ROV-Mountable Flushing Skid for Subsea Pump Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional subsea pump installation methods require a dedicated installation tool with flush and sample accumulators, leading to high working heights and increased installation weights, and often necessitate multiple tools for each pump module, complicating the deployment process and increasing project costs and HSE risks.
Innovation Solution
A subsea deployable production fluid processing system incorporating a submersible electric motor, an ROV mountable flushing unit with accumulators, and a valve system for barrier oil supply and sampling, allowing for efficient flushing and sampling operations while reducing the need for dedicated tools and minimizing deck-based preparatory work.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dedicated installation tool with flush and sample accumulators is mounted on top of the subsea pump module, then flushing and sampling operations can be performed, but the working height increases and installation weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the flushing and sampling accumulators from the subsea pump module and places them on the vessel deck. This separation removes the source of the problem (the accumulators) from the pump module, thereby reducing the working height required during installation while maintaining the necessary flushing and sampling capabilities through the use of a load transfer mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a load transfer mechanism as an intermediary between the vessel hook rigging and the pump module. This intermediary component enables the transfer of heavy accumulators from the deck to the pump module during installation, and subsequently allows their removal, thus solving the contradiction between needing the accumulators for operation and wanting to minimize working height
2Reliability
If a dedicated installation tool with flush and sample accumulators is mounted on top of the subsea pump module, then flushing and sampling operations can be performed, but the installation weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the heavy flush and sample accumulators from the pump module and relocates them to the vessel deck. This extraction eliminates the need to permanently carry the accumulators' weight with the pump module, thereby reducing installation weight while preserving the ability to perform flushing and sampling operations when needed
3Reliability
If each pump module includes its own dedicated installation tool, then flushing and sampling can be performed for each module, but device complexity and project costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the flush and sample accumulators universal by designing them to be compatible with multiple pump modules. Instead of each pump module having its own dedicated accumulators, a single set of accumulators can serve multiple modules through the load transfer mechanism, thereby reducing device complexity and the number of components required while maintaining the ability to service each module individually
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system reduces working heights and installation weights, enhances weather robustness, and provides a standardized, cost-effective solution for subsea pump installations by enabling efficient flushing and sampling, thereby improving safety and reducing project costs.
Implementation Method 1
said flushing accumulators being configured to accept fluid in said supply conduit so as to flush said supply conduit
Implementation Method 2
at least one sampling accumulator configured to draw a fluid sample of barrier oil from said supply conduit
Implementation Method 3
a valve system configured to allow entry of the barrier oil from the supply conduit and to allow fluid communication with said ROV mountable flushing unit
Implementation Method 4
the system can include one or more accumulators adapted to provide barrier oil supply pressure compensation
Data Source
AI summary
An ROV-mountable flush and sample skid is described that reduces the project cost and deliveries, and also improves HSE risk during Subsea Pump installation campaigns. The ROV skid can be configured as part of a standard ROV tooling across different projects. The tool also reduces the total pump module installation weight that is important in deepwater applications. The ROV-mountable flushing and sampling skid is mounted to an ROV and deployed to a subsea location to provide flushing of and sampling of barrier oil from a barrier oil supply jumper from an subsea umbilical termination assembly. The Subsea pump flushing and sampling ROV skid includes of a set of flush accumulators with enough capacity to flush the installed jumpers clean, and also one or more sample accumulators configured to sample the barrier oil after the flushing has been performed.