TechnipFMC is delivering subsea solutions by providing the innovations of tomorrow, including advancing the electrification of the field. Since February 2020, TechnipFMC’s all-electric Robotic Valve Controller (RVC) has been successfully operating the valves and chokes of a subsea water and gas injection manifold for the Petrobras Tupi pre-salt field in the Santos Basin off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.
The RVC is an all-electric robotic component installed on the top of the subsea manifold. Remotely operated by the topsides master control station, it eliminates the need for the hydraulic-multiplex operators and controls. It removes the need for hydraulic actuators and the control fluid to operate the valves and chokes, and reduces the size of the manifold and structure.
As a resident subsea device, it reduces the OPEX associated with ROV manifold operations. In the unlikely event of an operational issue, the RVC is ROV retrievable/replaceable and manifold operation is fully maintained.
The RVC components were designed, produced and assembled at TechnipFMC’s manufacturing plant and tested at its Subsea Technology Center in Rio de Janeiro. After passing the systems integration test, the RVC was successfully installed, commissioned and has been fully operational subsea since February 2020.
The RVC is a powerful part of TechnipFMC’s all-electric portfolio of products and will be a key enabler for enhancing subsea economics.
Image credit: TechnipFMC