09121-3300-08

Primary Performer
Blueview Technologies Inc.

Abstract
This project will develop critical sensing capabilities that improve efficiency, reduce time and costs, reduce rework, and improve safety and environmental performance when developing, exploiting, and producing UDW resources. These goals will be accomplished by leveraging the enhanced fidelity of a DoD-fueled and commercially-matured technology and products in concert with world-class partners to rapidly develop and field water-clarity-independent sensing solutions to enable:

1. Detailed physical measurements of underwater pipes and structures for inspection, metrology, and assessment of deflection, curvature, and anode condition,
2. Detection and identification of external corrosion, pitting, and biologic fouling,
3. Detection and quantification of gas or petroleum product leaks, and/or
4. Detection and quantification of heat plumes resulting from cracked or degraded pipeline insulation.

The project leverages some of the most advanced acoustic sensing technology (Blazed Array sonar) available today, which is the product of 10 years of DoD and commercial investment. The project will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will collect initial data in shallow water and controlled tank environments to reduce risks and logistics and provide initial results to down-select to highest potential, highest value deep water capabilities for the second phase. The second phase will collect deep water data and refine algorithms/methods to accelerate the matu-ration of the selected deep water capabilities. This approach will first broadly pursuing new, game changing capabilities in shallow water and then focus down on selected deep water capabilities to provide the highest likelihood of successfully launching key deep-water capabilities into broad deployment. A major operator has informally committed to actively participate in the technical, operational, and cost share aspects of the project. The value to the program stems from the proposed development’s ability to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and enhance environmental performance. This is achieved with improved metrology that accelerates installations, enhanced pipeline survey that improves flow assurance, enhanced storm damage assessment that reduces downtime and shut-in, and early warnings on problem pipeline areas to improve safety and environmental performance.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Lee Thompson