Choke Condition Monitor

ClampOn Subsea Choke Condition Monitor (CCM) is a non intrusive sensor that measures vibrations across a broad range. The Monitor can be installed directly onto the choke body. The sensor captures the frequency response from 0-20 kHz and measures the acceleration and energy within this range.
This capability allows for accurate measurement and calculation of the internal sound pressure level (SPL).

The ClampOn Choke Condition Monitor (CCM) has two operating modes. The standard running mode reports RMS vibration velocities with defined limits, similar to a traffic light system: green indicates no concern, yellow suggests that further diagnostics should be performed, and red signals that immediate action is required. This system ensures that operators can safely manage the operation window without time-consuming calculations and analysis.
The second mode is diagnostic mode, which allows for the retreival of detailed information such as broadband frequency response, spectrum and raw data snapshots. This data can be used for furter diagnostics or analysis if needed.

  • Reald-time
  • Non-intrusive
  • Retrofit installable
  • Broad range measurement

Subsea production choke valves are engineered for efficiency and durability. However, unexpected challenges may arise, often kept confidential within the industry. Why did the choke wear out and need replacement so quickly, despite operating well below design pressure or flow capacity? Failures of subsea choke valves have become more frequent, with no single cause identified. Different failure modes are observed across various manufacturers and models.

The instrument is securely fastened directly to the choke body to ensure that vibration levels are accurately captured by the MEMS* sensors within the instrument. This is achieved by using a bolted mounting plate for new installations or a mounting plate with built-in super magnets for retrofit cases. Both mounting options have high, known eigenfrequencies, ensuring that the fixture arrangement does not affect measurements.

By utilizing the existing ClampOn compact instrumentation platform and upgrading it with new MEMS accelerometers, we have rapidly provided a qualified monitoring solution.
No hardware changes to the instrument enclosure were necessary, ensuring that qualifications to applicable standards such as API 17F remain valid. We can confidently state a technology readiness level of 7, the highest in our industry.
The signal interface adheres to the industry-standard CANopen CiA 443 SIIS level 2, allowing this technology to be deployed in any new or existing subsea production systems.
For existing assets without spare connections to the subsea control system, we can daisy chain the CCM with our existing acoustic sand and vibration monitors or any SIIS level 2 instruments on the module.

Vibration Graphs

Subsea Choke Condition Monitor
Method of operation MEMS Vibrationmonitoring & Piezo ultrasound
Design life 25 years
Electronics DSP II Platform
Operating temperature −5 °C to +40 °C [+23 °F to +104 °F]
Power consumption at Unom: RS-485: 1.1 W, SIIS level 2: 1.5 W
Maxium installation depth 3 048 m [10 000 ft]
Qualification API 17F - TRL 7
Weight, in air 5,1 kg [11.2 lb]

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