Deepwater SunStation System Proves Successful in 1300m Depths

11 August 2011

The first ever deployment of aSunStation CP critical monitoringsystem pre-installed onto a subsea tree was successfully interrogatedlast month by an Oceaneering Millennium ROV. The unit displays the cathodic protection potentials from permanent referenceelectrodes installed at two critical locations on a wet tree deployed to 4,300 FSW in the Gulf of Mexico (1,300 m).

The SunStation performed well in its first real test on a new deep water structure. The patented technology uses integrated solar panelsto power the system from the lights on the ROV. This allows a direct readout of the cathodic protection levels on critical components inthe tree without having to have an ROV interfaced probe.

TheSunStation systemhas been used on several other projects but this is the deepest deployment.

CEO Jim Britton: "This is a critical milestone in the development of this technology which will eventually allow AUV surveillance ofsubsea CP systems. We have valuable field lessons learned to move this project forward another step. Watch this space.”