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monitoring in a harsh environment

Norways largest industrial project ever, is the development of natural gas extraction in Ormen Lange, which required a condition pipeline monitoring system to monitor the enormous pipeline due to the extreme subsea conditions. By Harald Mnum and Marco Schmid.
THE DEVELOPMENT of the Ormen Lange gas field In Norway is the countrys largest industrial project and is budgeted at nearly 66bn NOK. Production starts later this year, and the field will eventually provide up to 20 per cent of the British gas consumption for the next 40 years (Fig 1). The field is situated off the Norwegian west coast, and consists of 24 sub sea wells in four seabed templates. The gas is transported through 120km of pipelines from depths of up to 850 metres to the on-shore production facilities in Aukra (Fig 2). Driven by pressure from the wells only, natural gas is streamed from underwater camps (Fig 3) to the surface through two parallel 30in pipe lines. Laying of the pipelines is however one of the most challenging pipe laying tasks due to the rough terrain and sea currents. over 800km in length, this is one of the worlds longest rock slides on a continental shelf. Approximately 8,100 years ago, one of the largest landslides in the world occurred at Storegga, where an area the size of Iceland slid into the Norwegian Sea. The mass slid around 800km into the deep sea, with its back edge around 300km

EXTREME CONDITIONS
The pipelines traverse the Storegga rock slide. Measuring

in length. The Ormen Lange field lies in the middle of the depression left behind by the Storegga slide and lies close to the steep slide edge which rises 200-300 metres up towards the continental shelf. The field is at a depth of 8001,100 metres and the slide has made the seabed very hilly, with peaks that suddenly rise 30-60 metres. Rubble has also accumulated over thousands of years, creating an extremely rocky seabed. Due to this rough terrain, several segments of the pipeline are not in contact with the

seabed (Fig 4). The strong sea currents may induce vibrations in these free spans. It was therefore a direct requirement from the government to have a solution for a vibration monitoring system. This is why Bjrge AS is installing a long-term vibration monitoring system based on NAXYS technology onto this pipeline. The system realised with LabVIEW and deployed on a Blackfin target, must survive rough handling from ship deck cranes and Remote Operating

Vehicles (ROVs). Submerged, it faces extreme sub-sea conditions including low temperatures, no remote power, water avalanches and turbulence due to the uneven seabed, and changes in internal pipeline flow.

SENSITIVE SENSOR SOLUTION

The solution is a Pipeline Free Span Monitoring System (PFSMS), which is a subsea instrumentation network including several autonomous synchronised Clamp Sensor

Packages (CSP) and a Master Sensor Package (MSP) that monitor vibrations in longer pipe line free spans. Despite the extreme environments, the main challenge of this project was allowing several nodes to start and stop logging with a node-tonode accuracy better than 2.5ms over a distance of at least 100 metres, as well as simultaneous sampling of three analogue channels in parallel to four serial IOs. As all nodes operate wireless using sound for data transfer and signalling, special

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All the electronics, including a smart energy management scheme that ensures battery power for a minimum of six months had to fit in a small, lightweight, pressure tight pod to allow for ROV handling
measures had to be taken in the hard and software design to obtain the required accuracy and deterministic real time behaviour. A smart energy management scheme ensuring battery power for a minimum of six months life time was another vital design factor. And finally, all the electronics had to fit in the geometry of a pressure tight pod, ensuring small size and low weight to allow for ROV handling. The final solution based on Naxys technology consists of four systems for: b Multi node synchronised measurement of vibrations in longer free spans, dynamic and static motion of the pipeline free spans and the measurement of sea current, salinity, pressure and temperature; b Storage and mathematical analysis of sampled data for up to six months; b Wireless node-to-node communication; b In-node error handling and recovery for fail safe operation; b Acoustic ROV interface for data retrieval and system re-configuration; b At least six months service interval. Fig 5 illustrates a typical seabed installation were one span is monitored. In this case, the NAXYS solution also measures the sideways and longitudinal motion of the 30in pipeline with centimetre accuracy . The CSPs are mounted to the pipeline at regular intervals (Fig 7). Their primary task is recording vibrations in all three axis directions. The mechanics, designed for up to 1,500 metres BLS, are based on a clamp that can be attached directly onto the 30in pipeline by an ROV . An electronics pod is then mounted on top, using a locking mechanism that allows for later removal, for such things as battery replacement. The design allows for easy installation/ removal, and yet a stiff connection, allowing for measuring vibrations as small as a few mg, at frequencies less

fact file

ORMEN LANGE BACKGROUNDER

Fig1: After processing, the gas will be transported by the worlds longest subsea export pipeline, the Langeled pipeline, to Easington in the UK

Fig 5: Typical seabed installation monitoring two spans

Fig 2: The gas is transported from depths down to 850 metres

Fig 3: The gas is driven by pressure from the wells

Fig 4: Installation scenario of the free span pipe line monitoring system on the exact sea bed with a Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV)

than 0.1Hz. The CSPs are controlled and synchronised by an inertial MSP tower (Fig 6), installed on the seabed by a crane and an ROV (Fig 4 and Fig 7). This MSP also records water currents, salinity, temperature and pressure. The system needs a reliable low-power, battery-operated system with acoustic communication and built-in logging to keep things running. The links between CSP and MSP units are wireless through acoustic modems. The synchronisation scheme is very robust and ensures sampling synchronisation even for large and unpredictable delays in the MSP synchronising signal, which could be due to different sound propagation delays, for example. The whole monitoring system offers three basic modes of operation: b Long Term Data logging: The MSP wakes up at a configurable time interval, typically every three hours. At first, it measures the distance to each CSP for compensation purposes. Following that, distributed analogue data recordings at 10-20Hz for 10-30 minutes are initiated by sending a group call to all CSP nodes. The MSP then starts

reading water current, salinity temperature and pressure through serial interfaces. When logging has finished, the data is processed and stored to removable memory. After programming the next wake-up (RTC), both the MSP and CSPs go to sleep and the whole process is repeated; b Event monitoring: A lowest power, intelligent mixed signal circuitry continuously monitors all vibrations and water current levels for limiting values. If any CSP detects a high-water current or acceleration while asleep, it wakes up and sends a signal to the MSP to initiate the logging scheme; b ROV rendezvous: The monitoring system is installed and maintained by remote operated underwater vehicles (Fig 4 and Fig 7). Through acoustic communication with an ROV or a top side computer, all vital parameters can be changed at run time, as well as upload of sampled data or Fourier analysed data for a requested time period. ROVs are able to request data from either a CSP or MSP at any time and in parallel to its current mode

In 1997, the Ormen Lange gas field was discovered off the western coast of Norway. It was the second-largest natural gas discovery on the Norwegian shelf and has the potential to produce around 20 billion cubic meters of gas each year. Ormen Lange, which means the long serpent, is approximately 40km long and 8km wide and lies about 1,000 metres below sea level. Extreme conditions at the site, including below-freezing temperatures, stormy seas, and strong underwater currents, put great demands on the tools needed to complete the project. It is due to these conditions that the Ormen Lange field was developed without using conventional offshore platforms. Instead, 24 subsea wellheads in four seabed templates on the ocean floor are connected directly by two 30in pipelines to an onshore process terminal at Nyhamna. After processing the

Norsk Hydro , Courtesy Bjrge, Norsk Hydro / Reinertsen / Bjrge

gas will be exported by the worlds longest subsea export pipeline Langeled pipeline approximately 1,200km from Nyhamna to Easington in England and to other locations on the coast of continental Europe via a distribution centre on the Sleipner platform in the North Sea. The Sleipner riser platform acts as a node connecting Ormen Lange to the existing Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) transport systems. The northern section of the export pipeline will have a diameter of 42in, and the section from Sleipner to Easington will have a diameter of 44in.
Fig 6: A Master Sensor Package (MSP), installed on the seabed
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A synchronised, autonomous system with this accuracy has never been built before and called for a series of engineering challenges
of operation. This reliable communication interface is a key feature of the embedded hardware and software.
Process 10 modules Zbus D A Digital signals Analog signals

results

BUILT-IN REDUNDANCY
Redundancy was a big challenge in the system. Every action is monitored for errors, and in the case of an error a node performs a self correction and informs its caller about the situation. All nodes communicate to decide if the error is within the node itself or any other nodes. If the real MSP fails, any CSP can become the new MSP to sustain the operation. The pipeline monitoring system has a lifetime of several years, and will be submerged for at least six months at a time, thus the highest demands are placed on the hardware and software reliability, in-program error handling and efficient energy management.
Wake up signal On/off signal Fuel gauge Serial link uC controlled Smart power Circuit
Custom specific 10 Debouncer

APPLICATION BREAKDOWN
The final application equals around 50,000 lines of hand written C source code, generates a DXE executable of 15MB in size resulting in an Intel HEX loaderfile of 5 MB, this has to do with certain settings in the toolchain. The application involves typical features of a cutting edge embedded system which include: b Main application tasks implemented by ten independent Timed Loops/ VDK-Threads, including four interrupt callback threads and two parallel timed loops; b Software modularity with more than 100 re-usable submodules/sub-Vis; b Inter-task data communication and synchronisation by five real time FIFOs, 110 global variables and 110 VDK semaphores; b Application logic based on a classic state machine with 16 program states; b An embedded file handler for configuration files and mass data storage on a removable 4GB medium (CF-Card); b Signal conditioning, max/min and FFT analysis; b Impulse triggered DAQ synchronisation technique with microsecond accuracy and full compensation of software latencies and modem propagation delays; b Smart power and battery management scheme; b Programmable Shutdown, Wakeup and Watchdog logic; b 3x simultaneous analogue channels to sample a tri-axis accelerometer sensor; b 4x asynchronous Serial IO for measuring water current, salinity, pressure and temperature. The application was developed in less than 12 months. Within this, there were ten independant threads, four needing inter-thread communication. Seventy-seven per cent of companies state that an average embedded programmer can produce 1,000 or less lines of debugged C code per month. So, if this application were developed using traditional software methods rather than the LabVIEW Embedded, this rule dictactes that it would have taken a single engineer a factor of four to six times longer to produce this application.

Pushbuttons

CF/SD Interface

Removable Media

Battery
220VAC AC

RS232, RS422 RS485, USB

DC

DC-supply

Supply for devices on ZMobile

Fig 7: A Clamp Sensor Package (CSP), mounted on the pipeline by an ROV

Frontpanel C-code generation and download VI palettes

RAPID PROTOTYPING
Full support for the new graphical embedded system design approach, using LabVIEW Embedded was a key requirement for Bjrge. It helped the system engineers to manage the high complexity of the application and to meet the projects challenging schedule. Under the hood, Schmid Engineerings ZMobile BSP for LabVIEW with its nine palettes providing 150 re-usable VIs delivered the necessary real-time features and threadsafe IO libraries. A synchronised, autonomous system with this accuracy has never been built before and called for a series of engineering challenges. LabVIEW Embedded, the VDK realtime kernel and the ADI Blackfin processors resources have been pushed to their limits. The large scale programme demanded multiple parallel loops (Fig 8), multiple high accuracy interrupts and determinism of the program execution. The challenges were met and the system has the capability to produce a simultaneous accuracy of better than the original requirement.
Block diagram

JTAG debugging interface

Fig 8: Example of event driven, buffered multiple analogue data acquisition on ZMobile with ZMobile BSP for LabVIEW

REDUCED RISKS
The LabVIEW application code was deployed to the low-power, mixed-signal platform ZMobile. Each CSP and MSP holds a pod with all the electronics, batteries, sensors and acoustic modem antennas (Fig 9). The pod is water tight and designed for sea depths down to 1,500 metres (150 bar). All internals are mechanically decoupled from vibrations from the pipeline to reduce the stress on the components. The embedded system HW relies on the compact, low-power target ZMobile (Fig 10), enhancing a Blackfin BF533 processor with versatile mixed signal circuits. Most of the functionality was already provided by the off-

Norsk Hydro / Reinertsen / Bjrge, Courtesy Schmid Engineering, Courtesy Bjrge.

the-shelf platform. A custom specific add-on board completed all missing circuits, connectors and interfaces for Bjrge (Fig 11). This two board approach and combination of standard and customer solution saved precious engineering time and lowered the project risks.

Fig 10 (top) & 11 (above): Block diagram and boards. Low-power, Mixed Signal Platform Zmobile based on Blackfin Processors by Analog Devices and programmable with LabVIEW Embedded, www.zbrain.ch

CONCLUSIONS
With a project the size of the Ormen Lange and involving tight timelines and rugged conditions, innovative approaches were required to solve the engineering challenges. Through NAXYS technology, Bjrge AS was able to solve these challenges by reusing off-the-shelf hardware based on a Blackfin Processor by

Fig 9: Pressure tight pod showing the electronics. Not visible: battery packs, modem and antennas.

Analog Devices and applying graphical programming to generate the code required to deploy to this low-power embedded target. The LabVIEW Embedded Module helped to shorten development time and ensured parallel operation and complex interrupt handling demanded for this application. The oil and gas market now gains from a solution that allows synchronised measuring between n nodes over distances far longer than 100 metres with high accuracy The wireless . acoustic communication, in-

node data analysis and storage along with a smart power scheme allows lowest power consumption and ensures continuous detection and handling of critical static and dynamic motions. Thanks to acoustic links, critical data can be sent directly to the engineers desk. This provides new possibilities within all kinds of synchronised vibration monitoring. Harald Mnum is a senior engineer at Bjrge AS and Marco Schmid is a senior engineer at Schmid Engineering AG

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