Research on the Mechanical Advantage of Subsea Connector

Abstract

Subsea connector is one of the critical device used in the development of subsea wells. Analyzing the locking mechanism is important for the optimization design of it. An simple method based on freebody diagrams and simple friction theory is demonstrated to analyze the mechanical advantage of subsea connectors, which is mainly related to coefficient of sliding friction. The equation derived is plotted for different sets of friction coefficient to analyze their influences. It is demonstrated that the mechanical advantage(MA) is highest at friction coefficients near zero. Changes of a few range may alter connector clamping force by a significant factor.