GE to Launch New Shallow Water Subsea Tree

20 August 2010

Among the challenges of shallow-water developments are tides, currents, significant wave height, and visibility. High currents and poor visibility at the seafloor impact the effectiveness of remotely operated vehicles (ROV), and dive operations. Any system that can limit ROV use has anadvantage from a safety cost and risk point of view.

In response to these shallow water challenges, GE Oil & Gas has developed and launched the VetcoGray S-Series SVXT subsea tree. To be featured at ONS, the tree includes on-board, real-time visual feedback systems and smart tools. It requires no ROV or diver operations during installation, cutting costs and increasing safety.

The new S-Series SVXT tree merges horizontal and vertical tree technology, reducing weight by 20%, decreasing height, and delivering essential functionality in a pre-engineered, pre-configured modular package. The result is a smaller footprint than before to reduce the environmental impact on the seafloor.

Reliability was a key concern in the design of the SVXT. New and compact tree valve actuators, 34% lighter than the previous industry standard, help maximize system reliability. The system also benefits from a fully integrated VetcoGray ModPod subsea control module powered by the latest generation electronic module, the SemStar5. Each ModPod is rigorously tested in hyperbaric chambers to increase field reliability.

Manuel Terranova, senior VP - drilling and production, GE Oil & Gas, calls the S-Series SVXT shallow water tree system, “a radical re-think of field proven components, designed to maximize safety and efficiency, particularly for environmentally challenging subsea operations.”

“The GE Oil & Gas engineering team started from a clean sheet of paper to create a brand new system with pre-proven components, Terranova says. “We believe the resulting technology will provide significant advantages for operators around the world.”

The shallow waters of the North Sea (UK, Norwegian, and Dutch sectors) are key markets for this new offering. In addition, Asia, Australia, and Vietnam are potential targets.