eSpring - electrically powered actuator for fail-safe-close applications

When the oil industry "went subsea", technologies were simply transferred from land to subsea through marinization to withstand the new physical and environmental loads. Back then, subsea production systems were in shallow waters with short distances back to existing platforms. The current state of subsea control systems is the electro-hydraulic control system where electrical signals and some power along with pressured hydraulic fluid is supplied to the subsea production system valve actuators through a bundled cable - an "umbilical". Added to this umbilical are also lines for various chemicals and fiber optical cables for high capacity communication needs. Now as the subsea industry venture into ever deeper waters, farther from land and into harsh and arctic environments, there is a need to introduce a step change in the control system technology to fulfilling the requirements related to environmentally friendly, lower cost, feasible for harsh environments like the Barents Sea, ultra-deep water and long distances - "step-outs".

The development of eSpring is linked to subsea systems for the future, fulfilling the requirements related to environmentally friendly, low cost, feasible for harsh environments, ultra deep water and long step outs. The eSpring has proven by several benchmark studies that it is a cost competitive technology During the project development the thrust in the technology have improved to such a level that the original project partners agreed to start-up a additional JIP expanding the project to cover all of the different sizes of the safety critical valves, actuators, electrical distribution, battery system, safety and motor controllers that is part of a XT. The new JIP is planned to have the final deliverable by end of 2020. Partisipating in DnV JIP Safety 4.0 to align on functional requirements and way forward to get final approval of the new safety system also by PTIL