Experimental Study on Compressibility Modulus of Pressure Compensation Oil for Underwater Vehicle

Abstract

In order to determine the appropriate volume of the a pressure compensator of deep seabed mining robots, this paper reports on an experimental test for oil volume change in an oil-filled box. At the design stage of underwater robots, it is crucial to determine the capacity of the hydraulic compensator which is replenished as much as the contracted oil volume of the robots. A pilot mining robot, MienRo was designed to work under 6,000 m in the deep sea. The hydraulic actuating oil and pressure compensating oil of MineRo may be exposed at a hydrostatic pressure environment of 600 bar. Although the oil can be assumed to be incompressible, its volume is actually changed under high pressure conditions due to air contained in the oil and oil contraction. To determine the capacity of the pressure compensator, the oil contraction rate should be verified through an experimental test using a hyperbaric chamber.