Robotics: Collaboration Pushes Boundaries of Offshore Cleaning and Inspection

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Woodside collaborated with industry to create a state-of-the-art offshore caisson cleaning and inspection tool (CCAIT system), designed to enable safe and cost-effective remote inspection of offshore platforms.

The unique system was designed, developed and deployed in less than 12 months via a collaboration led by Woodside Energy (Woodside) and incorporating Perth-based expertise from Nexxis, Monadelphous, WOMA, and Fugro.

The CCAIT system incorporates a human-sized robot, designed to inspect the inside of caissons - vertical carbon steel pipes up to 70m long and up to 1.2m wide. These structures are used on offshore platforms to house critical equipment such as firewater and seawater lift pumps.
In response to possible COVID-related supply chain risks, a local solution was sought, inspiring the collaboration.

The CCAIT system is remotely controlled from the platform, lowered inside the caisson via a tether and winch . Wheels are then extended to centralize the tool within the caisson, and probe arms extend to enable ultrasound inspection. A series of high-definition cameras stream video back to the technicians, with the data used by the asset team to define the forward plan.

“The CCAIT system removes the costs of mobilising tools from international locations, including the cost of delay in fractured supply chains," said Daniel Kalms, EVP, Woodside. "These can represent up to 50% of the total cost of an inspection campaign."

“It was incredible to see the team, including Woodside graduate robotics engineers, write software to dramatically improve the performance and usability of the tool. The project team was made up of people from local companies who came together and designed, procured, fabricated, tested, and validated a robotic solution during the height of a pandemic in under a year,” he said.

Categories: Technology New Products Offshore Energy Robotics

Related Stories

Woodside to Shed Some Trinidad and Tobago Assets for $206M

CIP Reaches Financial Close for Offshore Wind Farm in Taiwan

ORE Catapult and Japan’s FLOWRA to Jointly Advance Floating Wind

Second Hai Long Substation Heads to Project Site Offshore Taiwan

Sapura Energy Nets $720M from Multiple Drilling Services Contracts

Vestas Lands First 15MW Offshore Wind Turbine Order in Asia Pacific

Offshore Service Vessels: What’s in Store in 2025

AI & Offshore Energy: The Higher the Stakes, the More Value AI Creates

TotalEnergies Wraps Up Acquisition of SapuraOMV’s Gas Assets

QatarEnergy Signs Deal with Shell for Long-Term LNG Supply to China

Current News

Fire at Petronas Gas Pipeline in Malaysia Sends 63 to Hospital

Japan’s ENEOS Xplora, PVEP Ink Deal for Vietnam Offshore Block

CNOOC Makes Major Oil and Gas Discovery in South China Sea

Valeura’s Assets in Gulf of Thailand Remain Operational After Earthquake

Op-Ed: Kazakhstan’s National O&G Firm Positioning Itself as Global Energy Player

Woodside to Shed Some Trinidad and Tobago Assets for $206M

CNOOC Sees 11% Profit Growth in 2024 Driven by Record Oil Production

‘Ultra-Mega’ Offshore Deal for L&T at QatarEnergy LNG’s North Field Gas Scheme

Keel Laying for Wind Flyer Trimaran Crew Boat

MODEC Gets Shell’s Gato do Mato FPSO Ops and Maintenance Job

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com