The Specific Application of Slip Ring in ROVs

A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is an unoccupied underwater robot that is connected to a ship by a series of cables, winch is the device used to pay out, pull in and store cables. It consists of a movable drum around which a cable is wound so that rotation of the drum produces a drawing force at the end of the cable. The growing use of underwater robots for hydrocarbon exploration at ever greater depths means that high-tech rotary joints are ever more important.

Slip rings are required to transfer all power, electrical signal and fibre optic signals between the operator and the ROV, allowing remote navigation of the vehicle. Slip rings must be able to withstand not only extreme conditions such as pressures of up to 300 Bar, but must also reliably transmit high-quality communication channels such as Ethernet and fiber-optical signals. These requirements can only be met by compact, pressure-compensated slip ring systems made of stainless steel.

The slip rings which go in the TMS need to work down to thousands of metres underwater and hence require to work whilst filled with compensation oil. Voltages required are usually around 3000 volts at maybe 20 amps per phase for the power. One channel fiber optic and two channels fiber optic ROV slip rings are the most popular.Usually, ROV slip rings are packed with IP68 protection and stainless steel body to resist moisture, salt fog and sea water corrosion.

ByTune is a leading designer and manufacturer of slip ring systems. Typical applications include Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), rotating video displays, radar antennas, fast antenna measurement, radome test and scanners systems. ByTune has already successfully delivered hundreds of slip rings to ROVs across the world.