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2 thoughts on “HISTORY OF SUBSEA: PART II”
Hi Steve. I understand your reasons for starting your history in the “post-UMC” era, but I think to do it justice you should try to develop some sort of “prequel” that sets the scene. The Cormorant UMC in the UK (and Gullfaks in Norway) played a key role in the subsequent rapid expansion of Subsea for field development because of their innovative approach to subsea production control and data acquisition. The use of Electro-Hydraulic Multiplex control systems (derived from the avionics industry) on these developments was a real game-changer because it enabled control of subsea production equipment over much longer distances than could previously be achieved and also allowed data from the field to be collected in real-time (I’m sure a few old hands out there will have a view). Many later innovations such as Intelligent Completions and Subsea Processing would not have been possible without the technology that was first introduced on UMC and Gullfaks. So for me these would be the starting point of Subsea History Part II rather than the end of Part I.
But it’s your blog and your history…
Hi Tony :
Most of the early subsea production system where relatively small distances and stand alone wells, ex exploration ones. The controls where straight hydraulic, piloted hydraulic ,and later programable sequential hydraulics. Most of that equipment was ex Subsea BOP controls (Koomey/ Cameron Payne) When electrical signalling / data acquisition ect .. was introduced an electrical wire was run in parralel to the hydraulic umbilical. I have use Schlumberger type logging cable (negative buoyancy and strong for laying) attach to the subsea tree. Then as you say the avionics came in with their kit and experience , hence formation and monitoring of industrial knowledge and packaging , Ferranti/FSSL , Matra/Alsthom , Marconi, Lockheed ect ..The greatest challenge was the mating of the electrics ! often the weakest link. An experiment in the Gulf of Mexico used a tiny nuclear cell /source to power one subsea tree as an R & D idea, not pursued because of the risk of such subsea source.
The implementation of large subsea template enable to think the same way in the control logic, where one computer + one umbilical can operate 8 wells and monitor all the bits added , chokes, DHPT,flow sensors, corrosion probes, valve positions indic. Other ideas where surface telemetry with the hydraulic supply buoy above the template ? so umbilical length = water depth. I am aware of full electric systems but I have never worked on one.