OneSubsea, a key player in the underwater industry, has been investigating and developing underwater electric technologies in a project in Brazil. This project focuses on establishing an integrated architecture that connects electricity to underwater production equipment, well completion technologies, and surface control systems.
Project Details and Achievements
The Brazilian project includes the assessment of electrical components and control systems for deep underwater applications and showcases an integrated architecture that extends electrical capabilities beyond the underwater tree. Representatives from participating companies recently gathered at OneSubsea's production facilities in São José dos Pinhais, Brazil, to celebrate the project's completion. The event included technical presentations, demonstrations of underwater electric technologies, and a tour of the facilities where underwater electric equipment will be assembled.
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Benefits of Electric Technology
D'Arcy Ryan, Product Manager at OneSubsea, stated, "The completion of this project is an important step towards expanding the role of fully electric technology in future deep developments. By closely collaborating with operators to define needs and validate technology, we are creating new avenues to simplify underwater infrastructures while enhancing control, monitoring, and data access."
As underwater developments move towards deeper waters and more complex environments, OneSubsea emphasizes that operators are looking for new ways to simplify infrastructures, improve control, and create greater flexibility in the design of future fields. Traditional hydraulic systems require extensive distribution infrastructures for the operation of underwater equipment, increasing complexity. In this regard, OneSubsea believes that fully electric technology can make a difference.
OneSubsea explains that the Brazilian project demonstrates how electricity can move beyond individual components and advance towards an integrated production architecture that connects underwater equipment, well completion technologies, surface control systems, and digital systems. This project not only validates electrical components for applications at depths of up to 3,000 meters but also specifies interfaces with new SLB electric completion technologies.
OneSubsea emphasizes, "A specially designed central control station connects underwater equipment with surface and digital control systems, providing an integrated approach to monitoring and system production performance. This architecture can simplify field designs and reduce overall system complexity while offering operators greater flexibility in remote developments and autonomous operations."
The company has announced that the completion of this project is based on over 15 years of experience in underwater electrification and more than 5 million operational hours with electric underwater systems. The company's fully electric portfolio is advancing along two complementary paths, with fully electric underwater production technology moving towards commercial deployment through Equinor's Fram Sør project in Norway, which includes 12 fully electric underwater trees.
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