Connecting with the deep

摘要

Long offset developments depend on reliable power delivery and communication to the subsea equipment to allow operators to "talk" to and operate subsurface facilities. "For any power or communications system, there is always a maximum umbilical length beyond which the system cannot operate," said Nils Arne Soelvik of ABB Houston. The problem of long-distance communication can be solved several ways, but the choice is governed by: * number of wells (i.e. the number of communication nodes sharing a single communication line); * quantity of data generated by each node; * the required update rate for the data as presented to the operator; and * the distance from surface control center to subsea wells.