Method for conditioning a section of a mating member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10020612-B2
Application number	US-201515311896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2015
Priority date	Jun 4, 2014
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A method for conditioning at least a section of a mating member of a connector unit having the mating member and a corresponding receiving chamber with a cavity wall partially encasing a receiving cavity, including at least the steps of: using a mating force caused by a mate of the mating member and the receiving chamber to force an insulation medium housed in the receiving cavity of the receiving chamber to travel along a distribution path for the insulation medium, wherein the insulation medium exits the receiving cavity and re-enters the receiving cavity along the distribution path and conditioning at least the section of the mating member with the insulation medium while the insulation medium is bypassing the section of the mating member due to the mate of the mating member and the receiving chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for conditioning a section of a mating member of a connector unit comprising the mating member and a corresponding receiving chamber comprising a cavity wall partially encasing a receiving cavity, the method comprising:
using a mating force caused by a mate of the mating member and the receiving chamber to force an insulation medium housed in the receiving cavity of the receiving chamber to travel along a distribution path for the insulation medium, wherein the insulation medium exits the receiving cavity and re-enters the receiving cavity along the distribution path, and
conditioning the section of the mating member with insulation medium that has reentered the receiving cavity and is traveling along the distribution path and simultaneously contacting the section of the mating member due to the mate of the mating member and the receiving chamber.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
forcing due to the mate of the mating member and the receiving chamber the insulation medium from the receiving cavity to exit through at least one radial aperture in the cavity wall of the receiving chamber, and/or
forcing due to the mate of the mating member and the receiving chamber the insulation medium to travel along at least one axial channel in an outer surface of the cavity wall of the receiving chamber, and/or
forcing due to the mate of the mating member and the receiving chamber the insulation medium from the at least one axial channel in the outer surface of the cavity wall of the receiving chamber to enter the receiving cavity through the at least one radial aperture in the cavity wall of the receiving chamber.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting a size and/or shape of at least one radial aperture in the cavity wall of the receiving chamber, and/or a size and/or shape of an axial channel in an outer surface of the cavity wall of the receiving chamber, and/or a size and/or shape of the cavity wall of the receiving chamber dependent on at least one physical property of the insulation medium.

4. A receiving chamber of a connector unit, comprising
a receiving cavity and a cavity wall partially encasing the receiving cavity,
wherein an outer surface of the cavity wall comprises at least one axial channel extending in axial direction of the receiving cavity, a first radial aperture and at least one second radial aperture,
wherein the first radial aperture is located at a first axial end of at least one axial channel and wherein the at least one second radial aperture is located at a second axial end of the at least one axial channel opposed from the first axial end of the at least one axial channel,
wherein the outer surface of the cavity wall comprises at least one groove extending in circumferential direction of the cavity wall, and/or
wherein the first radial aperture is positioned at a bottom of the at least one groove, and/or
wherein the at least one second radial aperture is positioned at a bottom of the at least one groove.

5. The receiving chamber according to claim 4 ,
wherein the cavity wall comprises a plurality of first radial apertures, and/or a plurality of second radial apertures, and/or
wherein the plurality of first radial apertures and/or the plurality of second radial apertures are homogeneously distributed along an outer contour of the cavity wall.

6. The receiving chamber according to claim 4 ,
wherein the first radial aperture and the at least one second radial aperture are located axially aligned towards each other, and/or
wherein the first radial aperture and the at least one second radial aperture are arranged in circumferential direction offset from an axial extension of a bottom of the at least one axial channel.

7. The receiving chamber according to claim 4 ,
wherein the cavity wall comprises an axial end region being located at a receiving opening of the receiving cavity, and
wherein the axial end region comprises an annulus region comprising an inner diameter that is smaller than an inner diameter of the receiving chamber.

8. The receiving chamber according to claim 4 ,
wherein the outer surface of the cavity wall comprises a plurality of axial channels.

9. The receiving chamber according to claim 8 ,
wherein a partitioning of the plurality of axial channels is equal to or an integer multiple of a partitioning of a plurality of first radial apertures and/or of a plurality of the at least one second radial apertures.

10. A connector part of the connector unit, comprising:
a mating member comprising a first axial section, a second axial section, and a third axial section, and
the receiving chamber according to claim 4 ,
wherein, after a mate of the mating member with the receiving chamber, the first radial aperture in the cavity wall of the receiving chamber is located at an axial end of the first axial section of the mating member, and wherein the at least one axial channel in the outer surface of the cavity wall of the receiving chamber extends along the second axial section and the third axial section of the mating member, and wherein the at least one second radial aperture in the cavity wall of the receiving chamber is located at an axial height where an axial end of the third axial section of the mating member is positioned, and wherein the third axial section of the mating member comprises an insulating surface.

11. The connector part according to claim 10 ,
wherein the cavity wall of the receiving chamber comprises an axial end region being located at a receiving opening of the receiving cavity, and
wherein the axial end region comprises an annulus region comprising an inner diameter that is selected in such a way that the mating member is arranged with a clearance fit in the annulus region during the mate of the mating member and the receiving chamber.

12. The connector part according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a sleeve encasing the receiving chamber,
wherein the at least one axial channel in the outer surface of the cavity wall of the receiving chamber is radially confined by an inner surface of the sleeve.

13. The connector part according to claim 10 ,
wherein the connector part is adapted for use in a subsea application.

14. A connector unit comprising
a mating member and a connector part,
wherein the connector part comprises a receiving chamber comprising a cavity wall partially encasing a receiving cavity, wherein an insulation medium is housed in the receiving cavity of the receiving chamber, and
wherein the connector part further comprises a sleeve encasing the receiving chamber,
wherein an outer surface of the cavity wall comprises at least one axial channel extending in axial direction of the receiving cavity, a first radial aperture and at least one second radial aperture,
wherein the first radial aperture is located at a first axial end of at least one axial channel and wherein the at least one second radial aperture is located at a second axial end of the at least one axial channel opposed from the first radial end of the at least one axial channel, and wherein the at least one axial channel in the outer surface of the cavity wall of the receiving chamber is radially confined by an inner surface of the sleeve, and
wherein the connector unit further comprises a compensation volume in fluid communication with the receiving cavity via a distribution channel comprising the first radial aperture, the at least one axial channel, and the at least one second radial aperture, the compensation volume configured to receive and store insulation medium displaced from the rece

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Chana Paul
• Jones Trevor
• Lewin Richard
• Plant Christopher
• Ward Stephen

Classifications

• H01R43/002

  Maintenance of line connectors, e.g. cleaning · CPC title

• H01R13/523 Primary

  for use under water · CPC title

• H01R13/53

  Bases or cases for heavy duty; Bases or cases {for high voltage} with means for preventing corona or arcing · CPC title

• H01R13/5219

  Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal · CPC title