Force measurement equipment manufacturer Straightpoint (SP), a Crosby Group company, has launched the Subsea Link, a standard product for applications up to 2,000m (6,562 feet) beneath the water's surface. The product can be rigged with Crosby's remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) shackles (tested to the same depths) and the company's Trawlex shackle range, amongst others.
The IP68 / NEMA 6P-rated Subsea Link also boasts components from SubConn, a specialist manufacturer of pluggable electrical connectors to the demanding underwater industry. SP staged a soft launch of the product at this month's (October) Offshore Energy Exhibition and Conference (OEEC) in Amsterdam, where attendees noted its potential in subsea and submersible projects where accurate load monitoring is required. However, the advantages of a standard product where a fully engineered solution has been the only option to date will endear the concept to a much wider audience.
David Ayling, global business development director for load monitoring solutions, said: "There will be existing distributors and end users of SP equipment that will encircle the product but we anticipate interest from specialist equipment and service providers who might not have already considered the benefits of such a solution, based on the technological advancement that we have been able to pioneer in the offshore and subsea sectors." He added: "Until now, oceanography and navigation project decision makers, or aquaculture professionals, might have had to engage in lengthy dialogue with a load monitoring specialist to acquire an engineered solution that might arrive on site many weeks down the road. With the Subsea Link, they can effectively source an ROV load shackle as they would any other standard product in our portfolio." Renewable energy and offshore personnel will be among those to note the Subsea Link's construction from 17-4PH stainless steel and resistance to saltwater, temperature variations and the incredible water pressure experienced at such sea depths. As stated, it can be handled and rigged via an ROV where a location may be inaccessible or it deemed cost-prohibitive to use divers.
Several output options are available: mV/V to the SP Handheld plus, 4-20mA or 0-10v analog to a PLC or data-logger; and the multi operation survey system (MOSS), RS485 or an integral data-logger, powered by an internal battery all located with the load cell itself. SP worked closely with the local Portsmouth University, where a testing laboratory supports diving and underwater engineering courses. Ayling said: "The benefits were twofold in that we were able to utilise the world-class, underwater testing facilities, which principally replicated the extreme water pressures at depth; and students could engage with a real-life product that will add safety and efficiency to the operations that they may one day be responsible for." SP's Subsea Link is available with immediate effect.