially extended position; and a lock operator configured to move the locking arm from the first position to the second position, the locking operator and the locking arm engaging by relative sliding movement along the axis to move the locking arm between the first and second positions; the lock arm is disposed on one of the housing and the slide, and the lock operator is attached to the other of the housing and the slide, and tapered surfaces of the lock operator and the lock arm move relative to each other by relative axial sliding movement of the housing and the slide, thereby moving the lock arm between the first position and the second position; the assembly includes a latch having a release position in which the slide is axially movable relative to the housing and a latched position in which relative sliding movement between the housing and the slide is limited by the latch; the slide includes at least one leg extending axially within the bore of the housing and an annular portion formed as a ring; the at least one leg is disposed in a groove formed in an inner surface of the bore of the housing; the ring includes a flange extending radially outward from an outer surface of the housing; the ring is connected to the at least one leg by a finger extending radially inward through a slot in the housing; A marine power duct interface assembly.

[0005] The housing may be cylindrical.

[0006] One of the lock arm and the lock operator may have a tapered surface that engages with a surface of the other, or both may have tapered surfaces that engage with each other to move the lock arm between the first and second positions. Further, the lock operator may be on the slide and the lock arm may be on the housing.

[0007] The latch may include a latch member provided on one of the housing and the slide (which may be the slide) and a latch plate provided on the other (which may be the housing). The latch member may include a hook, and the latch plate may include a lip with which the hook engages. The latch member may be movable, for example, pivotable relative to the housing, to engage and disengage from the plate. A portion of the latch member may be partially resilient and may be capable of deforming on the plate (e.g., the lip).

[0008] The locking device may be operable by moving the latch between a release position and a latched position, for example, from the release position to the latched position and / or from the latched position to the release position. In the latched position, the latch member may engage with the latch plate. In the release position, the latch member may be disengaged from the latch plate. The latch may be movable between the release position and the latched position in response to relative axial movement between the slide and the housing.

[0009] The annular portion may comprise a sleeve or a partial sleeve. The radius of the annular portion may be greater than the radius of the socket. The groove may be open to the inner surface of the bore and may have a radial depth less than the wall thickness of the housing, in which case the groove is generally closed to the outer surface of the housing. The radial depth of the groove may be at least equal to the radial dimension of the legs. In other words, the legs do not protrude radially beyond the open surface of the groove, and the groove may have a radial depth greater than the radial dimension of the legs.

[0010] The groove may have a straight cross section or may be generally U-shaped, preferably with straight sidewalls and a flat base opposite the open side of the groove facing the bore. The legs and groove may have the same cross-sectional shape. The groove and legs preferably extend parallel to the axis.

[0011] The legs may be circumferentially spaced apart about the axis. The legs may support a lock operator at a cantilevered end spaced apart from the annular portion. The legs may be fixed to the annular portion at an end opposite the lock operator. Each leg may have an end stop that supports the lock operator, for example, at an inner end of the leg. The end stop may be L-shaped. The end stop may extend radially outward from the leg. The end stop may abut the lock operator.

[0012] The legs and annular portion may move axially as a single unit. The fingers may be fixed (e.g., bolted) to the legs (which may be outer ends of the legs) and the annular portion. Each leg typically has a groove, a finger, and a slot, all of which are preferably circumferentially aligned and regularly spaced around the circumference of the housing. The fingers may extend radially inward from the annular ring or to the inner surface of the housing. The fingers may be circumferentially spaced around the axis and pass through slots (which may be circumferentially spaced around the axis). The fingers may pass through slots (which may extend axially), and the slots, which have an axial length, may limit the axial movement of the slide.

[0013] The slide may have a lock operator attached to one end and one of a latch member and a plate (which may be the latch member) provided at the other end spaced apart from the lock operator (and one of the latch member and the plate may be attached to the annular portion). The latch member (e.g., a hook) may be attached to the annular portion.

[0014] The assembly may have an inner end configured to pass through a socket of the marine energy generator and an outer end that remains outside the socket in use. The assembly may include a stop member between the inner and outer ends that limits passage of the housing into the socket. The stop member may be connected to the slide and extend radially from the housing. The stop member may include an annular portion of the slide, such as a flange.

[0015] The housing may be connected to a pull-in line that runs through the socket, or a pre-in line may allow the housing to be pulled into the socket during installation. The locking device may be activated when the assembly is inserted into the socket (e.g., inboard end first) and the outer surface of the socket engages a radially extending shoulder of the locking device (e.g., an annulus or flange) that extends radially outward from the housing further than the socket mouth. The outer surface of the socket thereby resists further inward movement of the slide into the socket (because the flange or other component abuts the outer surface of the socket), and further pulling of the housing into the socket causes the slide to slide into the socket while maintaining its position relative to the socket, thereby causing sliding movement of the slide relative to the housing.

[0016] The locking device may be deactivated by moving the latch from the latched position to the release position. The latch may be movable from the latched position to the release position in response to relative axial movement between the slide and the housing. Deactivation of the locking device may be achieved by applying an axial force to the slide, e.g., the annular ring. Deactivation of the locking device may be achieved from outside the socket, e.g., during disassembly, but the connection between the latch member and the plate may be interrupted, e.g., by disengaging the latch member from the plate. This allows relative sliding movement of the slide with respect to the housing, disengaging the lock operator from the lock arm, and allowing the assembly to slide out of the socket. The locking device may be destroyed by shearing the pin that holds the hook or by severing the hook.

[0017] In the second radially expanded position, the locking arms are disposed at an angle of less than 90° (and may be less than 70°, e.g., 60°) relative to the housing. The free ends of the locking arms may be axially disposed between the pivot point of the locking arms and an inner end of the assembly configured to be inserted into the socket. In other words, the free ends face toward the inner end of the assembly. When the assembly is withdrawn from the socket, the inner walls of the socket apply a load to the radially expanded arms, moving them to their first radially retracted position (typically parallel to the axis), thereby passively collapsing the locking arms during withdrawal.

[0018] The present invention provides a marine power conduit interface assembly including a housing having a shaft and a bore for receiving a marine power conduit, at least one slide configured for axial sliding movement relative to the housing; a locking device configured to secure the assembly within a socket of a marine energy generator, the locking device comprising: at least one locking arm movable from a first radially retracted position relative to an axis to a second radially extended position; and a lock operator configured to move the locking arm from the first position to the second position, the locking operator and the locking arm engaging by relative sliding movement along the axis to move the locking arm between the first and second positions; the lock arm is disposed on one of the housing and the slide, and the lock operator is attached to the other of the housing and the slide, and tapered surfaces of the lock operator and the lock arm move relative to each other by relative axial sliding movement of the housing and the slide, thereby moving the lock arm between the first position and the second position; The assembly includes a latch having a release position in which the slide is axially movable relative to the housing and a latched position in which relative sliding movement between the housing and the slide is limited by the latch. A marine power duct interface assembly.

[0019] Various aspects of the present invention can be practiced alone or in combination with one or more of the other aspects, as will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art. Various aspects of the present invention may be provided in combination with one or more of any features of the other aspects of the present invention. Also, any feature described in connection with one aspect can generally be combined alone or with other features in different aspects of the present invention. Any subject matter described herein can be combined with any other subject matter herein to form novel combinations.

[0020] Various aspects of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. Further aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the entire description, including the figures illustrating numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments. The present invention is also capable of other different embodiments and configurations, and its several details can be modified in various respects without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, each example herein should be understood to be broadly applicable and is intended to illustrate one possible way of implementing the invention, without implying that the scope of the present disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that example. Furthermore, the terms and expressions used herein are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope. In particular, unless otherwise stated, dimensions and numerical values ​​contained herein are presented as examples illustrating one possible embodiment of the claimed subject matter and are not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific dimensions or numerical values ​​recited. All numerical values ​​in this disclosure are understood to be modified by "about." All elements or other features described in the singular herein are understood to include the plural, and vice versa.

[0021] Words such as "including," "comprising," "having," "containing," "involving," and variations thereof are intended to be broad and encompass subsequently listed subject matter, equivalents, and additional subject matter not mentioned, and are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers, or steps. Similarly, "comprising" is considered synonymous with "including" and "containing" for applicable legal purposes. Thus, unless the context requires otherwise, throughout this specification and claims, the use of "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" will be understood to mean the inclusion of a specified integer or group of integers, but not the exclusion of other integers or groups of integers.

[0022] Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like is included in this specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. No suggestion or representation is intended that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art or are common general knowledge in the art relevant to the present invention.

[0023] It is also understood that in the present disclosure, whenever a composition, element, or group of elements is preceded by the transitional phrase "comprising," the transitional phrases "consisting essentially of," "consisting," "selected from the group of consisting of," "including," or "is" preceding the description of the composition, element, or group of elements are contemplated as transitional phrases for the same composition, element, or group of elements, and vice versa. It is understood that in the present disclosure, the words "typically" or "optionally" are intended to indicate optional or non-essential features of the invention that are present in particular embodiments but can be omitted in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0024] References to directional and positional descriptions, such as upper and lower and directions such as "up", "down", etc., should be interpreted by one of ordinary skill in the art in the context of the described examples to refer to the orientation of features shown in the drawings and should not be construed as limiting the invention to the literal interpretation of the terms, but rather as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0025] The accompanying drawings are as follows: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 10 shows a front view of the interface assembly in the released position. [Figure 2] 2 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 1. FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 4] 2 shows a cutaway view of the arrangement of FIG. 1; [Figure 5] A perspective view of the same is shown. [Figure 6] A plan view of the same (corresponding to the layout plan view of FIG. 7) is shown. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 shows a front view of the interface assembly in the latched position. [Figure 8] 8 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 8 shows a bottom view of the arrangement of FIG. 7 (corresponding to the arrangement of FIG. 1). [Figure 10] 8 shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 (while the assembly is in the position of FIG. 7). [Figure 11] A cross-sectional view of the position of FIG. 7 is shown. [Figure 12] 8 shows a perspective view of the assembly in the position of FIG. 7. [Figure 13] 11 shows a detailed view of the latch member in FIG. 10. [Figure 14] 1 shows a schematic cutaway view of the assembly in use with a cable. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Referring now to the drawings, a marine power conduit interface assembly 1, in one embodiment, includes a cable protective sleeve. Assembly 1 comprises a housing 10 having an axial bore 10b configured to receive a cable C (see FIG. 14) used to extract power from an offshore wind turbine mounted to a base B secured to the seabed. Typically, turbine base B is tubular with an outer wall having a socket S through which cable C is pulled into the central bore of base B during installation, typically from an adjacent turbine or transformer or other subsea power management or generation device. Cable C is large and heavy, and relative movement of cable C through bare socket S during installation (and over the life of cable C) can subject the outer surface of cable C to wear, requiring costly replacement or maintenance. Therefore, assembly 1 includes a protective sleeve to protect cable C and reduce wear on cable C during use and installation.

[0028] During installation, cable C is attached to a pull-in wire W, which pulls cable C through socket S. Assembly 1 is attached to the pull-in wire by a weak link device L, such as that shown in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0181623, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, and is designed to couple housing 10 to pull-in wire W until inner end 2 of housing 10 enters socket S, and then separate the connection between housing 10 and pull-in wire W, leaving housing 10 in socket S and allowing cable C to be pulled by wire W into a central bore in base B. Typically, cable C is routed many meters through socket S and housing 10 until the inner end of cable C is connected to a power take-off device in the turbine. Socket S is typically near the seabed, and the power take-off device in the turbine is typically located on the upper deck. A bend limiter typically surrounds cable C as it passes outer end 3 of assembly 1.

[0029] The housing 10 in this embodiment is generally cylindrical and has a row of circumferentially aligned parallel grooves 15 extending radially partially (but not completely) within the housing wall and axially along the inner surface of the bore 10b from the inner end 12, which is configured to fit into the socket S during installation, to the opposite outer end 13 of the housing 10, which is configured to remain outside the socket S. The grooves 15 in this embodiment have a straight cross-section (e.g., a square or rectangle with straight, parallel sidewalls and a flat base). Near the outer end 13, the housing has a row of circumferentially aligned outer slots 16 that pass through the wall of the housing 10 and are spaced apart around the axis. The slots 16 extend axially a short distance and are parallel to each other (and to the axis). The housing 10 also has a similar array of internal slots 17 (see FIG. 8) at its inner end 12 which also pass through the wall of the housing 10 and exit beyond the inner end 12 .

[0030] The inner slots 17 receive locking arms 32 of the locking device 30, which are pivotally mounted in the slots 17 via pivot pins at one end of the arms 32. The other end of each arm is free to pivot radially outward from the housing 10 and has a tapered radially inner surface (see FIG. 2).

[0031] At the opposite outer end, between outer end 13 and outer slot 16, the housing has a flange 44 with a flat surface extending radially from the body of the housing, and a lip 43 between flange 44 and slot 16, which lip 43 (proximate outer end 13) may have a contoured outer surface, possibly by being undercut (see FIG. 13). Inner end 13 also typically has a neck at its end termination to facilitate attachment of housing 10 to a pull-in wire W or weak link device L.

[0032] Within the bore 10b of the housing 10, each groove 15 receives a slide leg, a group of parts forming a slide 20, which is configured to slide between an inner end and an outer end within the bore 10b (e.g., the same bore through which the pull-in wire W and cable C extend) relative to the housing 10. The legs 21 and the grooves 15 have the same linear cross-section. The radial depth of the grooves 15 is greater than the radial dimension of the legs 21 to increase the available size of the bore 10b. Each leg 21 has a radially extending, L-shaped stop member at its inner end that bears against a lock operator, which in this embodiment is in the form of a ram block 31 of the locking device 30. The ram block 31 has a tapered surface with a corresponding taper that faces the tapered surface of the locking arm 32 (see FIG. 2). At the inner end 12 of the housing, the legs 21 are unconnected, but at the outer end 13 of the housing 10, the legs 21 are connected to a common latch ring 41 by latch fingers 45 that extend radially from the latch ring located on the exterior of the housing 10 through slots 16 in the outer end 13. In this embodiment, the latch ring 41 is a sleeve that completely surrounds the periphery of the housing 10. The latch fingers 45 are typically bolted to the outer ends of the slide legs 21 and to the latch ring 41 on the exterior of the housing 10. Thus, the slide legs 21 and latch ring 41 move axially as a single unit within the axial limits of the slots 16, so that axial movement of the latch ring 41 toward the outer end of the slots 16 causes the slide fingers 45 (and ram block 31) to slide in unison relative to the housing 10 from the inner end 12 to the outer end 13.

[0033] The latch ring has latch members in the form of hooks 42 (see FIG. 13 ), which in this embodiment are held to the latch ring 41 by shear pins 46 that function as grub screws to resist withdrawal of the hooks 42 from the latch ring 41, but which are able to pivot slightly in a radial plane relative to the axis within the sockets in the latch ring 41 to allow the tips of the hooks 42 to engage and disengage with the lip 43. In this embodiment, the hooks 42 may be formed with an outer surface of a plastic material to allow resilient movement of the hooks within the sockets even when restrained by the shear pins 46, and may have a chamfered heel (visible in FIG. 13 ) at their inner ends that limits the extent of the hooks' pivoting movement in the radial plane. The shear pins 46 may have a weakened portion that allows the pins 46 to shear off when a threshold force is reached, which is useful during disassembly. The shear pin 46 may engage only the radially outer portion of the hook opening, so that the hook maintains freedom of movement relative to the latch ring 41 in a radial plane, but the pin 46 does not remain in place and disengage from the latch ring 41 during normal use.

[0034] In use, the assembly is connected to cable C and pull-in wire W, and the inner end is pulled through socket S and into the bore of base B, as shown in FIG. 14. The assembly is at this stage in the configuration shown in FIGS. 1-5, with locking arm 32 flush with the surface of housing 10, latch ring 41 at the inner end of slot 16, and hook 42 clear of lip 43. Slide 20 is at inner end 12 of housing 10, and ram block 31 rests against the inner end of locking arm 32, but this does not prompt them to move away from the flush configuration shown in FIGS. 1-5. The assembly has not yet reached the configuration shown in FIG. 14.

[0035] As assembly 1 is pulled into socket S, latch ring 41 contacts the outer surface of base B. The radius of latch ring 41 is larger than the radius of socket S to prevent latch ring 41 from passing through socket S. When this happens, latch ring 41 does not move with wire W and the rest of housing 10. Because latch ring 41 is restricted in its movement relative to base B, as housing 10 is pulled further into socket S, latch ring 41 slides within slot 16 toward outer end 13 of housing 10. Because latch ring 41 is connected to slide 20, as housing 10 is pulled into the socket, legs 21 similarly stop moving with housing 10 and come to rest, thereby allowing legs 21 to slide within housing grooves 15. The ram block 31 then moves axially relative to the lock arm 32 at the inner end 12 of the housing 10, and as the tapered surfaces of the ram block 31 and lock arm 32 engage, the lock arm 32 is urged to pivot about the pivot pin that holds its outer end in the slot 17, thereby radially expanding the lock arm from the first configuration shown in FIGS. 1-5 to the second radially expanded configuration shown in FIGS. 7-14. This occurs after the inner end 2 of the assembly (and inner end 12 of the housing 10) has fully entered the socket S and moved past the inner surface of the wall of the socket S, so the radial expansion of the lock arm 32 occurs only when the lock arm 32 is inside the bore of the base B and has cleared the socket S. Because the lock arm 32 radially expands to a dimension greater than the dimension of the socket S, the arm resists withdrawal of the housing 10 from the socket S when the arm is in the second radially expanded configuration shown in FIGS. 7-14.

[0036] As the locking arms 32 radially expand to the second configuration, latches 40 on the housing outer end 13 engage, moving the assembly to the latched position. This occurs as the latch ring 41 moves along the slot 16 until the hooks 42 abut the inner edge of the lip 43, then pivots past it to the position shown in FIGS. 7-14. The shear pins 46 only hold the hooks 42 from falling out and allow movement of the hooks 42 past the lip, which is facilitated by the tapered outer surface of the hooks 42 riding on the inner edge of the lip 43. Once the hooks 42 snap back past the lip 43 to the position shown in FIGS. 7-14, movement of the latch ring 41 relative to the housing 10 is inhibited. This locks the ram block 31 in place relative to the locking arms 32, holding the locking arms 32 in the radially expanded configuration shown in FIGS. 7-14, thereby locking the assembly 1 into the socket S.

[0037] To disassemble the assembly, an operator can selectively disengage the housing 10 from the socket S by forcing the latch ring 41 axially away from the flange 44 on the housing 10, for example, using a hydraulic jack or similar device. This shears the pin 46 that holds the hook 42 in place, allowing the pin 46 to move away from the latch ring 41, or in some cases, the hook 42 can be retained by the latch ring 41 but move away from the lip 43, thereby sliding the slide leg 21 along its axis and disengaging the ram block 31 from the locking arm 32, which can then pivot back to the coplanar position shown in FIGS. 1-6 . This allows the housing 10 to be easily pulled out of the socket. The assembly can be reinstalled, if desired, by replacing the pin 46.

[0038] Advantageously in certain embodiments, the locking arm 32 pivots less than 90° from the flush position so that the free end of the locking arm 32 is directed toward the inner end of the housing 10, which assists the arm in passively retracting to the flush position when engaging the inner wall of the socket S during withdrawal of the housing 10.

Claims

1. 1. A marine power conduit interface assembly including a housing having a shaft and a bore for receiving a marine power conduit, at least one slide configured for axial sliding movement relative to the housing; a locking device configured to secure the assembly within a socket of a marine energy generator, the locking device comprising: at least one locking arm movable from a first radially retracted position relative to an axis to a second radially extended position; and a lock operator configured to move the locking arm from the first position to the second position, the locking operator and the locking arm engaging by relative sliding movement along the axis to move the locking arm between the first and second positions; the lock arm is disposed on one of the housing and the slide, and the lock operator is attached to the other of the housing and the slide, and tapered surfaces of the lock operator and the lock arm move relative to each other as the housing and the slide slide axially relative to each other, thereby moving the lock arm between the first position and the second position; the assembly includes a latch having a release position in which the slide is axially movable relative to the housing and a latched position in which relative sliding movement between the housing and the slide is limited by the latch; the slide includes at least one leg extending axially within the bore of the housing and an annular portion formed as a ring; the legs are disposed in grooves formed in the interior surface of the housing bore; the ring includes a flange extending radially outward from an outer surface of the housing; the ring is connected to the at least one leg by a finger extending radially inward through a slot in the housing; Marine power conduit interface assembly.

2. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing is cylindrical.

3. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the locking arm and the locking operator has a tapered surface that engages a surface of the other.

4. The marine power conduit interface assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the lock operator is on the slide and the lock arm is on the housing.

5. The marine power conduit interface assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the latch includes a latch member provided on the slide and a latch plate provided on the housing.

6. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 5 , wherein the latch member is movable relative to the housing to move into and out of engagement with the latch plate.

7. 7. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of legs disposed within corresponding grooves, the legs and grooves being circumferentially spaced about the axis.

8. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 7 , wherein the legs support the lock operator at cantilevered ends disposed at inner ends of the housing.

9. A marine power conduit interface assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the lock operator is attached to one end of the slide and the latch is attached to the other end of the slide spaced from the lock operator.

10. 10. A marine power conduit interface assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the assembly has an inner end configured to pass through the socket of the marine energy generator and an outer end that remains outside of the socket in use, the assembly including a stop member between the inner and outer ends to limit passage of the housing into the socket, the stop member being connected to the slide and extending radially outward from the housing.

11. 11. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 10, wherein insertion of the assembly into the socket activates the locking device when an outer surface of the socket engages a radially extending shoulder of the locking device extending radially outward from the housing, thereby resisting further inward movement of the slide into the socket, thereby causing sliding movement of the slide relative to the housing.

12. A marine power conduit interface assembly as set forth in any preceding claim, wherein the locking arm is limited to pivot less than 90 degrees relative to the housing.

13. 13. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 12, wherein in the second radially expanded position, the locking arms are disposed at an angle of less than 90° relative to the housing, with a free end of the locking arm being disposed between a pivot point of the locking arm and an inner end of the assembly configured to be inserted into the socket.

14. 14. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 12 or 13, wherein in the second radially expanded position, the locking arms are disposed at an angle of less than 70 degrees relative to the housing.

15. 15. A marine power conduit interface assembly as set forth in any preceding claim, wherein the groove formed in the inner surface of the bore is open to the inner surface of the bore and has a radial depth that is less than a wall thickness of the housing.

16. A marine power conduit interface assembly as set forth in any preceding claim, wherein the radial depth of the groove is at least equal to the radial dimension of the leg.

17. A marine power conduit interface assembly as set forth in any preceding claim, wherein the groove has a straight cross section with straight side walls and a flat base opposite an open side of the groove.

18. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 17 , wherein the legs and the grooves have the same cross-sectional shape.

19. A marine power conduit interface assembly as set forth in any preceding claim, wherein the locking device is selectively actuatable from the release position to the latched position and from the latched position to the release position.

20. 20. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 19, wherein the locking device is selectively actuable from the release position to the latched position, and from the latched position to the release position, in response to relative axial movement between the slide and the housing.

21. A marine power conduit interface assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the legs and the annulus move axially as a single unit.

22. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 21 , wherein the slots that receive the radially extending fingers extend through an inner surface and an outer surface of the housing.

23. The marine power conduit interface assembly of claim 21 , wherein the slot extends axially, the slot having an axial length limiting axial movement of the slide.

24. 1. A marine power conduit interface assembly including a housing having a shaft and a bore for receiving a marine power conduit, at least one slide configured for axial sliding movement relative to the housing; a locking device configured to secure the assembly within a socket of a marine energy generator, the locking device comprising: at least one locking arm movable from a first radially retracted position relative to an axis to a second radially extended position; and a lock operator configured to move the locking arm from the first position to the second position, the locking operator and the locking arm engaging by relative sliding movement along the axis to move the locking arm between the first and second positions; the lock arm is disposed on one of the housing and the slide, and the lock operator is attached to the other of the housing and the slide, and tapered surfaces of the lock operator and the lock arm move relative to each other as the housing and the slide slide axially relative to each other, thereby moving the lock arm between the first position and the second position; the assembly includes a latch having a release position in which the slide is axially movable relative to the housing and a latched position in which relative sliding movement between the housing and the slide is limited by the latch; the slide includes at least one leg extending axially within the bore of the housing and an annular portion formed as a ring; the legs are disposed in grooves formed in the interior surface of the housing bore; the ring includes a flange extending radially outward from an outer surface of the housing; the ring is connected to the at least one leg by a finger extending radially inward through a slot in the housing; the groove formed in the inner surface of the bore is open to the inner surface of the bore and has a radial depth less than a wall thickness of the housing, the radial depth of the groove being at least equal to a radial dimension of the leg; the locking device is selectively actuable from the release position to the latched position and from the latched position to the release position. Marine power conduit interface assembly.

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