The VERNE project is based upon three successful previous projects; RiserTest, SubCTest and SubCTestDEMO. Furthermore, pioneering technology partners like TWI Ltd and Eddyfi also started to contribute and have been participating in the project actively.
In the course of this project, product development was divided into three phases. The first phase was dedicated to evaluation of design and production. As a result of initial consultations with end-users and technology partners, the capabilities of guided wave ultrasonics was decided to be complimented with conventional ultrasonics technique. Therefore, the deployment mechanism was optimised and marinised such that both guided wave and conventional ultrasonics probes could be accommodated. The design of the bracket was optimised such that large ROVs will not be required for deployment. This will consequently reduce the inspection costs in the future as large vessels with full crew will not be required. The second phase was related to the design and manufacturing of the first prototype of the system which was successfully accomplished (D1.3). The Consortium completed the design and manufacture of a 12" and a 16" Clamp. The CE mark has been obtained (D3.1) and the Consortium has activated the process to influence the committee to include VERNE® subsea inspection as a worldwide recognised standard (D3.2). A training manual including training material have been composed and are ready for use (D4.1 and D4.2). The third phase of development required rigorous testing of the marinised system including some design adjustments to optimize measurements generated by the VERNE system in seawater. The Operational tests verified the ruggedness of the mechanical system (D2.1 and D2.2) and the Performance and Final tests (D2.2) confirmed that the VERNE system can carry out measurements in air, fresh water and seawater. The Consortium has been active promoting the VERNE® project and product according to the Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination of Results (D5.3) and has built relationships with defined target groups in different areas. The target groups include owners and operators of offshore oil & gas extraction platforms and pipelines, as well as maintenance and inspection service providers. Detailed direct discussions have been held with lead customers for VERNE®, many of whom are existing Dacon and Nardoni customers and have expressed a direct and immediate interest in purchasing VERNE® for specific production problems. The Consortium has prepared a distribution set-up for VERNE® based upon the work where Dacon has evaluated the product cost and pricing strategy with help from a business coach assigned to them by Innovation Norway. This work has been implemented into the Investor ready business plan (D5.4).
The Verne Consortium is committed to deliver an economically viable, affordable, easy to deploy, guided wave and conventional ultrasonics based inspection system for underwater asset management in harsh offshore environments.
