The Inter-M Pulse, a mooring monitoring system developed by InterMoor, an Acteon company, has been nominated for an Offshore Norway (ONS) Innovation Award. The revolutionary system is the first to electronically monitor the inclination and tension of mooring lines. Robust, purpose-built sensors have been incorporated into the mooring connectors.
The data collected is sent acoustically to the topside control room interface, where it is displayed using a traffic-light system with automatic threshold alarms to warn of any issues that could cause problems.
Developed by InterMoor and sister company Pulse Structural Monitoring, the Inter-M Pulse system has important safety and environmental benefits. Its use aims to prevent floating product units from breaking away from their moorings, thereby safeguarding the lives of workers and preventing oil spills. Additionally, it could help mitigate the cost of lost production.
In 2011, the system successfully completed a six-month trial in the North Sea. During a winter drilling campaign, a 76-mm, 800-t minimum-break-load mooring line was installed over the stern roller of an anchor-handling vessel for the Ocean Nomad semisubmersible rig. The trial provided tension data for the line from the ultra-low-power, long-life system in a range of sea states.
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Press Release, August 14, 2012