Blue Logic, WPC Get Funds for ‘Subsea USB’ Project

Norway’s Blue Logic has secured a strategic R&D project with Innovation Norway and a major global service provider.

The N0K 12 million industrial research and development contract is based on Blue Logic’s track record in producing inductive subsea connectors.

Blue Logic worked together with WPC in Kristiansand to mature the core technology and to find a partner with the right market position and strength to realize this project.

“Due to the current difficult marked condition this could not be realized without the active involvement from Innovation Norway which decided to fund the project. We strongly think this will be a major breakthrough in many areas of Subsea products and intervention,” the company said in a statement.

According to the company, the Blue Logic Subsea Connector uses inductive technology. There is no mechanical contact between the conductors on each side and the electrical power is transferred as “magnetic waves”. Blue Logic describes this as the same principle used for charging of an electrical tooth brush. Since there is no galvanic contact, each connector side can be encapsulated in a water proof canister 100% insulated from any form of contact with seawater.

Based on the technology from its partner Wireless Power and Communication (WPC), Blue Logic is able to transfer electrical power side by side with other type of data communication. The capacity to transfer power is driven directly by the physical size of the connection.

This project will qualify a connector system that will transfer large amounts of electrical power, serial communication, and Ethernet data communication through the same interface, and as the company reports, the efficiency of the connectors is close to 98%.

Blue Logic has named the product “Subsea USB”, which, according to the company,  should not be mistaken with a conventional USB interface that you have on your PC. Both interfaces transfers electrical power and data communication simultaneously in the same socket. One of the major benefits of the Blue Logic Inductive Subsea USB Connector system is the ability to also transform voltage through the interface allowing for many different types of sensors or consumers to be connected subsea regardless of voltage requirements.

“The list of applications where this can be used is endless and we are happy to be started on this project that is scheduled to be completed 02 of 2016. Pilot testing and Proof of Concept phase has already been completed and the results are very promising,” said Bule Logic.