Subsea BOP Power Failure Isolation via Segmented PFII Waveform Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current subsea oil and gas drilling systems face challenges in identifying specific faults in power supplies due to insufficient capacity to separate ground impedance measurements, leading to unnecessary BOP stack pulls and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for power supply monitoring in subsea blowout preventer (BOP) stacks, utilizing power failure indicators and isolators (PFII) to measure waveforms and isolate faults, allowing for precise identification of leakage and fault location without pulling the BOP stack, and providing alarms for operator decision-making.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If multiple circuits are covered by a single impedance measurement, then device complexity is reduced, but fault identification precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring system into separate PFII units for each circuit (blue circuit PFII and yellow circuit PFII). Each PFII independently measures impedance for its specific circuit, enabling precise fault identification while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
2Device complexity
If a single PFII monitors multiple circuits, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements separate PFII units for each circuit (blue and yellow), ensuring that circuit-specific information is preserved. Each PFII independently monitors its designated circuit, preventing information loss while maintaining simplicity through modular replication rather than complex multi-circuit monitoring.
3Reliability
If ground leakage limits are strictly enforced with single impedance measurement, then safety is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By implementing separate PFII units for each circuit, the system can identify whether a ground leakage issue is isolated to one circuit or affects multiple circuits. This enables selective response - continuing operations if only one non-critical circuit has minor issues, thus maintaining safety while improving productivity through informed decision-making.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for determining a fault in a subsea blowout preventer (BOP) stack includes a first sensor and a second sensor adapted to measure one or more properties of a subsea operation. The system further includes a first power supply adapted to provide operational power to the first sensor and a second power supply adapted to provide operational power to the second sensor. The system also includes a first power failure indicator and isolator (PFII) associated with the first sensor and the first power supply, the first PFII measuring a first pair of waveforms to identify a first fault and a second PFII associated with the second sensor and the second power supply, the second PFII measuring a second pair of waveforms to identify a second fault.