FEATURE ARTICLE
BP VISION:
“100% of underwater inspections will be performed by remotely operated systems by 2025” By Eric Primeau, BP Senior Technical Specialist
OUTLINING THE VISION
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ubmarine pipelines operate in hostile offshore environments, so the use of underwater vehicles and smart sensor technology efficiently delivering high quality data for integrity assessment is a key component of an inspection and asset integrity management program. With thousands of kilometres of marine pipeline to inspect, data acquisition comprises a significant risk and cost. Expensive Intervention, Repair and Maintenance (IRM) vessels are contracted to conduct inspection programs but frequently have other priority tasks. There is an expectation that inspection operations will be performed in periods of low activity, however,
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there is often a conflict of interest as all activities are crunched into weather windows of opportunity. Businesses have modernisation and transformation agendas (technical challenge) and simplification and efficiency agendas (process challenge). These agendas provide the opportunity for reviewing and integrating new technologies. Such an opportunity was realised through the development of a new inspection methodology termed Fast Digital Imaging inspection (FDI). The FDI concept employs integrated High Definition (HD) stereo digital stills cameras, laser systems and non-contact Field Gradient
Subsea UK News | September 2019
Cathodic Protection (CP) systems delivering data acquisition up to 6 times faster than traditional methodology. The progression of FDI is then to host sensor packages onto a suitable Underwater Vehicles (UV), then operate the UV from an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV). To move FDI technology into the ‘Robotics’ arena, the development and utilisation of combination USV / UV systems is a component part of the BP vision, stating that 100% of underwater inspections will be performed by remotely operated systems by 2025.
