Subsea Hydraulic Accumulator Self-Testing for Pressure Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing subsea hydraulically actuated devices face challenges with depth-related limitations in hydraulic fluid volume and reliability, as accumulators' usable volume decreases with depth, leading to potential failure when required, and it's difficult to ascertain their functionality.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a hydraulic power storage system with an accumulator, a drain, and a hydraulic pump, where the pump pressurizes the accumulator if internal pressure falls below a threshold, and includes a processor to manage pressure and flow, providing redundant sources of high-pressure hydraulic fluid and self-testing capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If accumulators are used as subsea source of high pressure hydraulic fluid, then hydraulic fluid can be stored and supplied, but usable volume decreases with depth due to rising hydrostatic pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the hydraulic power source into multiple independent accumulators rather than relying on a single large accumulator. Each accumulator can be optimally sized for its specific function, and they work together to provide the required total volume and pressure. This segmentation allows the system to overcome the depth-related volume limitation by distributing the storage capacity across multiple units.
Solution Approach 2:
The accumulators are pre-charged with hydraulic fluid and pressurized before deployment to the subsea environment. This preliminary action ensures that when the accumulators reach their operational depth, they already contain the required volume of pressurized fluid, compensating for the hydrostatic pressure effects that would otherwise reduce usable volume.
2Reliability
If accumulators are used for subsea hydraulic fluid storage, then high pressure fluid can be provided, but it is difficult to ascertain functionality and reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors and monitoring devices that continuously track the pressure, volume, and operational status of each accumulator. This feedback mechanism provides real-time information about accumulator functionality, allowing the control system to detect degradation or failure conditions and adjust operations accordingly, thereby resolving the difficulty of ascertaining accumulator status.
Solution Approach 2:
The accumulators are equipped with self-diagnostic capabilities and automated monitoring systems that continuously assess their own functional status. This self-service approach enables the system to detect and report potential issues without requiring external inspection, improving the ascertainability of accumulator functionality and reliability.
3Quantity of substance
If larger and/or additional accumulators are used to meet hydraulic fluid volume requirements at depth, then sufficient fluid volume can be provided, but system complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The accumulator system is designed with multi-functional components that can serve multiple purposes. The accumulators not only store hydraulic fluid but also provide pressure compensation, energy storage, and system protection functions. This universality allows the system to achieve the required fluid volume without proportionally increasing complexity, as each accumulator performs multiple critical functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes parameter changes in the hydraulic fluid and accumulator operation to optimize performance. By adjusting pressure levels, fluid properties, and operational parameters, the system can maximize the usable volume from each accumulator without requiring excessive numbers of units, thereby controlling overall system complexity while meeting volume requirements.
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 ensures a reliable source of high-pressure hydraulic fluid with a low probability of failure, independent of depth limitations, by automatically testing and maintaining accumulator pressure, thus enhancing the reliability of subsea hydraulically actuated devices.
Implementation Method 1
an accumulator configured to supply pressurized fluid to a hydraulically actuated device to actuate the hydraulically actuated device
Implementation Method 2
a hydraulic pump configured to pressurize the accumulator if an internal pressure of the accumulator falls below a threshold pressure
Data Source
AI summary
Some of the present systems include a hydraulic power storage system having an accumulator configured to supply pressurized hydraulic fluid to a hydraulically actuated device to actuate the hydraulically actuated device and a drain in fluid communication with the accumulator and including a valve that is actuatable to drain hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic power storage system such that an internal pressure of the accumulator is reduced and a flow restrictor configured to reduce a flow rate of hydraulic fluid through the valve, a hydraulic pump configured to pressurize the accumulator, a pressure sensor configured to capture data indicative of the internal pressure of the accumulator, and a processor configured to actuate the hydraulic pump to increase the internal pressure of the accumulator if the internal pressure of the accumulator, as indicated in data captured by the pressure sensor, falls below a threshold pressure.