Essential design and Risk Management for a next generation ocean dry mate connector

Dry mate connectors perform essential power and communications interconnect functions. An equally critical function for subsea connectors is to protect the cable and sensitive electronics from flooding, thereby minimizing risk for large, capital intensive projects. This paper will address the technology needed to reduce risk, leap forward in design, and incorporate the very latest design attributes, while demonstrating compliance to evolving industry standards, such as ISO and API. This paper will broadly review the industry's current dry mate connector options, with a focus on reliability and functionality. A Failure Mode and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) will be presented, which will be used to examine typical dry mate connector failure modes. An analysis of these failure modes will be presented, with a focus on the attributes that can be improved on, from the current design state. The paper will then introduce a next generation dry mate connector, which addresses the current design issues, promising to take the next leap in high reliability, interconnect technology for ocean dry mate connectors. Starting with a fresh, ground up look at the requirements from industry, this paper will begin with a blank slate design, and then develop the desired interconnect attributes after a close look at both mil-spec as well as commercial requirements, and the products that are currently on the market. Designed to be a dry mate connector that is ISO/API compliant, the AMETEK SCP dry mate connector is designed to be fully modular. This modularity allows the incorporation of interchangeable electrical or optical circuits, with exceptionally high performance. This modular design then takes a step further, and makes possible the use of a standard approach for either hard cable termination designs, as well as pressure balanced oil filled designs. This new product leaps forward from current industry offerings, and makes a number of improvements and enhancements that reset the bar. Modularity for electrical and optical contacts is one improvement, as is the incorporation of an option for a higher performing fiber optic connection, which incorporates angled polished contacts. These higher performing contacts afford greatly enhanced optical performance, specifically with improved back reflection. This enhancement will help satisfy an increasing industry demand for distributed sensing systems. These types of systems are coming online now as a part of Intelligent Well System designs, and other emerging, distributed acoustic and temperature monitoring systems. Poised to enter both Defense and Oil Gas markets, and improve the status quo, this new product offering takes stock of where the industry is, considers risk elements, and provides a fully up to date design, with options that actually fit industry needs, while reducing risk. This paper will review existing technology, and then introduce this new product, while pointing out improvements over existing designs, explaining the incorporated design attributes, clearly a leap forward in technology.