Oil Infrastructure Total E&P
Real-time monitoring of subsea cables on a mature oil field.
A pilot of continuous LIRA® monitoring for critical subsea power cables of different ages at an offshore facility in Qatar.
The challenge
Total R&D set an overall goal to realise a real-time subsea power cable degradation monitoring capability, covering both new and aged cables at one of Total’s offshore facilities in Qatar.
The approach
On 26 November 2018, Wirescan signed a contract with Total for a Stage 1 pilot project to establish Wirescan Digital Online for condition monitoring of energised subsea cables.
The Wirescan sensor system is installed at a mature offshore oil field, where critical subsea cables of different maturity are monitored continuously in operation. All data is analysed automatically in Wirescan Digital, and results are available at any time on an online map.
“This technology will be tested by Total R&D as part of an overall goal to realize a real-time subsea power cable degradation monitoring capability. This Pilot is an important step in refining and evaluating the system performance in a subsea operational context.”
Rory Mackenzie, R&D, Total
The expected outcome
- Lower operating costs through knowledge of actual cable health and targeted maintenance
- Avoiding the cost and losses of emergency downtime
- Centralised cable data from all sources, including DTS and TDR
- Knowledge-based lifetime extension, integrated with the company’s own digital platform
- Fewer people offshore, less travel and a smaller carbon footprint