3D printing technology will be integrated in Kongsberg Ferrotech‘s robotic solutions for subsea inspection, repair, and maintenance (IMR). Modern robotic technology enables advanced repairs and lifetime extension directly on the tubular without production shutdown.
The underwater 3D printing technology will be used to rebuild damaged metal structures—layer by layer—and to implement new functionality as needed. It will be an advanced tool not only for future subsea operations, but also in other industries beyond the oil and gas sector. It was developed with Equinor, SINTEF, and Gassco along with contributions from the Research Council of Norway.
The IMR robots perform repairs and modifications in a dry environment while completely submerged. Deep water testing has been completed in the Trondheim Fjord in Norway, and the technology is ready to be deployed for commercial applications and operations.
The worldwide market for underwater repair is large; the Norwegian shelf alone has more than 10 000 km of subsea pipelines. The current solutions for underwater pipe repairs are often time-consuming, expensive, and in many cases require production shutdown.
“With our IMR robotic technology, we bring the workshop to the damage—not the damage to the workshop. Our solutions have been in development for the past five years and we will begin offering underwater composite repairs to the Southeast Asian market in Q3 2021,” said Christopher Carlsen, Kongsberg Ferrotech CEO. “We plan to offer service and maintenance based on 3D printing as early as 2022.”
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Learn more about robotic inspection by reading the July 2021 digital edition of Materials Evaluation free online. This special technical focus issue, guest edited by Ehsan Dehghan-Niri, Ph.D., of New Mexico State University, provides an overview of recent advancements in robotic inspection for NDT, including the use of drones, crawlers, and automated systems.
To read the technical focus issue, go to https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=44954&l=1