Subsea electrical connector

Claim 1

A subsea wet electrical connector comprising: (a) a male plug having at least one male pin extending therefrom; (b) a male contact mounted on the male pin; (c) male conductor means for providing an electrical conducting path from an electrical cable entering the male plug to the male contact; (d) a dielectric block within said male plug for insulating said male pin and male conductor; (d) a female receptacle having therein at least one conductive cylinder means, each of said cylinder means corresponding to and adapted to receive each of said male pins; (f) a female contact mounted within said conductive cylinder means which mates with the male contact when the male pin is inserted in the cylinder means and which provides an electrical conducting path from the male pin to the cylinder means; (g) female conductor means for providing an electrical current path from an electrical cable entering the female receptacle to the cylinder means; (h) nonconductive piston means mounted within the conductive cylinder means, said piston means being rearwardly displaced within the cylinder means when the male pin is inserted therein; (i) resilient means for maintaining the piston means in an extended position within the cylinder means when the male pin is not inserted in the cylinder so that the piston means seals the entrance of the cylinder means and protects the female contact; (j) a dielectric block within said female receptacle for insulating said female contact, said conductive cylinder means, and said female conductor, said dielectric block having passageways therein which provide a continuous circulatory flow path between the rear of said female receptacle and said conductive cylinder; and (k) a dielectric fluid immiscible with sea water which fills the internal void spaces of said male plug and female receptacle and which convectively circulates through said passageways in the dielectric block so that heat is dissipated from the vicinity of said cylinder means.