AQUA TECHNOLOGY The challenges and triumphs of underwater electronics

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How do electronic devices work under deep waters? How do such devices perform efficient operation under high water pressure? The answer is “underwater electronics”. Any device working against the force of water needs exceptional mechanical strength. The article explores the world of electronics beneath the oceans.

Oceans cover about 71 % of Earth’s surface, holding 96.5 % of the planet’s water. Despite being abundant, ocean exploration is way less than deep space. The Ocean floor holds gifts like oil, natural gas, rich minerals, and unique materials. As you go deeper into the ocean, water pressure increases. About 500 meters into the ocean, atmospheric pressure increases up to 52 times that of air. As a result, going deeper into oceans is challenging for electronic equipment.

How do electronics function underwater?

When under the deep sea, equipment must address two challenges: water ingress and high pressure. Electronics and associated components are engineered for underwater use. Advanced equipment such as cameras, sensors, transducers, meters, sonar, underwater acoustic tools, and video inspection systems are deployed for underwater exploration.

Waterproof enclosures

In general, electronic devices must be waterproof for everyday situations such as rain exposure or immersion in a water body. Similarly, underwater electronics must be put into air-tight waterproof, and water-resistant enclosures, ensuring durability and functionality in deep waters. Air-tight waterproof enclosures are made from strong materials to prevent water ingress. Techniques like vacuum resin filling and specialized coatings protect electronic components against water.

Exceptional mechanical strength

As mentioned above, pressure drastically increases as you go deeper. The ocean floor is always subject to immense pressure. Electronic equipment in ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles), AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles), and even submarines are encased in hard steel alloy-based enclosures, which are typically cylindrical or square in shape to distribute pressure across their entire structure.

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Corrosion-free

Corrosion is faster in waters, especially salt water. Preventing corrosion for underwater electronics eliminates malfunctioning, component degradation, short circuits, and many other problems. A possible solution is using anti-corrosion coatings or corrosion-resistant materials like titanium, stainless steel, or sometimes special types of plastic to enclose electronic components.

Challenges to underwater electronics

The oceanic environment poses inherent risks to electronic devices, equipment, and systems, with four prominent challenges.

Pressure

Inadequate design under the subject of high pressure permanently damages the underwater electronic equipment, compromising time and resources for the engineering team.

Signal interference

In underwater exploration, acoustics is the main facilitator of communication and tracking. Magnetic coupling is also used for wireless power transfer in ROVs and AUVs. Water and marine life can heavily cause signal interference, making communication unreliable.

Darkness

Sunlight does not reach the ocean floor. Cameras, sensors, and other devices must be equipped with the latest LEDs, laser, or optical technology to collect clear image and video data samples.

Equipment lifetime

Most equipment is deployed underwater for longer periods. Power consumption, constant supply, and equipment lifetime remain challenging throughout the mission.

Applications of underwater electronics

Underwater electronic equipment used for deep-sea exploration is applicable in various areas of research and extraction. The following section lists applications of underwater electronic equipment in various fields

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Marine research

Studying marine life and their ecosystems is critical to protect the planet’s well-being. Researchers use ROVs and AUVs to collect image and video data of marine life for behavioral analysis to achieve milestones in seabed mining, water filtration, agriculture, medicine, and biofouling prevention.

Oceanography

The study of oceans is called oceanography. Various well-known research institutions and bodies are known to carry out deep-sea robotic missions. These missions enable researchers to understand ocean currents, tidal waves, ocean floor, tectonic movements, chemical substances, amount of acidification, climate change, possible disasters, and various other aspects.

Resource extraction

The Ocean floor is a rich source of untapped energy resources like oils, gas, and minerals. Drilling the ocean floor to extract oil and natural gas is known as offshore drilling. Deep-sea mining uses advanced electronic equipment to extract valuable minerals like nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper. Some companies use seawater to manufacture saltwater battery technology. Other common uses of underwater electronics are using advanced technology for fishing.

Undersea cables

By 2025, a network of 600 active and planned cables, spanning a total length of 1.48 million kilometers, are lying on the ocean floor. Undersea cables contain traditional copper conductors and glass fiber cores with marine-grade polyethylene and hard steel. Telecom providers, multinational companies, and governments own these cables. The reason for laying cables underneath the oceans is to transmit large amounts of data between countries and continents. Undersea cables offer higher bandwidth and lower latency compared to satellite communication.

Future trends

In the 20th century, deep sea exploration was a valued technological field. The focus has shifted to deep space exploration instead. As a result, the innovation, overall investment, and repetitive missions are less. However, there are many emerging trends in equipment used for deep-sea exploration.

Consumer electronics

These days, smartphones are resistant to damage from ocean water. Various news sources cover smartphones of popular brands falling into the sea, remaining there for days, and still being found to be operational!

Emerging wireless technology

Wireless technology is emerging as a new field for underwater exploration. However, radio frequency cannot penetrate deep waters. As a result, GPS cannot be used for underwater tracking. The low-range wireless technology research is still subject to study.

Digital twin

Many software tools simulate or virtually recreate ocean environments for research purposes. Real ocean data is fed to smart sensors or software for best results in hardware-in-the-loop simulation.

Autonomous vehicles

The use of unmanned autonomous vehicles instead of submarines is boosting underwater exploration - a relief for divers and engineers. Low-cost solutions with advanced control systems and AI enable operation without human intervention.

References

• https://www2.telegeography.com/submarine-cable-faqs-frequently-asked-questions

• https://electronicsmaker.com/underwater-electronics

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