All Electric Subsea Autonomous High Integrity Pressure Protection System (HIPPS) Architecture

10121-4306-01

Primary Performer
GE Global Research

Abstract
GE Global Research will develop an all-electric high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) to enable extraction from high-pressure fields and enable expansion of existing low-pressure subsea networks. The all-electric system will not require hydraulic fluids to be transported through the umbilical or vented subsea. The overall safety of fields using the HIPPS will be increased by virtue of an additional safety valve. The all-electric HIPPS will allow the use of lighter pipelines rated for lower pressures together with reduced-rating downstream processing equipment. Many more fields that would be sub-marginal to develop, either as new installations or tied back to existing networks, will become viable.

GE will use expertise from across the corporation to deliver a concept for an all-electric HIPPS that has component technologies proven by subscale testing. High reliability actuator technologies from the GE Energy and GE Aviation businesses will be leveraged. Technologies developed for the GE Oil & Gas electro-hydraulic HIPPS product will be leveraged. The experience of GE Oil & Gas – VetcoGray, who pioneered seabed-installed production facilities and has decades of history in subsea valves, will allow GE to offer an industry-ready all-electric HIPPS solution.

Phase I of the development effort will research the state of the industry for HIPPS architecture, component technology, and functional requirements. GE Oil & Gas customer knowledge will be combined with industry expertise to define the HIPPS specification. A report will be furnished with known system and component options, as well as new proposed technologies, classified and ranked by suitability. Phase II will select the key component technology options and mature the system to TRL 2 using proof-of-concept hardware tests. Control hardware and power delivery and storage hardware may achieve technology readiness beyond level 2 with the use of full-scale prototypes in test. A report will be furnished that summarizes the nature of the testing and identifies any technology gaps that require further development.

Principal Investigators: Jeremy Van Dam

Project Cost:
DOE share: $600,000
Recipient share: $150,000

Project Duration: 1¾ years