Designed to supply low pressure and high pressure control fluid to the subsea control modules, the Subsea Hydraulic Power Unit (SHPU) has completed the qualification process, which included function tests under hyperbaric pressure equal to a water depth of 500m.
The subsea control module operates the hydraulic valves, the downhole safety valve and downhole chock/sliding sleeve.
Developed to be used as a contingency for an umbilical failure on a field in the North Sea, the unit can be used in the event that the umbilical fails and also as an alternative to the hydraulic lines in the umbilical.
Additionally, the SHPU can be used to extend the life-time of existing (brown) fields and as a repair function.
The SHPU can be a cost-efficient alternative to complex umbilical lines for new (green) field developments and can replace hydraulic power transmission lines with local subsea hydraulic power generation and storage.
The new technology will also be used to remove issues with hydraulic friction losses in umbilical lines while reducing topside requirements for space and weight capacity.
Capable of being adapted to all known hydraulic interfaces, the SHPU uses auxiliary electrical power from existing infrastructure at the well site, and then supplies hydraulic power required for operation of the well valves, thus achieving faster response with less energy consumption.
