Data management

Data-Management Methods Connect Subsea Assets

Digitalization in operating, maintaining, and upgrading subsea plants to reduce cost includes making information available to the control-room operator, reducing alarms, tuning the control system for optimal performance, condition monitoring, and condition-based maintenance.

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Source: Aker Solutions

While topside plants have made progress in the field of digitalization, subsea plants lag behind. Because of inherent differences between topside and subsea plants (e.g., frequency and ease of changes), certain areas of digitalization also provide more value than others.

A topside plant is in a state of constant change, while a subsea production tree is ideally installed and never touched for 25 years. For example, there is no need to update the 3D model of the tree every year, while it may be cost-effective to do so for a topside platform.

Longer stepouts become possible using direct-current power and fiber-optic communication systems. With this development comes the ability to connect new sensors that provide valuable insight.

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