Wireline Magazine Autumn 2020 Issue 49

Member News

Proserv and Synaptec to develop cable

Xodus Group advises Dutch government on CCUS project

The combination of these optical sensing capabilities and Proserv’s controls technology will allow the retrofit of control systems, enabling faults and failures to be identified pre-emptively, through a non- intrusive approach. The clear value for the end user lies in the saving of installation costs and in providing the capability to mitigate the occurrence of faults. The partners will also evaluate how best to incorporate Synaptec’s unique passive DES into Proserv’s cutting-edge subsea control systems in order to monitor the performance of critical infrastructure. Synaptec managing director Philip Orr commented: “Cable failures continue to be a significant challenge for the offshore wind sector. Through this new partnership we are bringing to market a solution which will support the growth and progress of the energy transition and positively impact the operations and maintenance costs for offshore wind operators. It’s an important milestone and demonstrates both Synaptec’s and Proserv’s commitment to a stable energy future at a time when the energy sector is undergoing the biggest transformation we’ll see in our lifetimes.” The news follows Proserv’s unveiling of two new cutting-edge facilities in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi and Cumbernauld, near Glasgow, Scotland, in September 2020.

monitoring technology

Energy consultancy Xodus Group has delivered a review into tariffs for a landmark Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) project in the Netherlands. The review for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy analysed proposed fees for the transport and storage requirements of the Porthos project, a joint venture between the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Gasunie and EBN,which seeks to transport CO2 from industry in the Port of Rotterdam to empty gas fields beneath the North Sea. The CO2 transported and stored by Porthos will be captured from a variety of companies, with Shell, ExxonMobil, Air Liquide and Air Products already signing joint development agreements. They will supply their CO2 to a collective pipeline running through the Rotterdam port area before being pressurised in a compressor station. Using a top-down benchmarking analysis and recreating Porthos’ design in its cost estimating software, the two approaches yielded similar transport and storage ‘best estimates’, of around 50 euros per tonne - encouragingly close to the figures calculated by Porthos. The CO2 will be transported through an offshore pipeline to a platform in the North Sea, approximately 20km off the coast where it will be pumped into an empty gas field. It is expected that in its early years, the project will be able to store approximately 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year with plans to be operational by 2024. Xodus global head of advisory and energy transition, Jonathan Fuller, commented: “CCUS is expected to play a vital role in

Controls technology company Proserv Controls has penned a strategic alliance with power system monitoring leader Synaptec to develop a cutting-edge integrated holistic cable monitoring system, which will reduce downtime, improve safety and lower operating costs at offshore wind farms. The partnership will help propel the two groups in several energy markets, including offshore wind and upstream oil and gas, via the co-development of multiple innovative products and services. Notably, Proserv will incorporate Synaptec’s unique passive distributed electro-mechanical sensing (DES) technology within the monitoring solution. Synaptec was founded in Glasgow in 2014 and provides distributed sensor networks to improve visibility and control of power systems across the offshore wind, transmission and distribution industries. Its advanced technologies use optical fibres and are completely passive: a global first for the power sector.

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