Recommendations on communication platform and data standards to facilitate autonomous operations, high performance computing and the integration of large data sets

Abstract

The use of standards for wired and wireless communication and power transfer in the subsea environment has lagged compared to use of standards on land (ref. telecom standards, wireless networks , power distribution etc.). Recent years has seen an increased focus on standards, pushed by oil and gas operators as well as other users of subsea control & communication systems, sensors and instrumentation. Work to agree on standards has to some degree been hampered by the ubiquitous use of proprietary legacy products. Collaboration with the main players in carbon storage is a key factor in achieving the goal of an accelerated digitized monitoring and early warning system. Using established technology and standardization from the oil and gas industry is important to achieve optimal technical solutions and further to keep the cost at an acceptable level. Established existing products and solutions under development can thus be used in future data collection with a minimum of customization. Offshore carbon storage will be located remotely and will depend on on-site communication infrastructure. With access to local infrastructure, the last distance to various sensors for collecting CCS monitoring data should take place using established standards. It can be wired solutions with fiber or wireless connections to sensors in the area. There may also be autonomous units that are out retrieving data from remote sensors. Data can then be uploaded from docking stations with standardized interfaces for communication. Understanding communication infrastructures in use today and solutions that are under development through collaboration and standardization are of utmost importance to achieve Digimon's goals. An open architecture standards-based system will lead to a fully integrated digital solution with reduced costs and Improved value - by multiple use of a common sensing infrastructure. This document is intended to provide a glimpse into the efforts on standardization of subsea platforms required for autonomous operations and the handling off large volumes of data.