On behalf of its client Bakker Sliedrecht, Seatools has completed the development, manufacturing and testing of two 250-liter subsea pressure compensators, to be applied to 1.7 MW submersible electric motors installed on a new hopper dredger currently constructed by Wenchong Shipyard.
The dredger is being built for the Chang Jiang Waterway Bureau (CWB).
Jan Frumau, Managing Director at Seatools , said: “ Our experience as subsea equipment manufacturer confirms the importance of adequate pressure compensation to guarantee the reliability of subsea equipment.”
“With the ultra-long lifetime compensator series we offer a compensator design that reaches new robustness and reliability levels. In fact, we believe the range is becoming the new standard for this type of capital-intensive subsea equipment. To find a reputable company like Bakker Sliedrecht affirm this and choose our pressure compensation solution, makes us feel honored.”
The application demanded a low pressure gradient, which had to be met within narrow tolerances. These criteria were set to create the most favorable conditions for the motor seals, thereby assuring the integrity of the seals (and therefore the motor) in the long term.
To meet these requirements, detailed modelling of various conditions that the compensator encounters in the field, have been performed, said the company.
Testing and subsequent analysis on non-linearity, holding pressure, and hysteresis (among others) showed that the compensator met all stringent pressure tolerances well within the prescribed 0.05 bar, Seatools said.