Sealed Electrical Feed-Through Assembly High Pressure Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical feed-through assemblies leak under high pressure environments, such as seawater at 9000 psi, over extended periods, posing a challenge for long-term reliability in harsh conditions.
Innovation Solution
An electrical feed-through assembly featuring a header with sealed conductors, a housing coupled with cured epoxy containing solid glass beads, and additional components like adhesive-lined heat shrink tubing and polyurethane potted structures, which provide enhanced sealing and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional rubber O-ring seals are used, then the assembly can survive high pressure environments for shorter periods, but the seals tend to leak over longer periods of time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite sealing system combining multiple materials: rubber O-rings for initial sealing, cured epoxy with glass beads for structural sealing, and polyurethane potting compound for additional protection. This multi-material approach allows each material to contribute its strengths, achieving both long service life and sustained leak resistance under high pressure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the sealing system by using cured epoxy with glass beads instead of pure rubber, and by applying polyurethane potting compound. These parameter changes transform the sealing mechanism from purely elastic deformation (O-rings) to a combination of rigid structural support and flexible sealing, enabling long-term reliability
2Reliability
If conventional sealing methods are used, then the assembly can be simpler in structure, but the assembly leaks under high pressure environments over extended periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sealing functions into a single integrated assembly: the header, housing, O-rings, epoxy with glass beads, and polyurethane potting compound work together as a unified sealing system. This consolidation provides comprehensive leak protection without requiring separate sealing components for each potential leak path
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different sealing materials and methods to different locations: O-rings at the header-housing interface, cured epoxy with glass beads in specific sealing zones, and polyurethane potting compound around conductors. Each material is strategically placed where its properties best address the local sealing requirements
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 assembly effectively prevents substantial leakage of high-pressure liquid for at least twenty years, ensuring reliable operation in extreme environments by utilizing materials with low permeability and strong bonding properties.
Implementation Method 1
a cured epoxy having solid glass beads mixed therein and disposed between the header and the housing
Implementation Method 2
utilizing materials with low permeability and strong bonding properties
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical feed-through assembly and method of making an electrical feed-through assembly provide an electrical feed-through assembly that can survive exposure in a high pressure liquid, for example, seawater at least 9000 psi, for substantial periods of time, for example, twenty years, without substantial leakage of the high pressure liquid into or through the electrical feed-through assembly.