Onboard a floating production storage and offloading unit

Summary

• The client, a Japanese international conglomerate specializing in electrical engineering and software systems, needed a compatible power supply that would complement their new I/O system.
• The I/O system would be built specially for Maersk Oil, for their Culzean project – a gas field located in the UK Central North Sea.
• Given the scale of the project and the cost incurred, the client needed a solution that is reliable – to withstand even the toughest of environments.
• The power supply that the client requires would be used for a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) tanker hence it must be able to meet specific requirements, without spending too much on cost and installation.

Project Profile

Maersk Oil is an international oil and gas company owned by the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, based in Denmark.

On 31 August, 2015, the UK Oil And Gas Authority approved a consortium headed by Maersk Oil going ahead with production at the Culzean oil and gas field about 150 miles southeast of Aberdeen, Scotland in the North Sea.

The high-pressure, high-temperature field held the equivalent of about 300 million barrels of oil and, when it reached peak production in 2020 or 2021, was expected to produce enough gas to meet 5% of the UK’s needs.

Challenge: Building an I/O system that could endure demanding environments

The Culzean Project, upon its completion, would meet 5% of the total gas demands in the UK.

Because of the potential high expectations, the project is estimated to be costing 3 billion pounds.

With the project’s valued cost, it was challenging to identify suitable hardware that could meet the client’s cost requirements.

The client wanted a reliable power supply, which could sustain harsh environments, and to install those power supplies with dependable accessories – all of which is to support the I/O system.

Finding a robust power supply is key because a shutdown of the I/O system would restrict operations. In a project such as Culzean, mistakes could spell disaster.

Industrial power supplies which meet such demands are uncommon in the market.

Moreover, in order to reduce cost, the power supply would also have to be packaged together with its set of complementary accessories which must also adapt to physically demanding environments.

Solution: Maximum Assurance and High Quality without Increasing Expense.

Working closely with Phoenix Contact, the client was able to produce their I/O system’s control cabinet without busting their expenses and benefiting from additional advantages.

With Phoenix Contact’s revolutionary QUINT4 power supplies, the client was able to utilize our unique SFB (Selective Fuse Breaking) technology and preventive monitoring function, predicting errors before it occurs.

With the QUINT4’s NFC technology, the client could also turn off the SFB system via their smartphones instead of manual multimeters and other bulky and expensive equipment.

Pairing the QUINT4 power supplies with the QUINT “ORing” also allowed for enhanced energy saving.

The QUINT “ORing” utilizes the ACB (Auto Current Balancing) technology which doubles the service life of redundantly operated power supplies, reducing the need for constant equipment replacement.

Phoenix Contact’s UT Terminal Blocks were also included in the I/O system’s installation because of the high-temperature threshold, multifunctional, compact and using the proprietary Reakdyn principle, the screws on the terminal blocks requires no tightening – saving time on installation and future maintenance.

Other than our Power Supplies and Terminal Blocks, the client also requested to use our Halogen free wire duct which could withstand temperatures between -25 to 90 degrees Celsius.

Information on the Products used:

QUINT4 Power Supplies

Phoenix Contact’s QUINT4 Power Supply

Quint Oring

QUINT ORING redundancy module for DIN rail mounting

UT series double deck terminal blocks

Phoenix Contact’s UT Double Decked Terminal Blocks

Halogen free cabling ducting

Halogen Free Ducting from Phoenix Contact

The halogen-free wire duct is designed for use in public areas that demand increased safety from toxic smoke in the case of fire.

Results:

The client was extremely happy with the solution and had an immediate impact by benefiting on the Selective Fuse Breaking (SFB) technology and the fact that our QUINT 4 had the ability to send notifications of the surrounding atmospheric heat (above 60°).

The client was also impressed at the rate of the installation as there were no additional wires needed and with NFC technology, the staffs do not need to lug expensive and bulky equipment when servicing.

Lastly, with the Mean Time between Failure (MBTF) of 500,000hrs, the client can be reassured of the reliability of the hardware without having to worry about constant maintenance.

For more information, please visit us on our website or speak to our local representative for a demonstration or site visit. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg.