Sentinel secures funding for subsea well monitoring technology

Sentinel Subsea has secured a six-figure investment from Alba Equity and Scottish Enterprise for the development of WellSentinel, its technology for the monitoring of subsea wells.

WellSentinel allows for long-term remote monitoring and managing of the integrity of subsea wells, wellheads and Xmas trees.

“We are delighted to have secured this funding from Alba Equity along with the support from their highly experienced syndicate members,” said Neil Gordon, CEO of Sentinel Subsea.

“We know our technology has vast benefits for the industry including large cost savings and a reduced emission footprint – this investment will allow us to continue our vital work towards eliminating risks associated with maturing infrastructure and extend the life of the subsea facilities.”

The investment comes at a “pivotal stage” of the development, with field trials already carried out, Sentinel said.

“We believe the solutions that Sentinel has developed address an urgent requirement for the continual monitoring of subsea wells as well as an essential commitment to environmental integrity as the industry focuses on the energy transition,” said John Duncan, Alba Equity founder and director.

“There is no other technology that provides asset operators the assurance that Sentinel’s system gives. We are excited to be part of the next stage of growth for the business and support the Sentinel team.”

WellSentinel works by gathering and detecting leaking gas and fluids in the subsea environment. A gathering system directs any escaped material onto a proprietary trigger mechanism located within the system.

Detection begins the alert sequence, mechanically degrading the triggers, after which an individually coded alert beacon is released to the surface.

The alert beacon turns on and communicates via satellite. Each alert beacon is individually coded to the well, enabling the operator to quickly identify a subsea integrity issue.