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Ongoing Project

SubseaOperations

Hydrate Dissociation ToolLaser Tool for Hydrate Removal in Subsea Equipment

Ongoing Project

R&D Partners

The Challenge

Major challenges are present in the production of oil from offshore production systems, especially in deep and ultradeep water slides.

One of these challenges concerns the formation of gas hydrates – crystalline solids, consisting of the arrangement of water molecules and a gas host molecule – at certain temperature and pressure conditions.

These compounds resemble ice and can form at temperatures above the ice formation temperature.

Our Solution

Development of an equipment that, operated by ROV, uses laser radiation to remove masses of hydrates that form externally on underwater structures such as Vertical Connection Modules, connectors, valve panels etc.

ouronova is developing this equipment together with PUC-Rio in a project funded by Petrogal Brazil (Galp) through ANP funds and with technical support from Petrobras (2020 – 2023). Currently at TRL 3 progressing to TRL 6 by the end of the project.

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Main Advantages

  • Due to the characteristics of the tool components, it is feasible to build a laser tool operable by the ROV;
  • Low weight;
  • Dimensions suitable for ROV;
  • Low consumption: 700 W to 1.8 kW of light;
  • High efficiency compared to the most traditional solutions in the industry.

Papers

CICLOPE: FERRAMENTA PARA REMOÇÃO DE HIDRATOS COM AUXILIO DE RADIAÇÃO LASER

Abstract
One of the biggest problems in underwater installations for oil and gas production is the hydrate formation in equipments as MCV, valves, tree caps and Wet Christmas Trees. That hydrate needs to be retired because it can restrain the equipment´s operation achieving the production and creating operational and ambient risks. The way to do that is to warm making it pass from the solid state to gaseous state loosen of the structure where it was formed. Nowadays the local warming is done through quimical reagents (Self Generatd Nitrogen - SGN) that, by the equipment localization in deep ocean, becoming a complex and big cost operation involving the need of vessels. In this article we propose a tool development using compact high power lasers as energy source directly applied and absorbed in a specific local.

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