Seatools, a subsea technology company, has completed the development, manufacturing, and testing of two 250-liter subsea pressure compensators on behalf of Bakker Sliedrecht.

The compensators will be applied to 1.7 MW submersible electric motors installed on a new hopper dredger currently under construction at Wenchong Shipyard in China for the Chang Jiang Waterway Bureau (CWB).

The ultra-long lifetime design was selected for the compensator which will, over the course of several decades, operate in harsh environments characterized by vibrations, shock loads, dirt, and temperature changes, the company explained.

Jan Frumau, managing director at Seatools, said: “Our experience as subsea equipment manufacturer confirms the importance of adequate pressure compensation to guarantee the reliability of subsea equipment. With the ultra-long lifetime compensator series we offer a compensator design that reaches new robustness and reliability levels. In fact, we believe the range is becoming the new standard for this type of capital-intensive subsea equipment. To find a reputable company like Bakker Sliedrecht affirm this and choose our pressure compensation solution, makes us feel honored.”

The application demanded a low pressure gradient, which had to be met within narrow tolerances. These criteria were set to create the most favorable conditions for the motor seals, thereby assuring the integrity of the seals in the long term.

To meet these requirements, detailed modelling of various conditions that the compensator encounters in the field, have been performed, the company noted.

In the end the modelling was verified by an extensive testing program.