Riser Life Cycle Monitoring System Undergoes Initial Research Phase

Abstract

Technology Update The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the US Department of Energy (DOE) supports a wide range of research and development (R&D) projects to develop technology for enhancing deepwater capabilities and improving safety and protection of the environment. Much of this work has taken place under the auspices of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, a nonprofit agency funded by NETL, which initiates and manages R&D through industry and academic consortia that supply funding in kind with the provision of resources and materials. Among the recently completed deepwater projects is Phase I of an assessment and design of a riser life cycle management system (RLMS). The project was conducted by a team at GE Global Research under the direction of principal investigator Judith Guzzo. The two-phase project is aimed at developing an integrated, reliable, and commercially viable solution for a realtime, telemetry-based marine RLMS. The RLMS is an integrated system of hardware and software tools composed of sensors located on select riser joints, wireless subsea communication between the vessel and select instrumented risers, and software for data collection, processing, riser fatigue analysis, visualization, and alerts for enhanced operational decision making. Although the initial focus is on drilling risers, this technology may be transferrable to production risers. The initial results of Phase I, which focus on the RLMS technical solution design, development, and risk retirement, are summarized. Initial end-user requirements for an integrated structural riser monitoring system design were obtained using information collected from drilling contractors, an offshore classification society, and experts on riser engineering and manufacturing. Using the Six Sigma method, this input was translated into preliminary user requirements for an RLMS system and functional design specifications for select subsystems using a quality function deployment (QFD) tool. Summary of Project The key RLMS subsystems are radio frequency identification (RFID), subsea sensors, acoustic communication, vibration and fatigue analysis, topside software, and architecture. Operational considerations such as the installation and maintenance of the RLMS system are also considered. Following industry input analyses, a Pareto diagram of prioritized system requirements for an RLMS system (Fig. 1) highlights the key attributes of a successful system design that will be accepted by the industry (e.g., an easy, tetherless installation that does not interfere with existing riser operations). Cost/Benefit Analysis As a part of Phase II, a rigorous cost/benefit analysis will be conducted to quantitatively assess whether the potential system users, public and private enterprises, and government agencies would experience a net benefit from the proposed RLMS solution. A systematic estimation will be made of all benefits and costs in comparison with alternative options.