Subsea replaceable fuse assembly

专利摘要:
A subsea-replaceable fuse assembly comprises at least one fuse and a wet-mateable fuse connector element. The connector element is arranged to connect the fuse assembly to a subsea electrical load requiring protection of the fuse. The fuse connector element comprises conductor elements that are electrically connected to the fuse. A corresponding method of protecting a subsea electrical load comprises connecting a fuse to the load underwater in a wet-mating operation effected between connector elements that are electrically connected, respectively, to the fuse and to the load.
公开号:DK201670926A1
申请号:DKP201670926
申请日:2016-11-22
公开日:2016-12-12
发明作者:Alister William Ernest Scott；James Peter Mcdonald
申请人:Subsea 7 Ltd；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

Subsea replaceable fusa assembly
This invention relates te subsea fuse assemblies that are suitable for use in siectrfcai power circuits of subsea oil and gås installations, in particular, the invention provides an underwater-reptecesbte fuse assembly for protecting high-power, high-tension subsea aisetrieaS equipment such as a transformer or a trace-besting system for a pipe-in-pipe installation,
Subsea Installations for offshore oil and gas production require control electronics and electrical power circuits to be implemented and maintained deep underwater, As stems of high-voltage equipment such as pump3 are increasingly placed underwater as part of such installations, the need for subsea electrical power circuits has increased accordingly. Such circuits ere characterised by targe electrics! loads that drew high currents or operate at high voltages.
As subsea os'5 exploration and production move into deeper waters beyond the continental shelf, there is a corresponding need for electrical power circuits to be operable at great depth. Typical water depths at such locations era far in excess of diver depth, for example 2000 to 3000 metres or more. Consequently, instaiiaiion and maintenance operations require Intervention by underwater vehicles, generally unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) such as remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). ROVs ars characterised by a physical connection to a surface support ship via an umbilical tether that carries power and data including control signals. AUVs are autonomous, robotic counterparts of ROVs that move from task to task on a programmed course under on-board better/ power, without s physical connection to 3 support facility such as a surface support ship. it is, of course, well known to use fuses or circuit breakers to isolate a faulty circuit so as to protect electrical equipment from over-currents, such as are caused by short-circuit conditions. The electrical power circuits of subsea installations are no different. However, circuit breakers are not suitable for subsea use as they would require a UUV and potentially also a surface support ship to be on permanent standby in case a circuit breaker trips and needs to be reset. In this respect, circuit breakers contain moving parts that can be tripped during the installation process or during other subsea operations, tiereby giving false indications of sfechicoi faults, in contrast, fuses have no moving parts and should only fell due to a genuine electrical fault. WO 2012/118810 summarises the development of subsea fuses, if notes that a fuse for shallow subsea applications may comprise e pressure-resistant csnisfer housing a dry fuse element at near-atmospheric pressure. However, such an arrangement may become impractical under the extreme hydrostatic pressure of great depth, due to the bulk, weight and cost of the canister and the technics! demands on penetrators, being connections that penetrate the canister wail.
To overcome the drawbacks of pressure-resistant canisters, WO 2012/116910 notes that pressure-compensated canisters filled with a dielectric liquid at near-ambient water pressure may be used Instead. However, an explosive shockwave inside a liquid-filled canister whan the fuss blows risks damaging other electrical components or contaminating the surrounding dielectric liquid, which may in turn cause failures In other components exposed to the dielectric iiquid,
Consequently, WO 2012/116910 proposes s fuse arranged inside a seated pressure-compensated enclosure filled with dielectric liquid. As the dielectric liquid is confined in the enclosure and ths enclosure is sealed to the outside, this prevents damage to components outside the enclosure, or contamination of dielectric liquid outside the enclosure, when the fuss blows.
The fuss proposed in WO 2012/116910 is not arranged to enable replacement underwater. Also, the fuse has a complex and leak-prone structure comprising a metal enclosure, s flexible pressure-compensating element in the enclosure, Insulating penstrators passing through the enclosure, and a sand-filled ceramic fuse housing surrounding p fuse dement. The enclosure and ths fuss housing am flooded with dielectric iiquid. The enclosure may contain more than one fuse housing and more than one fuse element, and may have more than one pressure compensator.
Similarly, WO 2006/004084 discloses subsea switchgear apparatus comprising one or more replaceable water-tight canisters that contain circuit breakers. When a circuit breaker in the canister is to be replaced or repaired, the canister Is removed from the remainder of the switchgear apparatus. However, removing a canister is a complex operation that requires the switchgear apparatus to be taken out of normal operation and is not apt to b@ performed remotely in deep water. Also, as each canister is flited with a dielectric fluid such as oil end is pressure -compensated, it has a complex and Saak-prone structure tike that of WO 2012/116910 noted above.
The patent literature contains many earlier examples of subsea fuses for protecting subsea electrical drcuils. For example, WO 2006/089904 describes an underwater electrical DC network including fuses. In view of the hazard presented by electrical power underwater, such fuses ere often permanently embedded In watertight systems or control modules. This means that the entire system or module has to be replaced if a fuse blows. In practice, this may involve returning a system or module to the surface for maintenance or engaging in a lengthy, difficult and expensive subsea intervention to swap out the system or module at the seabed.
As a further example of this problem, EP 249294 discloses a fusible conductor trace on a printed circuit board for subsea use, if the fuse blows, the whole printed circuit board (in practice, usually an entire module incorporating the circuit board) has to be replaced. Also, the printed circuit board solution of EP 249294 is suitable only for low-voftage electronic applications.
Similarly, UUVs such as RQVs have electrical systems protected by low-voitaga fuses. However, if such a fuse fails, the UUV must be brought to the surface for the fuse to be replaced. US 3450848 discloses encapsuleted fuses for underwater use but there is no provision for the fuses to be replaced. EP 2565888 describes a pressure-resistant ceramic housing for a subsea fuse. Again, there is no provision for the fuse to be replaced.
In general, electrical power circuits of subsaa installations require reinforced electrics! isolation to avoid electrical contact with seawater, isolating material has to withstand contact with seawater, hydrostatic pressure and also thermal differentials between the power circuit and cold water,
As interfaces ere a week-point for water-tightness, conventional!'/ only permanent interfaces are employed. Thus, underwater fuses are typically placed inside pressure-resistant, leak-tight housings that are integral with power cables, so that the electrical interface Is realised inside the housing. Replacement of such fuses requires disconnecting the cable and recovering at least pert of the cable with the housing end fuss.
In another approach, an isolated work chamber may be damped around a fuse housing. This allows the fuse housing to be opened in a dry atmosphere inside the chamber so that fuses in the housing may be replaced without exposure to wafer. Once the fuse housing is closed, the chamber can be flooded and removed. However, this dry replacement method is extremely complex.
It is against this background that the present invention has been devised
In one sons®, the invention resides in a subsea-replaceable fuse assembly comprising: a plurality of fuses; and a wet-mstsabie fuse connector element arranged to connect the fuse assembly to a subsea electrical load requiring protection of the fuss, the fuse connector element comprising conductor elements that are electrically connected to the plurality effuses. The conductor elements define a plug for engagement with a socket provided on the subsea electrical load to connect the plurality of fuses electrically to the subsea load; and wherein the fuse connector element comprises a body having a recsss surrounded by s skirt, the recess housing the plug, such that when the plug is engaged with a socket on the subsea electrics! load, the skirt is received In a recess on the socket to seal the recess in the body of the fuse connector element, 'Wet-mating' is a term that is familiar to, and clearly understood by, those skilled in the ad of subsea engineering. Unlike the fuss-rsplacement operations ©f the prior art discussed above - which may be characterised as assembly and disassembly operations that are particularly challenging 1© perform underwater - wet-mating involves making or breaking electrical or other connections by a simple, usually unidirectional coupling or decoupling movement,
Typically, wet-mating involves simply inserting a plug Into a socket, although supplementary locking, latching or sealing operations may also take place. Far example, sealing may involve Inflatable seals or water-tight bladders. Breaking the connection Involves a similarly-slmpfe reverse operation, typically involving pulling the plug out of the socket. As such, wet-mating is apt to be performed in deep water by a UUV; it Is also apt to be performed in shallow wafer by a diver.
The fuse of the assembly, especially when potted, provides a compact means for protecting a high-voltage electrical circuit, In using a wet-mateabie connector the bulky housings required by conventional connectors for underwater fuses are not required, and the resulting fuse assembly is more compact, to the extent that the assembly can be handled by an RQV without requiring additional support frames or structures. Furthermore, the fuse assembly allows a plurality of fuses to be connected to the subses electrical load at Ids same time, vis a single connector.
As expressed in the specific description that follows, the invention contemplates two main approaches. A fuse assembly may be appended to a wet-mateabie mate connector element, which may be a largely standard off-the-shelf item. Alternatively, a fuse assembly may be integrated with a male connector element, to be inserted into a receptacle of a female connector element during wet-mating.
In one approach of the invention, a subsea cable may extend between the fuse connector element and a fusehoider module containing the fuses, which cable electrically connects the fuses to the conductor elements end supports the housing from the fuse connector element. Such a cable Is suitably filled with a dielectric liquid-in another approach of the invention, the fuses are contained in a fusehoider moduis that is Integral with the fuse connector element.
The fusas may be supported in air in the fusehoider module, in which case the air in the fusehoider module may be at surface pressure or, with pressure compensation, at the pressure of surrounding water, in either case, toe fusehoider module Is preferably arranged to Isolate the fuses from water. The fuses may be potted in s capsule, which provides s particularly compact fuss arrangement that can withstand high s'oltages.
For ease of handling remote!'/ underwater, the fuse connector element advantageously comprises s UUV bundle arranged to bo grasped for manipulation by a UUV.
The plurality of fuses may be held in a fusehoider module in a plurality of chambers, each chamber holding a fuse. The subsea cable may comprise a bundle of cables, which cables may electrically connect each of the plurality of fuses to respective conductor elements,
The inventive concept embraces a combination of the fuse assembly of the invention and a subsea electrical load that is electrically connected to corresponding conductor elements of a complementary load connecter element. That combination may further comprise a subsea installation induding the subsea electrical lead,
The inventive concept extenife to a subsea ffistsifetien including an electrical toad end a we!-mateahle toad connector element arranged to conned the load to a subsea' replaceable fuse sssembiy, the toed connector element comprising conductor elements that are electricaiiy connected to the load. A corresponding method of protecting a subsea electrical load in accordance with the invention comprises connecting fuses to the load underwater in a wet-mating operation effected between connector elements that are electrically connected, respectively, to the fuses and to the load, wherein the connector element comprises s plug arranged in a recess on a body of the connector element, the recess being surrounded by a skirt, and wherein the method further comprises inserting the plug into a socket on the toad such that ths skirt engages with the socket to seal the recess,. in order that the present invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, In which;
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a potted fuse capsule in accordance with the invention;
Figure 2 Is a perspective view of a fuseholder module in accordance with the invention, containing In this example six of the fuse capsules of Figure i;
Figurs 3 Is s part-sectioned side view of the fuseholder module of Figurs 1 incorporated into a subsea housing in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 4 is a side view of a subsee replaceable fuse assembly comprising the subsea housing of Figure 3 and a wet-mateabie connector at the distal end of an oii'itlled subsea cable emerging from the housing;
Figure S is a schematic side view of conductor otomante within the wat-roeteabls connector of Figure 4, those elements being exemplified here as pins, showing how a fuss capsule is connected by a pair of wires to a pair of pins;
Figure © is 8 schematic side view of s subsea Installation including an electrical toad, the installation having a fermste connector element, and an ROV carrying a mass connector element with an integrated fusehoider module in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 7 is a pgrt-sectioned perspective view of a sufesaa plug and socket assembly usable in the second embodiment of the Invention, the plug comprising a subsea housing for the fueshoider module of Figurs 2 and having a wet-mateabie connector that is cooperuhie with a complementary connector of She socket;
Figure 8 is s psrt-seetterød perspective view the! corresponds to Figure but shows the plug being inserted into the socket;
Figure 9 is a part-sectioned perspective view that corresponds to Figure 8 but shows the connectors of the piug end socket approaching engagement as the plug nears the base of the socket;
Figure 10 is s part-sectioned perspective view that comgsponds to Figure S but shows the socket from underneath;
Figure 11 is a sectional side view of the piug end socket assembly shown in Figures 7 to 10, with the connectors of the piug and socket approaching engagement as the piug nears tire bass of the socket;
Figure 12 Is a sections! side view that corresponds to Figure 11 but shows the connectors of the piug and socket now engaged as the piug reaches the base of the socket;
Figure 13 is a perspective view of a plug being a variant of the piug shown in Figures 7 to 12;
Figure 14 is an end view of the plug shown in Figure 13; and
Figure 15 is a sectional aide view of the plug, taken on line A-A of Figure 14.
Figure 1 of the drawings shows a potted fuse capsule 10 comprising a cylindrical subsea fuse 12 extending coexiaiiy within e tubuiar plastics housing 14. To be suits hie for subsea transformer protection, the fuse 12 is rated for high voltage - for example 10A/3,8kV - and has a high rupturing capacity. An example of such a fus© is supplied by Cooper Bussmann™ under part number 3.6WJON610,
The housing 14 can be cut from pipe of FVC or ÅBS, which in this example is nominally 300mm long with a SOmm OD and a wall thickness of 5.8mm. However , the length, diameter and wail thickness of the pipe may of course very, provided that the interior of the pipe is large enough to accommodate the fuse 12,
The ends of the fuse 12 are cupped by respective metal brackets 18 that are held in conductive contact with the fuse 12 io pass current through a fusible element inside the fuse 12, Each bracket 16 includes a metal tab 18 to which a respective Insulated wire 20 is soldered to connect the fuse 12 to the electrical equipment it protects.
Both of the wires 20 extend as a pair out of one end of the housing 14. Consequently’, the wire 20 that is soldered to the bracket 16 at the far end of the fuse 12 lies beside the fuse 12, between the fuse 12 and the housing 14,
The space around the fuss 12 and the wires 20 within ths housing 14 is filled with a potting compound 22, which may for example be a urethane resin such as Seotehcsst™ 2130 supplied by 3<VS™. Car© must be taken when potting to ensure that the space within the housing 14 is completely filled and therefore that any air bubbles in the potting compound are eliminated before the! compound cures. -
Reference is now mads to Figures 2 to 4 of the drawings. Figures 3 and 4 show a cartridge-like fusehoid&amp;r module 24 containing six of the fuse capsules 10 shown in Figure 1. For this purpose, Figure 2 shows that a cylindrical hollow body 26 of the fuseholtier module 24 contains six tubular chambers 28, one perfuse capsule 10. The body 28 has an open top end and a dosed bottom end. Ths open end of the body 28 is surmounted and surrounded by a circumferential flange 30.
The chambers 28 He on parallel longitudinal axes that are spaced squi-angulariy shout a centra! longitudinal axis of the body 12. Pairs of wires 20 of the fuse eapeuiss 10 protrude from the chambers 28 at tha apart and of ths body 28 for connection to equipment that is to be protected by the fuss capsules 10.
Wilh specific reference now te Figurs 3, ths fusehdder module 24 is completed by m end cap 32 that closes ths open ©rtd of the body 28. Ths end cep 32 comprises a frusto-eoraicai wall 34 that tapers to a cable anchor 36 at one end and opens to a circumferential skirt 38 a! the other end. Ths skirt 3B surrounds and engages with the fiange 30 on the body 26 of the fuseholder module 24, j The pairs of wires 20 from the fuse capsules 10 in the body 26 are bundled together into a short flexible subsea cable 40 that protrudes from the cable anchor 3δ of the end cap 32. The cable 48 and spaces in the interior of the fuseholder module 24 are filled with &amp; disieebie liquid such as oil to resist hydrostatic pressure at depth. Well-known pressure-compensating features may be addad to the fuseholder module 24 if required. }
Turning now to Figure 4, the cable 40 extending from the fuseholder module 24 leads to a wet-maieabie male connector element 42 that Is adapted to be manipulated by a UUV, Consequently, a proximal and of the connector element 42 comprises a handle 44 that is arranged to be grasped by a grab on a manipulator arm of a UUV. A distal i end of the connector element 42 comprises a plug 46 that fits info a socket (not shown) to connect the fuse capsules 10 ef the fuseholder module 24 into power circuits of a subsea installation, which circuits further comprise the electrical equipment that the fuse capsules 10 will protect, i By way of example, WO 2010/018048 and WO 2006/070078 disclose various wst-mafcable connectors used to connect electrical systems underwater. Those documents also discuss the technical background of making subsea electrical connections. The connector element 42 works on similar well-known principles.
Thus, with reference now to Figure 5, this shows schematically a pair of conductor eiements within the plug 46, those conductor elements being exemplified here as pins 48 that ere gtjoperable with female conductor elements of a complementary socket.
The pins 48 are connected via the wires 20 to the fuse capsules 10 within the body 28 of the fuseholder module 24, There is one pin 48 for each wire 20. Thus, six fuse capsules 10, each with a pair of wires 20, equates to a total of twelve pins 48 arranged in six pairs within the plug 48. Each pair of pins 48 is pari of a respective electric circuit that connects one pin 4S of a pair to a fuss capsule 10 snd that similarly connects that tose capsule 10 to the other pin 48 of the pair. The pins 48 of each pair are connected in series with the fuss cspsuie 10 connected between them.
For simplicity, Figure 8 shows how just one of the fuse capsules 10 Is connected by a pair of the wires 20 to a pair of the pins 48 in the plug 48. It will also be noted from
Figurs 6 that the pins 48 or other conductor elements in the plug 48 He pare:lei to each ether und to the coupsing direction of Insertion of the plug 48 Into a complementary socket i The first embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 io 5 separates the fusehoider module 24 from the wef-matesbte connector element 42 but connects thorn electrically and structurally via the subsea cable 40, by which the fusehoider module 24 hangs frem the connector element 42. in contrast, the second embodiment illustrated In Figures S to 12 integrates a fusehoider module rigidly with a wet-mataable connecter elsmsnt and I omits the subsea cable 40.
Figures 8 io 11 of the drawings show a male connector element 50 aligned with, and approaching wet-mated engagement Inside, s female connector element 52. Figure 12 shows the male connector element 50 fully wet-mated with the ferns!a connector element 52.
As Figure δ shows schematically, the female connector element S2 Is suitably mounted to s subsea Installation 54 comprising ®!©ctrseel equipment 56 that requires protection of fuse capsules 10 In the male connector element 50. The male connector element 50 Is carried by an ROV 58 until being wet-mated with the femeie connector element 52.
Specifically, as Figures 7 to 12 show, the male connector element 50 is a hollow cylinder containing a cylindrical internal cavity §0 for accommodating a fusehoider module. Whilst omitted from Figures 7 is 12, the fusehoider module that fits into the cavity 60 may be like the cylindrical hollow body 26 of the lyseholder module 24 shown in Figures 2 to 4, comprising one or more tubular chambers each containing a potted fuss capsule 10 as shown In Figure 1.
Wires extending from the, or each, potted fuse capsule 10 In the cavity 60 are connected to respective conductor elements of a plug 82 in a distal end of the male connector element 60. The conductor elements of the plug 62 are suitably arranged in similar manner to the pins 48 of Figure 5. The plug 62 lies an the centre! longitudinal axis 84 of the male connector element 50. where it lies in a recess 68 surrounded and defined by a dletaliy-tapering skirt 8B that forms a hollsw Interface corse. The male connector element SQ further comprises a handle 70 at its presdmai and teas is arranged io be grasped by a grab on s manipulator arm of $ UUV such as the ROV 58 shown In Figure 5.
The female connector element 52 comprises a tubular base portion 72 whose internal diameter is slightly greater than the external diameter of the male connecter element 50. An cutwardiy-fiarsd fruste-cenicai mouth 74 guides the interface eone defined by the dislaiiy-tapering skirt 58 of the mate connector element 5D into alignment and engagement with the tubular base portion 72 of the female connector element 52.
The tubular base portion 72 of the female connector element 52 is closed by an and wall 78 that supports a socket 78 in alignment with the central longitudinal axis 64. The socket 78 is surrounded by an annular recess 80 that receives the skirt 68 of the mate connector element 50 when the male connector element 50 Is engaged inside the tubular base portion 72 of the female connecter element 52. At this point, as shown in Figur® 10 of the drawings, the plug 62 of the male connector element SO engages with the socket 78. Conductor elements of the socket 78 then connect the fuse capsules 10 of the mate connector element 50 into power circuits of the subsea installation 54, which circuits comprise the electrical equipment 56 that the fuse capsules 10 will protect.
Alignment flanges 82 lie in muteally-orthegonal planes containing the central longitudinal axis 84 and project radially outwardly from the tubular aide wall 84 of the male connector element 50. The alignment flanges 82 fit into respective longitudinal slots 88 in the female connector element 52 to ensure correct angular alignment between the connector elements 50, 52 before engagement ot the plug 82 within the socket 78. in all embodiments of the invention, the mate connector element connected to the fuss capsules remains in situ within fhs complementary socket of the subsea installation until a fuse blows. In that event, when an overload situation has been remedied, electrics! power may be switched to auxiliary circuits and fuses in the male connector element. Alternatively, the male connecter element can be withdrawn from the socket underwater so that a new male connector element connected to a new set of fuse capsules can be put in place.
The invention provides s fuse module to achieve alecirtcaS isolation arid protection of subsea power units, it is designed to test up to twenty-five years but is removable and replaceable subsea if a fuse blows, hence being wet-mateabte. The module is installable and replaceable by ROV Intervention and so is ROV-deployabie, with ROY handling interfaces and an ROY kicking mechanism.
Many variations are possible within Ihs inventive concept. For example, in shallow-water applications, one or more dry fuses could be housed in a dry housing and connected via a standard dry cable to s wei-mateable connector element. Alternatively, the dry cable could be replaced with a cable filled with a dielectric liquid such as oil. in another shallow-water approach that omits a cable, a dry fuse In a dry housing may be integrated with a wet mataabie connector eiament.
More generally, the following fuse options are possible: dry; potted; or bathed in a dielectric liquid, any of which may be applied to single or multiple fuses. The housing may be: dry; filied with a dielectric liquid; fully potted {that is, entirely filled with a petting compounds; or partially potted (that is, part-filled with a potting compound, the remainder of the housing being dry or fled with a dielectric liquid). Cable options are: a standard dry cable; a wet csbie filled with a dielectric liquid such as oii; or no cab!» if the housing is Integrated with or directly mounted to a wet-mateabie connector element. Any of these fuse options, housing options and cable options may ba used in any combination,
To illustrate some of these possibilities, reference is made finally to Figures 13 to 15 that show a plug SB being a variant of the plug 62 shown in Figures 7 to 12. Like numerals are used for ilke parts. Here, the Interna! cavity 60 of the plug 88 contains s fuse magazine 90 comprising fuse capsules 92 spaced angularly around a centra! longitudinal spine 84 that connects the fuse capsules to appropriate pins 96 of the piug 62, The fuses need no longer be potted in their capsules 92, but the well 64 of the plug 88 is pressure-resistant and can contain ambient-pressure sir around the fuses. Alternatively, a pressure-compensation system rosy be used to balance internal air pressure within the cavity 60 against external hydrostatic pressure.
Whilst preferred embodiments of the invention are adapted for use with a UUV such as an ROV, a UUV need net necessarily be involved. In principle, a manned submersible or a diver may connect, remove or replace fuses instead. Also, a wet-mateabie connector could also effect parallel hydraulic connections or date connections such as optical connections between subsea systems. For example, a stab connector of a type well-known in the art may be arranged to connect hydraulic circuits in parallel with electrical connections,
Another potential use of a aubsaa-repiaeeabte fuss assembly of ffis invention is for fsuff-finding purposes, A maintenance or fault-finding unit with certain aanflgurailsns of enabled fuses can be mated into a wet-mate socket to provide a way of diagnosing and i isolating mi eisdriusi fswit or a faulty Stem of equipment. Only some of the fuses in the assembly are enabled for maintenance or fault-finding purposes and others are emitted or isolated,
Thus, for cvgmpls. where s standard fuse assembly contains sly fuses, s maintenance i kit may comprise a corresponding first isolation fuse assembly with only fuses 1 fa 3 enables and a corresponding second isolation fuse assembly with only fuses 4 to 8 enabled.

权利要求:
Claims (16)
[1] 1. A sub$«a~f8piaceabis fuse assembly comprising; a plurality of fuses; and a wet-mateabf® fuse connsetor element arranged ίο connect the fuse assembly to a subsea electrical toad requiring protection of the fuse, wherein the fuse connector element comprises conductor elements that are electrically connected to the plurality of fuses, the conductor elements defining a plug for engagement wiih a socket provided on the sufoasa electrical Joed to connect the plurality of fuses electrically to the subsea lead; and wherein the fuse connector element comprises a body having a recess surrounded by a skirt, the recess housing the plug, such that when the plug is engaged with a socket on the subsea electrical load, the skirt is received in a recess on the socket to seal the recess in the body of tha fuss connector element,
[2] 2. The fuse assembly of Claim 1, further comprising a subsea cable extending between the fuse connector element end ø fuseholder modulo containing the fuse, which cebte electrically eonnocte the fosse to the conductor elements and supports the housing from the fuse connector element.
[3] 3. The fuse assembly of Claim 2, wherein the cable is filled with a dielectric liquid.
[4] 4. The fuse assembly of Claim 1, wherein the fuses are contained in a fuseholder module thet is integral with the fuse connector element.
[5] 5. The fuse assembly of any of Claims 2 to 4, wherein the fuses ars supported In sir in the fuseiiolder module.
[6] 6. The fuse assembly of Claim δ, wherein tha air in the fusehoider module is at gmbtont pressure,
[7] 7. Thsa fuse assembly of any of Claims 2 to 8, wherein the fuaehoider models ia arranged to isolate the fuse from water.
[8] 8. The fuse assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the iuse connector element comprises a UUV handle arranged to bs grasped for manipulation by a UUV,
[9] 9. The fuse assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the fuses are potted in a capsmio.
[10] 10. The fuse assembly of Claim 2, wherein the fusaholder module has a plurality of chambers, each chamber holding a fuse,
[11] 11. The fuse esasmbly of claim 1 o, wherein tha subsea cable ecmprisss a bundle of cables, which cables eSeoidcaliy connect each of the plurality of fuses to the conductor elements,
[12] 12. In combination, the fuss assembly of any of Claims 1 to 1 f and a subsea electrical load lhat is electrically connected to corresponding conductor elements of a complementary load connector element
[13] 13. The combination of Claim 12, further comprising a subsea .'nsrallattori including the subsea electrical load,
[14] 14. A subsea installation including an electrical load and a wet-mateafole load connector element arranged to connect the load to a subsea-replaceable fuse assembly, the load connector filament comprising conductor elements that are electrically connected to the load.
[15] 15. A method of protecting &amp; subsea electrical toad, the method comprising connecting a plurality of fuses to ths load underwater In a wet-mating operation effected between connector elements that ere electrically connected, respectively, to the fuses and to the load, wherein the oonnector element comprises a plug arranged in a recsss on a body of the connector element, the recess being surrounded by a skirl and wherein the msihod further comprises inserting the plug Into a socket on She load such that She skirl engages with the socks! to seal the recess,
[16] 16. Th® method of Claim 1i, comprising «anrssding th® plurality of fuess to the load undarwatw in s single wet-msting operation. •i

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WO2015166252A1|2015-11-05|

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RU2016141115A|2018-05-30|

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US10529524B2|2020-01-07|

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EP3138115A1|2017-03-08|

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EP3138115B1|2019-06-19|

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GB2525631A|2015-11-04|

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法律状态:
2019-12-11| PHB| Application deemed withdrawn due to non-payment or other reasons|Effective date: 20191128 |

优先权:

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申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

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GB1407583.2A|GB2525631B|2014-04-30|2014-04-30|Subsea replaceable fuse assembly|

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PCT/GB2015/051263|WO2015166252A1|2014-04-30|2015-04-30|Subsea replaceable fuse assembly|

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