The Northern Lights project is developed by Equinor in parntership with Shell and Total
Ashtead Technology completes subsea installation monitoring work for CCS project in the North Sea. (Credit: Ashtead Technology.)
Ashtead Technology, the provider of technically advanced subsea solutions, tools and systems, has completed subsea installation monitoring work to support the Northern Lights carbon capture storage project (CCS) in the North Sea.
The project is developed by Equinor in partnership with Shell and Total
The Northern Lights project aims to securely collect and transmit carbon dioxide
The objective of the Northern Lights project is to securely gather and transmit carbon dioxide from onshore sources and store it under the sea.
For the first time, Ashtead Technology has been engaged in a CCS programme offering a subsea services company with its integrated Deflection Monitoring System (DMS) and associated equipment.
With the assistance of the DMS, the company’s staff and equipment monitored the installation of an integrated satellite structure (ISS).
Ashtead Technology CEO Allan Pirie said: “Our DMS has a strong track record in greenfield projects for oil and gas operators. It reliably and accurately provides real-time guidance during subsea structure placement work, anticipating any issues as the installation work progresses.
“This is the first time we have used its application in the CCS development market. We are very pleased to have seen this successfully completed and to have played a part in the Norwegian sector’s ambitions towards a zero-carbon future.
“We expect to see an increasing demand for our support services across the blue economy industries as our vast years of experience and range of unique technologies are further recognised for projects across the energy transition.”
Ashtead Technology stated that its dual independent DMS systems were used to monitor and evaluate parameters including structure deflection, heading, pitch, roll and suction can differential pressures in real-time.
According to the company, the real-time monitoring method is crucial during the placement of suction can-based subsea structures as it protects from any potential issues, diminishing structural damage risk.
The DMS system was configured for autonomous independent operations during the placement of the structure, providing data to one of the installed ROVs.
The accuracy and reliability of the data gathered were improved by employing advanced positioning tools and measuring sensors.