Flowline Sustainable Operations through Monitoring and Digitalisation – Ærfugl Project Case Study
Authors: Hendawy Mostafa Mohamed , Boohene Albert Kwasi G. , Labib Omar , Vullum-Bruer Kenneth , Minier Yves 
Published: April 2023

Unlocking the value of product data for the subsea industry is essential to improving efficiency and sustainability from early engagement to fabrication, installation and throughout the product life cycle.

Unlike standard flowlines managed with temperature sensors on trees which provide limited information to the operator, Ærfugl Project implemented distributed flowline temperature monitoring, to allow effective mitigation against hydrate formation utilising active heating technology.

The case study was a collaborative effort between the project's subsea umbilical, riser and flowline (SURF) Contractor (hereafter referred to as the COMPANY) and its subsidiaries, with support from the owner and operator of the Ærfugl development (hereafter referred to as the CLIENT). A pre-existing Alliance between the two companies worked to turn live project data into operationally valuable insights.

The case study capitalised on monitored temperature data from the COMPANY's first functional 20km electrically heat-traced flowline (hereafter referred to as the PRODUCT). The PRODUCT is a subsea pipe-in-pipe system with electrical heating wires and fibre optics laid in the annulus.

The fibres provide a temperature reading every metre along the flowline length via distributed temperature sensing (DTS). The DTS topside interrogator collects, processes and stores the data offshore, simultaneously visualising it for the offshore operator.

The case study successfully extended offshore data acquisition to the cloud, further processing the data onshore to produce valuable outputs visualised on cloud-based dashboards.  

In collaboration with the operator, offshore data acquisition was successfully performed using Open Platform Communication Direct Access protocol, all the while maintaining the required cyber security. The data was then processed and correlated to the flowline design parameters to monitor and create temperature visuals, report thermal insulation efficiency, hence, aiding flow assurance and operations.

Data is processed and visualised on dashboards within the COMPANY's bespoke digital delivery interface (hereafter referred to as the DATA INTERFACE) – a cloud-based platform where all stakeholders have a common integrated interface – showing status, profiles, trends, warnings, alarms, and operator recommendations where applicable.

The benefits and value of this solution include the reduced risk for production downtime and loss of integrity through proactive asset monitoring and management, effective decision-making by operators for operations, inspection, repair & maintenance activities, and improved vessel utilisation (thus reducing associated carbon emissions). More broadly, value is created by reducing unplanned production downtime, limiting (mono-ethylene glycol) MEG injection and flaring, validating and expanding operational envelopes by reducing design envelope conservatism, and allowing Subject Matter Expert-assessed, automated reporting.

Furthermore, production and integrity envelopes through the product life cycle can be inherently validated, providing invaluable feedback and insight. Geared with such knowledge, conservatism in design may be reduced, system usage is improved and adjusted as the system ages and project delivery is enhanced.

This paper highlights the value of useful data creation and processing resulting from constant monitoring of smart flowlines, allowing for improved product operation and development, building towards an actionable digital twin. Relying on a collaborative approach, a comprehensive field data management strategy highlights a critical tool and a repeatable/scalable process to provide value, supporting sustainability and efficient asset lifecycle management.