Offshore staff
OSLO, Norway – Tests by ABB and OneSubsea have demonstrated that a single subsea variable-speed drive (VSD) connected to a compressor can provide 8 MW of shaft power.
The VSD is one of the main components of ABB’s subsea power distribution and conversion system, designed to provide up to 100 MW of power (via a single cable) over distances up to 600 km (373 mi) and in water depths down to 3,000 m (9,842 ft).
The trial, conducted this summer in a shallow-water pit at OneSubsea’s facilities on Horsøy, off the coast of Bergen, and co-funded by Chevron, Equinor and Total, involved a OneSubsea WGC6000 multiphase wet gas compressor operating in a hydrocarbon loop.
Due to COVID-19 travel and social restrictions, ABB and OneSubsea performed much of the work remotely, with more than 100 attendees from different worldwide locations witnessing the test in a virtual event.
Per Erik Holsten, managing director of ABB in Norway said: “The integrated test proves that we have a robust and reliable high-power subsea VSD for submerged pumps and compressors…”
Both the VSD and the multiphase compressor have now achieved Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL5) and are ready for commercial deployment, ABB added.
11/09/2020
