China's first underwater wet-plug connector for deep-sea use has passed the test in 2024

Introduction to China's latest achievements in underwater connectors

Oct 26th,2024 564 Views

On January 17, 2024, good news came from the acceptance meeting of the key project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "Development of Underwater Wet-plug Connectors". The first set of China's optoelectronic composite underwater wet-plug connectors, developed by a research institute in Xi'an, China, successfully completed two dockings in the 1,600-meter-deep seabed observation network in the South China Sea. The optical fiber and cable connection was normal, and the sea trial goal was successfully completed. This indicates that my country has mastered the core technology of underwater wet-plug connectors, and has taken an important step in the localization of key components.

In August 2020, Mr. Wu's team took the lead in the research and development of China's first optoelectronic composite underwater wet-plug connector. Over the past three years, the team has made breakthroughs in key technologies such as deep-sea plunger dynamic sealing and synchronous drive, underwater multi-channel low-loss optical coupler alignment, and electric coupler insulation redundant sealing. The core indicators of the prototype, such as optical insertion loss and return loss, are comparable to those of international advanced products. After passing the sea trial, the prototype has been successfully connected to the seabed observation network for long-term testing. As of January 2024, it has been running continuously for more than 70 days without any faults.

"Underwater wet-plug connectors are subject to harsh and complex marine environments such as high pressure and corrosion, and very high performance requirements are imposed on them. Taking high pressure as an example, every 10-meter increase in underwater depth is equivalent to an increase in pressure of 1 atmosphere. According to the current sea trial water depth of 1,600 meters, this is equivalent to generating 160 kilograms of pressure on an area of 1 square centimeter, which is like an adult's fingernail having to bear the weight of an off-road motorcycle and having to complete the plug-in and unplug actions in a sealed state through a robotic arm. You can imagine how difficult it is," said Mr. Wu.

The underwater wet-plug connector uses special materials and structures, which can be plugged and unplugged in deep-sea environments. It can effectively prevent water and pollutants from entering the connector, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the connector and realizing signal and power transmission. "Underwater wet-plug connectors are key components for large-scale deep-sea engineering construction such as submarine observation networks, submarine oil and gas extraction, marine detection and communication networks, and directly determine the performance, service life and reliability of engineering facilities." said Mr. Wu, the project leader. Mr. Wu introduced that large-scale deep-sea engineering construction usually involves laying optical cables on the seabed and setting up multiple submarine nodes along the optical cables. Underwater wet-plug connectors connect nodes one by one to achieve long-term and stable optical fiber and cable connections, support energy transmission, data collection and return, and are of great significance in the economic and national security fields.

What tools or equipment can be used to clean and maintain terminal blocks?

What is UMP connector?

Company News

Industry News

China's first underwater wet-plug connector for deep-sea use has passed the test in 2024