Ashtead wraps up subsea monitoring project on Utgard

Subsea equipment specialist Ashtead Technology has completed a subsea installation monitoring project for Subsea 7 in support of Equinor’s Utgard development in the North Sea.

Source: Ashtead

Ashtead said on Tuesday that the contract was awarded by i-Tech Services on behalf of Subsea 7.

Under the conditions of the deal, Ashtead’s deflection monitoring system (DMS) will be used to capture critical data required to safely deploy a subsea template in water depths of 110 meters from Subsea 7’s vessel, the Seven Arctic.

The DMS monitors structure deflection, heading, pitch, roll, depth, and suction at differential pressures in real-time. The system was optimized to the water depths required for the scope of work at Ashtead’s UKAS accredited calibration laboratory in Aberdeen, UK.

Once installed on the structure, the system ran autonomously and was controlled remotely via radio frequency communications, an acoustic data link, and an ROV electrical hot stab, removing the need for direct ROV or diver intervention.

Ashtead utilized a range of measurement sensors and positioning tools to enhance the accuracy of the data collected, ensuring maximum performance of the system.

Ross Macleod, technical director at Ashtead Technology, said: “Our advanced DMS has been designed to provide precise data while reducing technological and operational risk. The system monitors critical structural information, allowing real-time adjustments to be made during installation, ensuring the structure is set in place quickly and within installation tolerances.”

 

Utgard

Utgard is a gas and condensate field straddling the UK-Norway median line, with the majority of the reserves being located on the Norwegian side.

Equinor, then Statoil, submitted the plan for development for Utgard gas and condensate discovery in the North Sea to Norwegian and UK authorities on August 9, 2016. The Norwegian authorities approved the plan in January 2017.

Recoverable volumes from the field are estimated at 56 million barrels of oil equivalents. Utgard was discovered in 1982 and is located 21 kilometers from the Sleipner field. The discovery has been considered for development on several occasions in the past.

The field development includes two wells in a standard subsea concept, with one drilling target on each side of the median line. The installations and infrastructure will be located in the Norwegian sector. Gas and condensate will be piped through a new pipeline to the Sleipner field for processing and further transportation to the market.