Subsea control technique proven on Ærfugl well offshore mid-Norway

Optime’s Remotely Operated Controls System (ROCS) has completed a subsea operation for Aker BP on a production well on the Ærfugl field in the Norwegian Sea.

ROCS is remotely controlled topside, using a controls unit said to offer improved functionality, and without a large hydraulic system, including a costly and heavy umbilical.

Mads Rødsjø, head of Aker BP’s subsea well operation, said: “The operation was planned in great detail, allowing for a safe execution…

“Through the use of ROCS we have been able to move tonnes of actual equipment from the rig, as well as mechanical and hydraulic interfaces, into a simple and efficient software.”

In January 2019 the two companies signed a framework agreement covering work on Aker BP’s subsea systems for two years, with an additional two-year extension.

During completion of subsea wells, the tubing hanger is placed on top of the wellhead, as a seal toward the rest of the subsea well. Normally this task is controlled via a dedicated hydraulic umbilical, including a 20-30 ft (6-9 m) control container.

When running the umbilical, it has to be clamped to the tubing for increased stability.

ROCS, however, remotely controls a controls unit toward the wellhead in a simpler operation. The system is mobilised in a single basket and prepared and made up onshore, so that it can be ready to run immediately offshore from a vessel or rig.

Source: Offshore Magazine