Research and development of the Integrity Electric Sealing Pod (IESP) for well intervention and deep-sea mining applications.

The project aims to establish cooperation with the identified companies (SMEs) and universities to conduct research and development of the Integrity Electric Sealing Pod (IESP) which shall be used in well intervention to increase the safety during operations, and the recovery rate on existing oil Well’s and for deep-sea mining applications. IESP is based on new innovative technology. When used for Well Intervention the IESP System will be installed as part of the Well Control System to provide sealing when running different tools into the Well. A separate Energy Storage unit, ePod, will be designed as a integral part as IESP. The ePod will increase safety regarding power supply during operations. The IESP technology will also be used for deep sea mining applications. An electric current is passed through the fluid inside the seal body in the presence of an intense magnetic field, which interacts with the magnetic field of the current through the fluid. An electrolyte (if required) is inserted into the fluid in order to increase its electrical conductivity. Functionally, the fluid is then the moving similarly to the conductive part of an electric motor, pushing the fluid in the downward direction to control the pressure in the well. The R&D project should be completed within 30 months. The main goals of the project are to document, design, prototype and demonstrate the concept and technology. The phase following the R&D project will be industrialization and licensing. The overall challenge for the project is to obtain sufficient conductivity in the liquid, and design low power technology to be able to generate pressure to control the pressure in the Well, while running different tools into the Well. For Well Intervention the IESP will be operated and controlled from a Rig or Vessel. The technology includes electronic, electrical, medium power systems.