Subsea control systems

A subsea or over-side spread is only as good as the control behind it. We design and build the control architecture that takes a vessel’s hydraulic and electrical supply and gives the operator smooth, proportional command of multiple functions from a cabin, winches, clamps, deployment frames and tooling, with the interlocks, redundancy and fail-safe behaviour the environment demands.

What we engineer

• Distributed valve control – electronically controlled, compensated directional-control-valve manifolds placed local to each function, so the operator gets proportional control without long, lossy pipe runs.
• Proportional remote control – robust handheld or cabin control giving smooth command of every spool, with selectable manual-proportional and constant-tension modes on winch functions.
• Constant-tension and load control – pilot control that holds a set line tension, so a load can be applied in a controlled way – for example to overcome seabed suction on recovery.
• Brake and load-holding logic – spring-applied, hydraulically-released brakes with dynamic braking and counterbalance / over-centre load-holding that engages on loss of pressure.
• Interlocks and protection – over-wind inhibit, structural-limit and proximity interlocks and clash avoidance, tied to the geometry of the deployed system.
• Robust instrumentation philosophy – proven analogue and digital standards (e.g. 4–20 mA loops, 24 VDC), remote I/O to simplify mobilisation, load pins for tension and closed-loop winch synchronisation without modifying proprietary winch controllers.
• Subsea power routing – functions powered by ROV hot-stab, umbilical or acoustically-controlled accumulators as the deployment demands.

Designed to recognised offshore and lifting standards (e.g. DNV marine-operations and drilling-facility codes, and lifting-appliance / load-test standards) and commissioned by the people who designed it.