Data and technology innovation will intersect at this year’s Subsea Expo at P&J Live, Aberdeen. Viper Innovations is showcasing its latest subsea asset life-extending tools, PlatformVi and V-LIM2, created for owners and operators. Viper Innovations predicts that transformational intelligence and technology evolution are shaping the future of subsea asset management.
That future is happening already at the Subsea Expo in Aberdeen this February. Join Viper Innovations at Stand 69 at the Subsea Expo and learn directly from the team that developed these solutions, which enable users to maintain their subsea cables and assets at optimal performance levels.
How data has become an enabler and a predictor for asset managers
First on Viper’s development roadmap has been creating an ecosystem that captures and transforms data into actionable insight and, ultimately, into a predictive operating and maintenance tool for operators and asset managers.
Insulation resistance (IR) in electrical system cables is the subsea equivalent of the canary down a mine – it warns of problems and possible electrical system failure. However, what does it mean when IR fluctuates and constantly changes in the real world? It’s a statutory requirement to monitor the types of electrical systems used subsea. Such systems use line insulation monitors (LIMs); however, LIMs only indicate when IR changes, and drops in IR usually mean something bad is happening to the cable. This has been a useful indicator used in the industry for decades. If the LIM’s IR reading shows a significant loss of integrity, an operator probably has time to act, make repairs, or replace the umbilical, electrical flying lead, or other system components. Operators do this before the cable fails and causes a loss of production and an expensive subsea intervention.
This basic yet valuable functionality is the first half of the challenge, but it is largely reactive. What if deeper insights were possible? What if almost undetectable patterns in the voltage, capacitance, and IR revealed the nature of the fault so it could be resolved much earlier? This would enable asset owners to make more accurate strategic maintenance and capital expenditure plans.
Data as a Service (DaaS) for subsea asset management – PlatformVi
Viper Innovation’s PlatformVi does just that, with several additional steps. Having operated LIMs for a decade across oil and gas, rail, and industrial sectors, Viper Innovations has accumulated huge volumes of electrical measurement data that are correlated with events and actual performance.
Suddenly, the LIM that has been available for many years monitoring IR could be transformed into a core element of a DaaS platform. The inclusion of data extraction, analysis tools using machine learning, and user-centred design to identify relevant insights enables users to make data-driven decisions for areas such as:
- Proactive and predictive maintenance
- Enhanced safety by predicting and indicating potential and developing issues
- Operational efficiency
- Equipment service life extensions
- Quality control
PlatformVi fully integrates Viper’s V-IR condition monitoring technologies, such as V-LIM and V-SLIM, and draws on the patterns detected from correlating our data with real events.
V-LIM2 evolved: the fusion of data and technology
The humble LIM has also evolved. Like any data analysis tool, the ‘GIGO’ principle applies – garbage in, garbage out. So, the partner to DaaS is the data gathering tool that gathers high-quality information. The technology roadmap includes evolving Viper Innovations’ existing line insulation monitoring technology, V-LIM, into V-LIM2.
The evolved V-LIM2 by Viper Innovations does everything V-LIM currently does and includes genuinely exciting new features that provide multiple benefits to operators and asset owners. Firstly, like the V-LIM, the evolved technology is PlatformVi compatible, so when an installation goes live, users can immediately benefit from everything PlatformVi contributes.
It is also easy to upgrade existing V-LIM and other IMD installations to V-LIM2. Connecting to PlatformVi means intuitive and easy configuration, regular firmware upgrade notifications, and real-time remote monitoring, with the operator always in complete control.
Enhanced IR, IC, and power monitoring capabilities
Several other upgrades in the Viper roadmap include expanding the IR monitoring range to 10GΩ, insulation capacitance (IC) to 500uF, and enhanced line power monitoring capabilities through reliable measurement of line voltage, current, and frequency. Some of these features are unique and incredibly powerful, enabling asset managers and operators to proactively manage subsea electrical systems to minimise downtime and optimise performance and output. However, rather than reading about Viper Innovation’s technology roadmap, which currently includes PlatformVi and V-LIM2, why not talk to the team that developed them?
To learn more about PlatformVi and V-LIM2, visit the Viper Innovations team on Stand 69 at this year’s Subsea Expo, February 20-22, 2024 in Aberdeen.
Click here to learn more about PlatformVi and V-LIM2, or email enquiries@viperinnovations.com for more information on predicting the future using Viper Innovations advanced data and subsea products.