Abstract
The feasibility of large, unmanned, offshore wind and wave energy convertors will be greatly enhanced by the availability of highly reliable electronic systems to provide on-board control and condition monitoring systems. However, there is a danger that the extreme environmental conditions found offshore will adversely affect the reliability of electronic systems.
This paper quantifies the reduction in reliability to be expected due to the offshore environment and also compares the environmental effect with all other known factors which can reduce the reliability of electronic components and systems.
It is concluded that, important as the environmental factor is, its effect can be swamped by other factors such as equipment temperature and packaging technique. The design of reliable electronic systems for use offshore is possible without incurring military-type costs by following a few basic design rules. Ideally, offshore systems should be designed from the component level up, following these rules, rather than by simply sealing 'onshore systems' in watertight boxes.
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