MicroWave communication for high performance wet-mate subsea connectors

Connectors do not get the most attention and may not be as well noticed as a new rig design or subsea compressor module, but connectors are used everywhere: like the tendons in our bodies that connect bone to muscle, we cannot function without them. Why i s it then that we tolerate such a lack of any significant advancement in subsea wet-mate technology over the past +30 years? WiSub brings a game-changing technology that will transform subsea networks similar to the way that USB transformed the computing world. We have eliminated the issues with pin-to-pin connectors by eliminating the pins. Microwave (MW) electronics technology is at the heart of our patent-pending contactless underwater connector. This technology is exceptionally well-suited to applica tions that require high speed communications over very short distances through seawater: subsea wet-mate connectors. The R&D project will focus on defining the boundary conditions, size constraints and MW propagation limits with a focus on implementing th is technology commercially. R&D will result in delivery of field-ready connector prototypes with 1Gbps data throughput. The project aligns well with technology target areas defined in OG21 Future Technologies, especially Developments in Environmentally Se nsitive Areas and Field Life Extension: both require significant additional sensors to be installed subsea, e.g. for environmental monitoring and leak detection. The trend towards real-time monitoring is currently blocked by existing connector technology being either too expensive (fibre-optic) or too slow (pin-to-pin). The industry is adding more and faster sensors but has not yet delivered the basic freedom of fast data delivery. Sensors are delivering "Formula 1 race car" speeds but connectors are fo rcing data to "wait for the ferry" as it is sent in packets over slow connections. WiSub technology is building a bridge, facilitating safer exploration of frontier zones and field life extension.