Transforming Insulation Resistance challenges into opportunities through diversification

December 16, 2024

Decarbonisation is driving huge change in the energy landscape, which is in turn offering stakeholders in the sector opportunities for diversification. However, change is not immediate so companies must tackle current challenges while staying ahead of future demands, helped by adopting innovative solutions that keep them competitive. 

Viper is always looking for opportunities to share our technology and expertise with potential customers in new markets where it is important to detect insulation degradation or faults in power cables. As a result, our team has been exploring applications where the condition of power cable insulation plays a critical role in both safety and operational efficiency, such as offshore wind, floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units, and electric submersible pumps (ESPs), among others. 

We spoke to two in-house experts leading the charge with driving diversification within the business: Daniel Denning, Viper’s Engineering Manager, and Fisker G Xu, R&D Engineering Manager.  

Daniel highlights how exploring diversification can mean reframing thought processes: “One approach is to start focusing on our technology and its benefits, rather than on specific applications or markets and their challenges. 

“This reframing enables us to consider versatile solutions that could solve complex problems across multiple industries. For example, central to our core technology offering is our condition monitoring technology. This helps operators of many different types of assets that depend on electrical cables detect faults early and proactively take action before problems arise, extending asset lifetimes.”   

As we explore the possibilities that diversification offers, it’s clear that condition monitoring is key to aiding resilience and innovation across the energy sector. Let’s explore how this approach will help lead the way to a more sustainable and efficient future. 

Addressing umbilical integrity challenges in FPSOs 

Floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) units are core offshore assets. A network of control cables and pipelines connects each FPSO to the subsea infrastructure on the seabed, including a long umbilical cable that transmits power, control signals, and chemicals to and from the subsea equipment. 

Whilst in operation, these cables benefit from condition monitoring in the same way as the umbilical connecting subsea infrastructure to a fixed offshore platform. However, with FPSOs, there is an added complication – an opportunity. Vessel maintenance and extreme weather conditions can require temporarily relocation of the FPSO. At this point, the FPSO is disconnected from its umbilical, leaving the cable on the seabed, in a practice called wet parking. 

The integrity of the umbilical cable then becomes a major concern as the disconnection can impact on the cable’s IR. When the FPSO returns to its original moored location, it must reconnect to the umbilical and resume operations. But how do operators ensure that, after weeks or months lying on the seabed, the umbilical is still functioning properly? 

To address this challenge, J+S Subsea, Verlume, and Viper Innovations collaborated to develop a battery-powered solution that monitors the integrity of subsea electrical cables without relying on topside electrical power. This innovative battery-operated IR monitoring system enables continuous, real-time condition monitoring of the umbilical’s electrical integrity for up to 100 days on a single charge. By closely monitoring IR, operators can accurately predict potential electrical failures and confidently reconnect the FPSO, minimising costly downtime associated with cable repairs or replacements. 

Condition monitoring during wet parking

Recently, this solution was successfully applied in a project for a Canadian oil and gas operator. The scheduled disconnection of the FPSO for routine maintenance posed a significant risk to the IR of the umbilical cable, which was critical to the continued operation of the field. By integrating Viper Innovations’ V-LIFE and V-SLIM technologies with the battery-powered system developed by J+S Subsea and Verlume, the team provided a reliable, quickly deployable solution that maintained the umbilical’s integrity during the FPSO’s disconnection. 

This partnership not only addressed immediate operational risks but also opened up exciting avenues for future innovations in subsea infrastructure, illustrating the potential for such technologies to be adapted across various offshore environments. 

While our wet parking application is currently relevant for FPSOs, Daniel notes that “the integration of a battery allows us to explore new opportunities. We see future conversations about wet parking of cables for wind farms, especially in regions like the West Coast of Australia, and the Gulf of Mexico. We’ve got the capability and technology to make this happen.” 

Protecting ESPs from failures 

Extending our thinking about where else IR monitoring might be a benefit, electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) deep inside a well are powered and controlled by long cables. ESPs are generally used for seeding new wells, Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes, or injecting water back into wells at end of life. Positioned deep within wells, these pumps operate in extreme environments, often surrounded by brine, which accelerates the degradation of the long cables that power them. 

Given these challenging conditions, the failure rate of these cables can be very high, especially in high pressure high temperature (HPHT) wells with high levels of corrosive H2S. This makes condition monitoring necessary for promptly detecting and addressing faults to extend the operational life of ESPs. 

“The move from time-based to condition-based monitoring is transforming how we manage the integrity of cables in extreme environments,” Fisker explains. “This shift not only enhances operational efficiency but also significantly reduces costly downtime.” Even a modest extension of six months of cable life can greatly improve the overall viability of EOR projects. 

Harnessing data for operational efficiency in offshore wind 

As the energy sector diversifies, floating offshore wind offers a new opportunity for cable integrity monitoring. Unlike oil and gas, which use control cables, offshore wind relies on transmission cables to deliver power from turbines to shore. With potentially hundreds of cables in a single wind farm, ensuring both individual cables and the overall system performance underpins operational efficiency. 

This is where data comes in. We have accumulated huge volumes of electrical measurement data for subsea umbilical cables that is correlated with actual events and performance. In oil and gas, this vast amount of data collected is transformed into actionable insights using advanced analytics powered by AI and machine learning. This data-driven approach empowers operators and asset managers to make strategic maintenance decisions and capital expenditure plans before the cable fails. 

As part of our commitment to innovation, we participated in sea trials in July 2024 with France Énergies Marine, testing our cable monitoring technology for offshore wind turbines. Conducted as part of the HT-20MW project, these trials focused on dynamic cable monitoring solutions, assessing continuous shape and curvature measurements. The results are expected to be shared in early 2025, reflecting our dedication to enhancing subsea monitoring capabilities in the renewable energy sector. This initiative showcases the potential of our expertise in subsea cable monitoring, promising significant advancements in operational efficiency and reliability for offshore wind farms. 

As Daniel points out, “a supply chain manager must narrow down 150 to 200 emerging technologies to just 4 to 6, balancing the significant risks of introducing too many new solutions. Choosing which technologies to move forward with demands careful consideration of these risks.” 

 Imagine the benefits of applying our subsea cable monitoring expertise to offshore wind, such as extending asset life, enhancing safety, optimising performance and minimising downtime. Like with our subsea oil and gas solutions, real-time monitoring of key parameters like IR and voltage would be fed into Viper Innovation’s PlatformVi, providing a complete picture of system integrity.  

Additionally, internal dynamic inspection technology for floating offshore wind is currently under development and has already demonstrated success in a recent project aimed at identifying innovative solutions for monitoring defects within the dynamic cables of floating offshore wind farms. This advancement holds the exciting potential to drive significant improvements in both operational efficiency and reliability for the sector.

Where will our next innovation take us?

Our focus on technology in electrical and IR monitoring, recovery, and data analysis facilitate our ability to deliver solutions across multiple industries. We have already successfully transitioned into the rail industry, and now we plan to expand into new fields, including nuclear energy, subsea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) power and ground fault monitoring, and healthcare. 

Nuclear power stations have hundreds of miles of cables to monitor and, as Fisker explains, “the nuclear industry is interested in cable ageing management, as extending a plant’s life by 20 or 30 years requires trusting cables installed 45 years ago.” Therefore, even a small percentage increase in uptime due to electrical cable monitoring could significantly impact productivity and costs.

As we look to the future, we’re also exploring potential applications in the defence and aquaculture sectors in South America, which represents exciting new avenues for diversification. By leveraging our expertise in IR monitoring, we aim to address unique challenges in these industries, creating opportunities for innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency and asset integrity. Any industry where, as Daniel notes, “there’s an ungrounded power system and critical power needs” could benefit from Viper Innovation’s technologies.

Whether you’re in oil and gas, offshore wind, nuclear, healthcare, or an industry we haven’t even considered yet, and have critical power and control cables, our solutions could transform your operations. To discover how our advanced monitoring, recovery, and data analysis technologies can almost predict the future, contact us through our contact form or email us at enquiries@viperinnovations.com. Let’s shape the future together! 

Viper Innovations.

Subsea Insulation Resistance Monitoring

& Recovery Specialists.