Page 29: of Marine Technology Magazine (April 2014)

plications, we distinguish between dry- mate and wet-mate connectors. Dry- mate connectors are mated topside in dry circumstances and then submerged to their rated depth. They cannot be in- terconnected on the sea fl oor. A subsea processing system will involve both dry-mate connectors within a module and wet-mate connectors for intermod- ule connectivity.

Typically, in a wet-mate connector, one mating half of the connector is in- sulated by a shuttle mechanism protect- ing the female contact when unmated.

A mechanical spring keeps the shuttle mechanism closed, sealing the inter- face. During the mating operation, the shuttle is pushed in by the male pin/con- tact; simultaneously, a set of seals and membranes cleans/wipes the male pin and ensures no water is allowed into the mated pair. The internal oil is displaced by the pin contact. Figure 2 shows the basic operation during mating.

The design of a wet-mate connector in- volves pressure-balanced dielectric oil.

Figure 2: Operation of a wet-mate connector [photo: TE Connectivity / DEUT

SCH connector s]

Marine Technology Reporter 29 www.seadiscovery.com

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