Currently, many oil and gas companies, especially offshore operations such as ROV operators, are feeling the weight of the low price of oil and the cost pressures on the oil and gas market.
As a result, ROV operators may be searching for opportunities to reduce operating expenses. One such cost savings is with the slip ring. Slip rings requirements in the ROV industry tend to drive up the overall cost of the unit due to the need for complex features, including:
- High voltage (3KV and up) power passes
- Multiple optical channels
- 316 stainless steel housings with ingress protection (IP) ratings of 65 or higher
With all these requirements, ROV slip rings can be quite expensive.
To give ROV operators another option for reducing their costs, Alpha Slip Rings, a brand of UEA, has developed the capability to diagnose and refurbish slip rings commonly used in the ROV industry. First, Alpha Slip Rings will test the slip ring to determine the extent of the repairs needed. Then, we fully disassemble the unit, identifying what parts can be cleaned and reused, and what parts must be replaced. In general, all rings, insulators, brushes, wires, bearings, and seals are replaced, while all other parts of the slip ring are reused. For components related to the optical passes, we can either reuse them (if they pass initial testing) or fully replace them.
Generally, Alpha Slip Rings estimates that slip ring refurbishment can save the ROV customer over 50% compared to the price of a new slip ring of equivalent performance. The slip ring repairs are covered under Alpha’s one year warranty.