Rocksteady mooring connector has been operating for more than six months as part of the Perth Wave Energy Project.
Rocksteady mooring connector was provided for the wave project by Subsea Riser Products (SRP).
Rocksteady is an auto-latching subsea structural connector with a locking/preload mechanism operated by either an ROV or hydraulic stab – as in this project.
After a quick auto-latch, the locking mechanism then transfers the connection load through forged fingers and a load shoulder, generating a high clamping force (or preload) in the mating parts.
According to SRP, the preload increases Rocksteady’s fatigue performance and accommodates bending, tension, shear and torsion loads.
David Kessel , Carnegie Supply Chain and IMS Manager, said: “During the first unit installation, the Rocksteady connector automatically latched when fully inserted in the receptacle.
“It was then preloaded to survive the cyclic wave loading. Carnegie required a one-day (port-to-port) installation and met this target with the installation of the second and third CETO units, in which the Rocksteady played a vital role.”
With all three CETO 5 units now installed, the Rocksteady subsea mooring connectors, with a maximum breaking load (MBL) of 2.000 tonnes, have been in operation for more than six months in sea states of up to 3.5 m wave height.
Carnegie has connected the Perth Wave Energy Project to the Australian grid in February. Following the connection to the gird, the third and final CETO 5 unit was installed completing the full array of the devices.
Carnegie Wave plans to perform the subsea disconnection of the first installed CETO 5 unit to conduct an onshore inspection of the device in the upcoming weeks.
SRP is part of the Acteon group of companies that designs and supplies hardware for the offshore oil and gas and renewables industries.
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Image: Subsea Riser Products