Subsea trials and testing boom
VerdErg recently tested a gas pipeline thermal insulation system at The Underwater Centre.
The Underwater Centre in Scotland has seen a 100% increase in companies using its trials and testing facilities this year.
The upturn in research indicates a growing confidence in the industry with an increase in contracts being awarded as well as the rapid expansion of the renewable industry.
Companies including Subsea Asset Location Technologies (SALT) Ltd, VerdErg, Subsea 7 and Nautronix and have all completed trials at The Underwater Centre in Fort William in recent months.
The Underwater Centre is a purpose built subsea training facility and is unique as it leases the seabed of Loch Linnhe surrounding the extensive pier complex, with waters plunging to depths of 150m. Incorporated in the facilities is also an indoor sea water tank.
VerdErg, specialist supplier of subsea diverless connectors, subsea structures and field architecture to the offshore energy industry, tested a gas pipeline thermal insulation system at the centre.
The trial involved heating a subsea pipe flange that had been insulated with a prototype VerdErg insulation system to a predetermined temperature, which was then allowed to cool for 24 hours whilst data logging tracked the temperature at a number of locations within the pipe.
Subsea 7 used the Centre’s facilities at Loch Linhe to assess dimensional and volumetric changes in soft elastomer seals due to changes in water depths. A number of elastomer samples were also subjected to long term soak tests at depth. The final seal component was assembled in an 11Te structure and the whole structure was deployed at a specified water depth in Loch Linhe to check for system integrity and as part of the system Factory Acceptance Test.
The NASNet (Nautronix Acoustic Subsea Network) which is a similar system to GPS, provides a solution for all survey, drilling, construction and IRM operations, allowing an unlimited number of users on and below the surface to obtain precise navigational data. As part of testing and ongoing system enhancements of the technology, they utilised The Underwater Centre’s facilities by deploying a combination of NASNet Stations and NASNet MS’s in the Centre’s seabed area in Loch Linnhe.
The Underwater Centre also delivers a number of subsea training courses, such as Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) pilot technician training and also the internationally recognised HSE commercial diving courses. The Centre’s extensive pier complex includes four dive stations, classrooms, workshops and decompression chambers. In addition, there are three fully equipped barges set up to support a variety of diving disciplines including closed bell, wet bell and surface supplied diving.
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