Rexroth develops hydraulic components for use 6,000m below sea level
14 June 2011
With rising demand for oil, natural gas and minerals in addition to recent discoveries of new deep sea sources, the need for innovative machinery that can face harsh marine environments has become more apparent. Rexroth has now adapted a number of standard components to fit the special requirements for deep-sea applications. These include pressure compensation and corrosion protection which provides optimal performance and reduces the need for maintenance.
The Subsea Crawler from Aker Wirth
In order to test its design, Rexroth developed a Subsea test power unit equipped with a water-proof motor/pump assembly. This drives an axial piston motor and hydraulic cylinder via an encapsulated valve control. The hydraulic system comes in a pressure compensated design. Rexroth tested the equipment in a unique pressure chamber facility and successfully demonstrated the suitability of its hydraulic components to a depth of 6,000 meters below sea level.
Lee Hinchcliffe, Rexroth's sales manager for Marine & Offshore says: “We have successfully fitted Rexroth adapted components on machines such as the Subsea Crawler from Aker Wirth [pictured]. We are the first to achieve such a high performance under harsh testing conditions which makes Rexroth components vital for deep sea applications.”
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