C-Kore technology saves costs for the subsea industry

C-Kore Systems secured the Innovation & Technology award at this year’s Subsea UK awards at Subsea Expo. The company was praised for its C-Kore Unit testing system, which locates low IR valves on subsea equipment. The accurate and innovative technology has enabled considerable cost savings to operators.

The C-Kore Subsea TDR is their recent offering, a compact automated tool for testing subsea electrical assets. It can be configured in advance by C-Kore Systems Ltd or set up in the field easily by the end-user. It is simple to use, automating the previously complex work of driving a TDR.

The TDR is normally used in tandem with the Cable Monitor for fault-finding. Once the Cable Monitor has narrowed the location of a fault to a single component (for example an in-field umbilical) the TDR is used to precisely identify where in the cable the fault resides. This knowledge can be used to inform repair versus replacement strategies. By measuring directly subsea, the problems of deck-based downline testing are eliminated, including impedance mismatches, offset errors, faulty downlines and the difficulty of driving the TDR correctly.

For new asset installation the TDR can be used to characterise cables for future reference and find discontinuities in impedance that have not affected the insulation resistance. As this testing is automated, vessel time and personnel requirements can be reduced to achieve cost savings. The unit can be deployed subsea to take TDR readings directly once installation is complete.

The unit is powered by a high-capacity rechargeable battery for stand-alone operation.

Simple user configuration is possible with a plug-and-play USB connection to choose what the unit will test and when. Every result is data-logged and the unit has built-in software for result analysis.

In addition to the TDR, the company also launched a new product at Subsea Expo 2019 which is set to make an impact.

Greg Smith, General Manager at C-Kore Systems said “We’ve had our main product which
does ion continuity for a number of years now. This year we brought out the TDR and at Subsea Expo we came to announce the sensor monitor for testing subsea sensors and wellheads. You might have a pressure sensor in a wellhead and you’ve de-commissioned the wellhead so you haven’t got a control module anymore. The sensor monitor lets you check the pressure and prove that the wellhead is safe whilst you’re de-commissioning or to fault find if you have got an STM but it’s not quite working right.”

Although the industry has been challenging the last few years, for C-Kore Systems the outlook has been positive.

Commenting on the market Mr Smith said “It’s been good the last couple of years. The downturn wasn’t too bad for us because we focus on a strong cost-saving message. Our tools typically save a couple of vessel days when they’re deployed. So, when the downturn came along, although it was tough for operators and other companies, it encouraged a lot of interest in C-Kore because we provided quite a lot of savings to the customers when they needed it.“

C-Kore Subsea TDR Key Benefits