Bespoke Pin Load Cells For Subsea Applications

Subsea Load Cell applications pose a unique set of technical challenges due to the extreme underwater environment, demanding highly reliable and specialized engineering solutions. These sensors are often deployed thousands of meters below sea level, where they are continuously exposed to saltwater, immense hydrostatic pressure, and harsh mechanical conditions. One of the primary concerns in such applications is corrosion. Saltwater is highly corrosive and can rapidly degrade materials not specifically designed to withstand it. As a result, materials such as titanium and 17-4PH stainless steel are commonly used in subsea load cell construction due to their excellent corrosion resistance and long-term durability.

Another critical issue in subsea load cell deployment is water ingress. Even the smallest leak can allow moisture to penetrate the load cell, potentially damaging internal electronics, disrupting signal integrity, or even causing complete sensor failure. To combat this, all components including seals, cable glands, and enclosures must be rated to at least IP68 or higher, ensuring they remain completely sealed even under prolonged submersion at depth. 

Signal transmission in underwater environments also presents difficulties. Long cable runs between the load cell and surface equipment can result in signal degradation or electrical noise interference. To maintain accurate data transmission, solutions such as signal amplification, onboard electronics, or digital output formats like RS485 are often employed. These methods help ensure reliable communication even over extended distances and under high-pressure conditions.

Calibration and long-term stability are also crucial considerations. Unlike load cells used on land, subsea sensors are difficult, time-consuming, and costly to retrieve for recalibration or repair. As a result, these load cells must offer extremely stable output with minimal drift over long deployments. Precision calibration before deployment is essential, and some designs incorporate dual-bridge outputs to allow for system redundancy and ongoing cross-verification of readings.

Mechanical integration is another important factor. Subsea load cells are often installed as part of complex mechanical systems, such as ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles), clamps, risers, or lifting equipment. These sensors must be custom-fit into the design without compromising the structural integrity or measurement accuracy of the overall system. Additionally, while the deep-sea environment tends to have cold and stable temperatures (often around 0–2°C), sensors may experience wider temperature variations during deployment and recovery. Therefore, effective thermal compensation is essential to ensure consistent performance across temperature gradients.

Pin load cells, also known as load pins or shear pins, are particularly well-suited for subsea force measurement due to their compact, rugged design and ability to directly replace existing structural pins. They are widely used in a range of subsea applications to measure either tensile or shear forces. Common use cases include monitoring the gripping or pulling forces of ROV grabber arms, measuring lifting loads on subsea crane hooks, and tracking mooring line tension for anchors or buoys. Pin load cells are also utilized to ensure proper cable tension in umbilical and winch systems, verify clamping force in pipeline support tools, and monitor load in A-frame sheaves, risers, lifting beams, and deployment frames.

LCS Tech Co., Limited has over a decade of experience in the design and manufacture of custom pin load cells for demanding subsea environments. We offer fully customized load pin designs tailored to your mechanical and measurement requirements, with capacities of up to 100 tons. Our load pins support multiple output options including mV/V, ±5V, 4–20mA, and RS485, and can be equipped with dual-bridge configurations for redundancy. Our subsea load pins are pressure-tested up to 60 MPa, making them suitable for depths of up to 4000 meters.

For customers seeking reliable and durable load measurement solutions for challenging subsea applications, LCS Tech Co., Limited offers the engineering expertise and manufacturing capability to deliver high-performance custom load pins. Contact us at sales@loadcellsensor.com to learn how we can support your project.