Kongzhi Yu Xinxi Jishu (Apr 2024)
Research on the Design of Pressure Compensator in Deep-sea ROV
Abstract
Pressure compensators have a significant impact on the depth and performance of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations, necessitating the development of high performance and easily maintainable safety compensators. This paper delved into the research on the design of pressure compensators for ROVs, in order to enhance their engineering applications in deep-sea ROVs. By analyzing and comparing the weight of the ROV valve blocks and valve box shells made of different materials but exhibiting the same volume, it was found that the valve blocks and valve box shells made of stainless steel and titanium alloy met the pressure resistance requirements, in the absence of pressure compensators. However, the weight of the ROVs increased by about 187% and 74% respectively. The ROV, which adopted a fusion design of aluminum alloy valve blocks, valve box shells, and compensators, demonstrated excellent performance in light weight, compact structure, and deep water operations. A further examination was conducted using a rolling diaphragm pressure compensator as an example, focusing on structural characteristics and static performance. The results highlighted the role played by relevant elastic and structural components in adjusting the pressure difference between the compensation pressure and seawater pressure, until the required compensation pressure of the pressure compensator in the operation. In addition, based on the principles of rolling diaphragm pressure compensators such as oil contraction and expansion, this study introduced a volume calculation principle for pressure compensators, highlighting pressure and temperature as the important parameters that affect the compensator volume selection. The application of pressure compensators designed according to this principle can facilitate ROV operations in deep sea up to 5 000 m in depth (about 50 MPa), without the need of protection by additional thick pressure resistant structures. This paper concludes by drawing attention to prospects for the future development of pressure compensator technology from three aspects: sealing performance, structural design, and pressure compensation.
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