Viper Innovations’ unique V-LIFE technology has been supporting operators for more than a decade. Originally referred to by many as a “magic” technology, V-LIFE has continued to be one of Viper’s most successful innovations for the offshore energy industry.
The technology has played a critical role for many of the world’s major oil and gas operators in recovering the electrical integrity of deteriorating subsea control systems. V-LIFE was first deployed offshore in 2012, and that successful trial was quickly followed by the commercial product launch in 2013 and a patent being granted in 2015.
Today, Viper has delivered over 150 V-LIFE installations to over 30 global operators in the process. The flagship subsea product has also been associated with a number of awards over the years, including the Queens Award for Enterprise Innovation in 2016.
The product was developed as a result of the issues faced by subsea operators where water ingress into subsea cables had led to a decrease in insulation resistance, which results in a risk to the safety of personnel and a risk of a loss of power and hence production.
Before V-LIFE became available, subsea fault-finding interventions and the replacement of cables, equipment and umbilicals were the only solutions to this problem. Replacing umbilicals has a substantial cost to the environment: Viper recently calculated that laying a 20km umbilical could emit at least 15,000 tonnes of carbon.
However, the V-LIM is installed topside, without any subsea intervention required, and V-LIFE can be activated remotely, making V-LIFE an environmentally friendly alternative to subsea intervention methods.
In order to activate V-LIFE, operators must first install a V-LIM line insulation monitor before enabling the V-LIFE passivation signal by uploading a software configuration file.
Many operators are choosing to upgrade to Viper’s V-LIM, which not only ensures they are “V-LIFE ready”, but also provides precise and accurate cable monitoring, providing a better picture of the health of their system over time, helping to identify problems before they arise.
For more info, visit viperinnovations.com/v-life, call 01275 78 78 78 or email enquiries@viperinnovations.com