Flexible Shell Subsea Housing for Pressure Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing subsea electrical equipment protection solutions are complex, costly, and inefficient in preventing contamination and electric breakdowns due to impurities in dielectric liquids, especially at high pressures and corrosive seawater environments.
Innovation Solution
A subsea device with a protective housing featuring a flexible or permeable cover that forms a pressure-compensated chamber, allowing for compact and cost-effective assembly, with feed-throughs for electrical connections and filtering capabilities to prevent contamination and ensure reliable operation at depths of 3,000 meters or more.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional protective housing with bellows structure is used to protect components from contamination, then the internal circuit elements are protected from environmental contamination, but the structure becomes complex, requires large space, and increases production cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a flexible membrane as the cover of the protective housing, which can deform to accommodate volume changes of the dielectric liquid while maintaining the sealed enclosure. This flexible shell approach replaces the complex bellows structure with a simpler, more compact membrane-based solution that still provides effective protection against contamination while reducing structural complexity and space requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the compressibility parameter of the dielectric liquid to allow volume changes within the sealed enclosure. By permitting the liquid volume to vary with temperature changes and using the flexible membrane to accommodate these variations, the system maintains pressure balance and prevents contamination without requiring complex expansion compensation mechanisms
2Reliability
If particles in dielectric liquid deposit at high electric field strength areas, then electric breakdown may occur, but filtering the liquid adds complexity to the system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a self-filtering mechanism where the dielectric liquid passes through a filter integrated into the housing structure during filling or maintenance operations. The filter captures particles and impurities that could cause electric breakdown, and the system is designed to be filled with pre-filtered liquid or to allow in-situ filtering without requiring complex external filtration systems during operation
3Reliability
If the protective housing is designed to be pressure compensated, then the component can operate reliably at high pressures, but the housing structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible membrane cover serves dual functions: it maintains the sealed enclosure for protection while simultaneously providing pressure compensation by deforming in response to pressure changes. This allows the housing to be pressure-compensated without requiring complex mechanical pressure equalization mechanisms, as the membrane naturally adjusts to pressure differentials between the internal and external environments
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively protects subsea power electronic components from contamination and electric breakdowns, enabling reliable operation in harsh marine environments by providing pressure balancing and filtering, while allowing for efficient cooling and assembly, thus ensuring the longevity and performance of subsea equipment.
Implementation Method 1
The cover comprises at least a flexible wall section that is deformable to allow the volume of the chamber to change for providing pressure balancing between a pressure inside the chamber and a pressure outside the chamber
Implementation Method 2
Such pressure compensated enclosure is generally filled with a dielectric liquid which is essentially incompressible and which further provides heat conduction
Implementation Method 3
The permeable wall section is further configured to filter a fluid flowing through the permeable wall section
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
A protective housing (10) of a component (15) of a subsea device is provided. The component is an electric or an electronic component, and it is mounted to a support (16). The protective housing has a cover (11) that is mountable to the support of the component. The cover is formed so as to enclose the component when mounted to the support such that the component is directly located inside a chamber (13) formed by the cover and the support. The cover has at least a flexible wall section (12) or a permeable wall section (12).