Subsea Processing Systems: Optimising the Maintenance, Maximising the Production

Description of the material : Subsea pumping systems are increasingly used to increase production and extend lifetime of fields. More complex subsea processing plants are being built, including subsea separation and gas compression. When rotating equipment is placed on the seabed, the lifetime of such will typically be shorter than the operational lifetime of the field, such that e.g. a pump will need to be replaced several times. This gives an increased interest in Condition Monitoring techniques and Condition Based Maintenance, such that such interventions can be planned in advance. Gradual degradation of subsea equipment can be monitored, and intervention / replacement thus planned some time in advance. The actual changeout of a subsea pump module typically takes 24 hours, but the preparatory work before can take a month. Thus any advance warning will reduce the downtime (and production loss). This paper describes a generic subsea separation/pumping/compression plant, and discusses some techniques for Condition Monitoring and Condition Based Maintenance. Some experience from recent projects are presented

Application : Condition Based Maintenance, Maintenance Optimisation

Results, Observations, and Conclusions : Some experience and examples from recent projects are rpesented

Significance of subject matter : For subsea rotating equipment, condition monitoring is important as the equipment will require maintenance