Acoustic BOP Control System, Blow Out Preventers
Drilling and Well Control Equipment
Blow Out Preventers
SONARDYNE INTERNATIONAL LTD, Yateley, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Yateley, United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland
Acoustic BOP Control System
Product Description
Acoustic blow-out preventer (BOP) Control System mainly consists of two main parts namely a Subsea Electronic Module (SEM) and a topside portable Acoustic Valve Controller (AVC). The main function of the acoustic control system is to send command signals to execute hydraulic actuators on a set of hydraulic valves, which in turn controls the BOP rams, when required. It is used as a back-up system when both the primary and secondary umbilical control systems are unavailable in an emergency., The SEM is housed in a pressure rated super duplex steel enclosure and contains two electronic modules SEM A and SEM B for redundancy purposes. The acoustic SEM chassis interfaces to a central connector manifold with a 37-way feed through and via oil filled cables, connected to the hydraulic valve package by a 30-way M-sized shell Sonardyne TMS (Testable Metal Shell) connector. The SEM assembly is connected to two wideband deep-rated Directional Acoustic Remote Transceivers (DART) via two separate oil filled cables (typically 7.5 m long) using 8-way K-sized shell Sonardyne TMS connectors or 8-way Seacon Seamate connectors. Both the SEM and DART are powered by respective internal batteries., The portable AVC, located in control room environment, comprises two push buttons to initiate an emergency disconnect sequence. A portable command transceiver, known as dunking transceiver or "dunker" contains the same electronic circuit boards and operating firmware as the SEM DART but is designed to be easily portable for deployment from surface locations. The AVC chassis also consists of a micro-controller, keypad and a multi-line LCD display unit housed in a waterproof enclosure. The display unit provides system status information and menu options for system test or individual valve operation. The dunker is deployed by hand using a strain relieved cable wound onto a small storage drum and is then connected by a short deck-cable to the portable AVC. Both portable AVC and dunker contain lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. A charger is included for periodical charging of the AVC. Serial acoustic communication between the surface AVC and SEM DART is exchanged on demand basis. A test transducer for connection to the AVC is included, which can be used to test the SEM prior to lowering it to the specified subsea location.
Product Ratings
Operating temperature: -25 degree C to +70 degree C; | System response time: 11.7 seconds; | Maximum sea water depth: SEM & DARTS - 4000 M, Transceiver - 300 M; | AVC battery life: >4 hours; | SEM battery life: 3 years; | DART battery life: 1.5 year |
Applicable Standards
ISO13628-6:2006 Design and Operation of Subsea Production Control Systems.
BS EN 10204. 3.1 (2004)
API Spec. 16 D - Reaffirmed 2013