Interventek Subsea Engineering has secured funding from the Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) towards the development of the new control system. As part of the agreement, Interventek has also secured the support of a leading international oil company as project ‘sponsor’, whose role will be to provide end-user expertise and design criteria feedback as part of a project steering committee. Interventek aims to complete the project, valued at a six-figure sum, and deliver a function tested prototype by the end of 2019.
Interventek is aiming to deliver capital cost savings in the region of 70% and to reduce the cost of ownership by more than 50%. The weight of Interventek’s new control system should be in the region of 10 tonnes, with a much smaller footprint, leading to a 15-20% reduction in operational costs through reduced rig up times, deck space, logistics, ancillary support equipment and personnel on board requirements, amounting to several millions of pounds saved annually for the operator.
Interventek’s control system will leverage the unique properties of the company’s patented Revolution valve technology to reduce the number of hydraulic lines, replacing them with electrical functions and will drastically reduce the size and weight of the umbilical, reel, SCU and RCM. Importantly, the combination of this valve technology and a next-generation control system intends to provide the industry with an advanced system that is able to shear coiled tubing and isolate the well in the event of an emergency in less than a second.
To fast-track and lead the delivery of the project, Interventek has appointed Graeme Dorrance as their senior controls engineer. Graeme has almost thirty years of electrical controls and automation experience, twelve of which has been gained within the subsea industry.
