Underwater Wet Electrical Connector Seal Life Prediction

Underwater wet electrical connector is a connecting device used to connect underwater equipment in the working environment of sea water, oil and drilling fluid. Due to its harsh working environment, its sealing technology is of great importance. The service life of the connector is largely determined by its seal’s lifetime. Taking the compression set ratio as the indicator of degradation performance, the lifetime calculation of underwater wet electrical connector under constant temperature has been studied. By establishing the finite element model of thermoelectric coupling, the seal’s temperature distribution under working condition has been attained. The life prediction model based on Arrhenius formula has been built. Based on the seal lifetime and compression set ratio measured at different temperatures in national standard test, using step by step search method programming formula’s coefficients, the life prediction algorithm under the effect of temperature has been compiled. The relation of service life and permanent compression deformation rate under different temperatures could be attained by substituting the result of finite element calculation into the algorithm. The proposed method is of great importance for the life prediction of underwater wet electrical connectors.