Monitoring system installed on Australian pipeline

SunStation™, V-String™ and MA-1™ will monitor pipeline and hardware

Deepwater Australasia Pty. Ltd. (Deepwater) was contracted in 2018 by Subsea 7 on behalf of Woodside to supply a SunStation™ CP Monitoring System for monitoring the potential of an attached pipeline using a V-String™ reference electrode and to monitor the output current of an MA-1™ monitored anode on the Spool Connection Assembly (SCA) to be installed as part of WEL’s Greater Western Flank Phase 2.

The SunStation™ subsea readout equipment is powered by solar panels and operates at depths of up to 3,000 meters to display numerical data measured from the subsea asset. The SunStation™ works in conjunction with a monitored anode and reference electrode to track the performance of CP anodes. The SunStation™ is designed to provide on-demand cathodic protection (CP) monitoring services through direct visual interrogation by an ROV.   

All this equipment was delivered to the manufacturing facility in Vietnam and installed on subsea equipment being manufactured there. A Deepwater field technician traveled to Vietnam to supervise critical aspects of the installation and perform commissioning tests. The SunStation system and the Monitored Anode were installed in accordance to the installation procedure. The SunStation was grounded to the skid and the Monitored Anode shunt and copper cladding were removed after welding. Also, the pre-deployment QA checks that were possible at the time were performed and no anomalies were noted. 

The V-String could not be installed by the Deepwater field technician at that time, as coating operations were ongoing. The V-String and anode cables were later routed and secured using SmartBands based on detailed instructions.

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