Undersea Cable Power Distribution Scheme

The objective of this proposal is to develop an innovative electrical and optical power distribution scheme for use in a subsea environment. The scheme will be designed to support current multifiber undersea cables, and will house the required mechanical and electrical components. Additional branches can be added using a recently developed technology. The system proposed will provide electrical and fiber connectivity, and will integrate into the existing telemetry scheme, while accomodating new power and data demands. A configurable, modular subsea structure will be developed that can accommodate not just the referenced requirements, but also a variety of other subsea elements and data requirements. A key attribute proposed is the ability of the distribution scheme to be configurable undersea, with wet-mateable connections. These connections can be made by diver, or a remotely operated vehicle. Wet-mateable configurability of both electrical and fiber connections is a recently developed capability that brings real time, agile, covert tactical functionality to subsea networks in this application. In addition, this concept extends to other subsea applications, including ocean observatories, oil-gas applications, and telecommunications systems.