The upgrades will be applied to rigs in the Norwegian sector of the North sea, Deepsea Atlantic and Deepsea Nordkapp, with the opportunity to include Deepsea Stavanger, Deepsea Aberdeen, and Deepsea Yantai at a later stage.
BlueDrive DC-Grid technology
Siemens Energy’s BlueDrive DC-Grid technology was developed to meet the offshore industry’s demanding energy distribution requirements, especially for propulsion and drilling systems. It is an efficient, environmentally friendly solution that provides high levels of reliability, availability, and ease of service, with low emissions.
The solution consists of DC/DC converters connected to the existing four drilling drive DC buses from one side and to DC/DC converters connected to energy-storage systems. This allows platform operators to conduct peak shaving of drilling loads, so fewer generator sets can run at higher and steadier loads resulting in a reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Further, the solution increases reliability by reducing blackouts, which will prevent downtime and boost asset utilisation.
In regards to drilling applications, the Siemens Energy BlueDrive system will be an integral part of the entire drilling process, enhancing the drill string's performance when applying high torque during drilling operations.
On the Odfjell platforms
Odfjell Drilling is committed to reducing the harmful impacts its operations may have upon the environment wherever it can and is therefore pioneering the use of the BlueDrive DC-Grid technology – the first of its kind to be installed on an offshore drilling rig.
Per Lund, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Technology & Sustainability at Odfjell Drilling commented, “These projects are the result of asking a simple yet challenging question: ‘What would be the most efficient technological approach to minimise emissions from a rig in the short term?’ The resulting ideas were very well received by Odfjell Drilling’s customers and will contribute to their long-term emission targets, so this is business and low-emission targets working hand-in-hand.”
Jennifer Hooper, Senior Vice President of Industrial Applications Solutions for Siemens Energy added, “Our agreement with Odfjell Drilling affirms our ability to understand and deliver complete, innovative, and cutting-edge solutions in line with our customers’ expectations, which include design, engineering services, interfacing with third parties and fabrication of state-of-the-art power electronics, as well as financial advice and support.”
The long-term relationship and technology cooperation between Odfjell Drilling and Siemens Energy also includes several R&D initiatives related to power from shore or nearby platforms and floating offshore windmills to fixed platforms or rigs. These solutions will complement the Siemens Energy DC-Grid and BlueVault battery solution system and provide customers with a holistic approaches to solving their power challenges that Siemens Energy can deliver entirely.
With these upgrades, the rigs will push the boundaries for conventionally powered offshore rigs and set a new technological standard in Odfjell Drilling’s strategy towards zero-emission drilling.
