Client Overview
A major North Sea Oil and Gas Operator upgraded an offshore production platform located around 175 miles southeast of Aberdeen. Built in the 1980s for a single well, the platform needed to accommodate two new subsea wells, one from the UK sector and one from the Norwegian sector. The platform exports oil and gas to a nearby installation acting as the fiscal metering point, making measurement accuracy, reliability, and maintainability critical.
The systems integration and panel engineering were delivered by Applied Integration (AI).
Customer Requirement
The upgrade had to be delivered within extreme space constraints. Only the footprint of a removed desk and filing cabinet in the metering room was available. Despite this, the new solution needed to house ten FloBoss S600+ flow computers, allow safe testing and maintenance, segregate high volumes of field cabling, and enable engineers to carry out diagnostics without opening the panel or accessing live internal components. Clear identification of all test points was also mandatory.
Development Process
AI worked closely with the Systems Integrator from concept through detailed design. A previous mounting concept was used as a starting point but required significant redesign to meet the physical and operational constraints. The core challenge was fitting ten flow computers into a space never intended for instrumentation while maintaining accessibility to internal electronic boards and meeting offshore safety standards.
To achieve this, AI developed a compact mechanical layout with remote-mounted front panels for each flow computer. The main bodies were installed behind the panel in a space-efficient arrangement using custom angled mounts. This allowed the internal electronics to be removed for servicing without dismantling the entire unit, greatly simplifying maintenance in a confined offshore environment.
Because of the high cable density, a separate marshalling panel was designed to terminate all field wiring. A custom interconnect system routed only the required signals into the metering panel, improving organisation and simplifying future fault finding.
The client also required full external test access without opening the panel. AI routed every signal requiring testing to the side of the enclosure and installed approximately 250 individually labelled 4 mm test sockets. This provided safe, traceable and rapid access for commissioning and diagnostics.
Ergonomic and safety features were added to suit offshore working conditions, including fold-down transparent covers for the flow computer displays and a foldaway tray to support test equipment during maintenance activities.
Delivered Solution
AI supplied a fully assembled and tested turnkey system consisting of a compact metering panel with ten flow computers, custom angled mounting brackets and remote front interfaces, together with a dedicated marshalling panel, bespoke interconnect cabling, around 250 externally accessible test points, and integrated protective covers and test tray.
Results and Benefits
The platform successfully integrated two new subsea wells without structural modification to the metering room. Flow measurement capacity was increased while maintaining fiscal accuracy and regulatory compliance. Engineers can now perform testing and diagnostics safely without opening the panel, reducing offshore intervention time and downtime.
A solution that would normally require a much larger footprint was delivered within the space of a former desk and filing cabinet, demonstrating a highly efficient use of space. The project also showcased AI’s capability to deliver bespoke, high-density instrumentation solutions for legacy offshore assets while balancing modern technology with existing infrastructure constraints.
Conclusion
Through close collaboration, innovative mechanical design and a strong focus on safety and maintainability, Applied Integration transformed a severely limited space into a fully functional flow metering hub. The project extended the operational capability of a critical North Sea platform and provided a future-proof solution aligned with modern engineering and operational standards.
