Saipem’s underwater intervention drone Hydrone-R has reached a significant milestone, boosting efforts in the offshore energy industry.
The drone deployed on energy firm Equinor’s Njord Field development project offshore Norway has completed 167 days of continuous subsea residency.
For almost half a year, the Hydrone-R had been running autonomous missions and remotely operated tasks without interruptions. Through the communication link to the rig, Saipem’s onshore control center in Stavanger, Norway, fully controls the activities.
As resident underwater drones eliminate the need to transport support vessels or workers to remote sites by helicopter, it promises lower environmental impact and increased efficiency in terms of inspection and maintenance frequency.
Advancing subsea operations
The Hydrone-R is a drone that combines the capabilities of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). It can conduct autonomous inspections like an AUV and is controlled remotely from the ground.
The drone‘s design prioritizes configurability, allowing for seamless integration of multiple task-specific add-ons (payloads) to address specific project requirements. According to Saipem, this modular approach not only enhances its versatility but also ensures efficient utilization of resources across different subsea tasks.
For over a year, the vehicle can function in a submerged environment at a depth of 3000 meters, doing autonomous inspections and minor operations. When completely charged, the battery pack lasts 12 hours and has a range of more than 6.2 miles (10 kilometers).
Moreover, Hydrone-R is engineered for long-endurance missions, enabling continuous operations and simplifying maintenance procedures.
Saipem claims its design guarantees remote access to subsea fields regardless of weather conditions, ensuring uninterrupted service round the clock, 365 days a year.
Integrating Hydrone-R within subsea fields marks a significant advancement in underwater intervention and inspection capabilities. By merging intervention manipulation features with autonomous inspection functionalities, it becomes a versatile asset for subsea environments.
According to Saipem, this integration ensures the sustainability of operations by enabling regular asset inspections, early fault detection through predictive means, periodic maintenance, and even providing first aid or triage services when necessary.
A novel project
The Njord Field development project marks the first service contract worldwide to supply underwater drones in the offshore oil and gas industry. It is a 10-year contract that may be extended for another 10 years.
The project requires delivering ROV and Underwater Intervention Drone (UID) services to assist drilling operations, along with a comprehensive strategy for inspecting and intervening on subsea structures within the Njord Field.
As all Njord project activities will be managed remotely from an onshore control center, fewer offshore transfers and a smaller offshore crew will result in a lower carbon footprint and reduced risks.
Saipem’s project, in collaboration with SONSUB (Saipem’s center of excellence for Life of Field, Underwater Technology, and Subsea Processing), focuses on leveraging the Hydrone platform for enhanced subsea operations. This innovative platform includes Saipem’s Hydrone-W and the Hydrone-R AUV.
Hydrone-W is an electric work class ROV designed for traditional ROV operations and subsea residency. It can be tethered to a subsea or surface base, enabling remote control from a station.
Hydrone-W is proficient in supporting various subsea construction tasks, further enhancing the project’s capabilities in subsea operations.
Saipem claims the method represents a paradigm shift in subsea inspections and interventions because it allows for the low-cost digital transformation of subsea fields. By collecting large amounts of data to monitor any changes in subsea structures, predictive maintenance, and preventive interventions can be carried out.
