BENDER solutions
maintain offshore
asset integrity
E
ffective and continuous
smart monitoring is vital
to ensure power and
control systems remain in
service and experience fewer costly
failures. Ensuring faults are located
at an early stage before they become
critical enables planned routine and
preventative maintenance.
Problems can arise at any time but
they tend to manifest themselves as
the equipment ages – and North Sea
oil and gas installations still operate a
wide range of older control equipment
and electrical distribution networks. In
harsh operating conditions when any
downtime can be critical, this creates
an environment where serious issues
can quickly develop.
Normal fault finding by a process of
elimination is expensive and time
consuming, especially in deep water
installations. Bender’s monitoring and
fault location systems offers a solution
to this by way providing:
• Long term trending analysis of
surface installations, umbilical and
subsea electrical integrity
• Predictive electrical analysis to
forecast system failures (loss of
production capability and subsea
controls operability)
• Assistance to help define minimum
operational Insulation Resistance
(IR) levels
• Assistance in planning operational
changes to mitigate the impact
of failing IR and hence extend
life expectancy of the distribution
equipment
Proven Products
Bender equipment is widely deployed
to ensure the safe and efficient
operation of major installations in the
North Sea. On fixed / mobile platforms
insulation monitoring units ISOMETER®
ISO465 in combination with ISOSCAN®
EDS460 insulation fault location
equipment ensure electrical safety in
power circuits (110/230/380/440/690
V) and electric circuits for sub-sea well
head control, drilling equipment, and
other processes.
An important differentiator in Bender’s
asset integrity monitoring products
is the ability to operate with higher
voltage distribution – from as high as
7.2Kv down to zero.
They are found on systems ranging
from the Christmas trees serving
submersible wellheads, to pumping
stations and remote drilling locations.
Critical fire & gas detection systems –
typically DC 24 V – are a particularly
sensitive area and the rapid location
of insulation faults with the Bender UK
EDS systems is a vital safety aid.
Insulation monitoring of the high
voltage power supply to ROVs to avoid
downtime or production interruption
is another key area of operations for
Bender UK.
AMP – Adaptive Measuring
Principle
Bender monitoring technology is both
intelligent and adaptive; Bender units
such as ISO685 adapt themselves to
the systems they are monitoring to
accurately report the status of power
systems despite the complex DC
current leakage associated with TVs,
monitors, PCs and electronic devices
now routinely found on platform
electrical systems.
A frequently used measuring principle
for earth faults and insulation
degradation is the superimposition
of a DC measuring voltage between
the system and ground. This is the
standard measuring principle for pure
AC ungrounded systems, both single
and three-phase.
Bender’s Adaptive Measuring Principle
(AMP) overcomes the limitations of DC
measuring signals by superimposing
a clocked, pulsed measuring
voltage onto the system. The signal
is microprocessor controlled to
automatically adapt itself to prevailing
system conditions, such as high
leakage capacitances. This signal is
designed for today’s modern power
distribution systems that include: pure
DC systems, systems with a mix of
AC and DC (including rectifiers), and
systems with variable frequency drives.
For further information on Bender
products visit the company at stand
no: 3E155 or visit http://www.
bender-uk.com/sectors/oil-gassubsea-engineering.html .
Bender equipment is widely
deployed to ensure the safe
and efficient operation of
major installations in the
North Sea.