Bosch Rexroth AG and PetrolValves S.p.A. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the electrification of subsea process valves with high Safety Integrity Level requirements, such as Subsea Safety Isolation Valves (SSIV). Both companies are already working on a solution that connects PetrolValves subsea valves with the Rexroth actuator eSEA Drive. Operation and control are carried out via a simple 24 V DC electric power supply. The new development will reduce the investment and operating costs of subsea systems for the storage of captured carbon (CCS/CCUS) and for the safe transport of green hydrogen (H2) produced offshore using renewable energy.
The biggest challenge in the use of offshore systems for the capture and storage of CO2 and the use of green hydrogen (H2) is to reduce the total cost of ownership. A significant lever for cost reduction is electrification, for example through the eSEA actuators developed by Bosch Rexroth, which cover all safety-relevant movements at water depths of up to 4,000 meters. They are a particularly economical alternative to the hydraulically driven actuators that have been normally used. Until now, especially, large subsea process valves with high Safety Integrity Level (SIL) requirements could not benefit from electrification due to the lack of a suitable and affordable drive solution.
Both companies have already implemented this solution using an eSEA Drive from Bosch Rexroth to electrify a subsea 5’’ gate valve, and a full-scale prototype is currently in the final phase of qualification tests to reach Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 by mid-2024.
