WFS launches world’s first subsea wireless edge network for real-time monitoring

HOUSTON and ABERDEEN -- WFS Technologies Limited (WFS) unveiled the world’s first subsea wireless edge network for real-time monitoring of subsea assets at this week’s Ocean Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.

WFS provides wireless subsea devices which are designed to provide robust, long-term monitoring of subsea hardware.

The latest technology, ExtremeEdge, has been developed to process and analyse the raw data at the sensor level, thus reducing information overheads by transmitting only the data needed to downstream solutions in real-time rather than all sensor data collected.

In addition, by deploying a number of ExtremeEdge-enabled sensors, WFS has created the first subsea network designed to operate wirelessly. Traditionally, most solutions operate by individual sensor only, and not as a network of sensors that can communicate, process and transmit data between themselves, increasing subsea asset monitoring efficiencies.

“To enable exceptionally long battery life on each sensor, we use ExtremeEdge analytics to monitor the sensor data in real-time and only report if the data exceeds pre-set values,” said Theo Priestley, chief marketing officer at WFS.

“Edge computing enables a variety of calibration models to be uploaded to each sensor. During extreme events such as hurricanes, the system will calculate and compare performance of subsea assets against the model, transmitting data in real time.”

Each new Seatooth sensor, using a patented wireless technology standard for exchanging data through water and the water-air boundary using low frequency radio waves, is supplied with a built-in processor with the capability to run WFS ExtremeEdge computing.

During extreme events such as hurricanes, the system calculates and compares performance of the assets against predictive models, transmitting resultant information in real time.

The wireless edge solution is also accompanied by a new “hot swap” architecture which allows multiple sensors to be configured and chained together by wireless communication to monitor for a variety of conditions, including vibration, temperature, flow, fatigue, corrosion.

“The benefits are quite clear in implementing big data analysis at the edge, rather than transmitting the information to downstream IT systems”, said Brendan Hyland, CEO at WFS. “Increased efficiency, combined with reduced production and maintenance costs, means reduced data processing overheads. Overall, the result is considerable reduced risk and capital costs.”