“Reliability and qualification process for high power interconnects”

Reliability of deployed equipment is an indispensable requirement in subsea applications due to the high cost and inaccessibility of intervention and/or the ability to perform preventative maintenance. During qualification programs, it can be demonstrated that connector systems maintain their ability to perform adequately at operating conditions. However, some long term failure modes can be the result of a combination of multiple stressors (e.g. temperature, pressure, electrical, and mechanical loading) that may not be necessarily revealed during a comprehensive qualification program of components or systems. A quality program consisting of continuous analysis of field data coupled with an extended Accelerated Life Testing (ALT) are key to closing that gap and assure the highest reliability of connector systems and customer equipment. This paper categorizes the Teledyne Oil & Gas reliability concept into three major stages: - Molecular Structure Analysis of Materials and Selection Process. - Validation Testing at a Component and Subsystem Level - System Integration and Collecting Field Data for Continuous Product Improvement A case study for a long term composite stress test at a component level for a connector pin is discussed. Three different thermoplastic grades of insulation materials were considered and tested sequentially over 100 days each (simulating approximately 5 years of life based on Temperature alone). Based on the tests results the team was able to establish the thermoplastic grade that was a best fit to the relevant environment while subjected to the in-use stresses. Finally this paper shows by use of a fault model, the degree by which reliability at a component level can impact the reliability of the entire system. Conducting a sensitivity analysis that correlates the components reliability to the system reliability can help business decisions when it comes to allocating R&D funding for improving existing products or developing replacement products.