Subsea Gas Compression Control Using Integrated Electric Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Subsea control systems for gas compression face higher demands on control equipment, requiring dedicated and marinized electronic cards, leading to increased costs and communication delays.
Innovation Solution
A control system where all components are located subsea, utilizing existing electric devices like actuators, variable speed drives, switchgears, and uninterruptible power supplies, integrating compressor controllers within these devices to eliminate the need for dedicated hardware and reduce communication delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated marinized electronic cards and separate controllers are used in subsea control systems, then control reliability is improved, but hardware costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the compressor controller with existing electric devices such as actuators, variable speed drives, switchgears, or uninterruptible power supplies. This integration eliminates the need for separate dedicated control hardware, reducing device complexity while maintaining control reliability through the embedded controller within these existing subsea-rated devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes existing subsea electric devices serve dual purposes: their original functions plus compressor control functions. For example, an actuator not only performs its primary function but also houses and executes compressor control logic, thereby reducing the need for specialized dedicated control equipment.
2Reliability
If dedicated marinized electronic cards and separate controllers are used, then control reliability is improved, but hardware costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is merged with existing subsea-rated electric devices that are already required in the system. This eliminates the need to procure and install additional dedicated marinized control hardware, thereby reducing hardware costs while maintaining the reliability benefits of using subsea-rated equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
Existing electric devices are made multi-functional by integrating compressor control capabilities. This reduces the total number of components needed in the system, lowering hardware costs while maintaining control reliability through the use of subsea-rated devices.
3Loss of time
If control components are located subsea, then communication delays are reduced, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is combined with existing subsea electric devices rather than adding separate control components. This integration approach minimizes the increase in device complexity while achieving the benefit of reduced communication delays by locating the controller subsea close to the compressor.
Solution Approach 2:
Existing subsea electric devices are made multi-functional to include compressor control. This reduces the need for additional dedicated control hardware space and complexity while achieving fast local control response by eliminating long communication cables to topside controllers.
4Loss of time
If control components are located subsea, then communication delays are reduced, but space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is merged with existing subsea electric devices such as actuators or variable speed drives. This integration utilizes the existing device housing and space, avoiding the need for additional dedicated control equipment space while achieving reduced communication delays through subsea localization.
Solution Approach 2:
Existing subsea electric devices are made multi-functional to include compressor control capabilities. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated control hardware space, reducing overall space requirements while maintaining the advantage of localized subsea control for reduced communication delays.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system for a subsea gas compression system. The control system includes a subsea control system comprising a plurality of process sensors measuring process parameters of the compression system, a compressor controller configured to generate control commands controlling the motor and the valve based on measurements of the process parameters from the sensors, and an electric device including hardware and software. The electric device is arranged to receive measurements from the process sensors and the compressor controller is integrated in the electric device. The electric device is any of an actuator for controlling the valve position, a variable speed drive for controlling the motor driving the compressor by adjusting the frequency of the power supplied to the motor, a switchgear connected to the variable speed drive for turning on and off the variable speed drive, or an uninterruptible power supply for providing emergency power to the control system.