Software in subsea systems is normally not safety critical, and if critical (like in HIPPS), an irregular situation results in a power cut to bleed off hydraulic fluid, releasing a spring that returns the system into a safe state.
Electrification of the systems on the seabed gives new opportunities related to elimination of high-pressure hydraulic fluids and spring return valves. This introduces new challenges for subsea software development, as the safety systems are fully dependent on valves being operated by electric actuators that are software controlled and electrically powered.
The requirements for safe operation, and in some regions, certification of the software according to IEC 61508, have a high impact on the software development processes. This includes requirements for certified tools and operating systems, traceability of requirements all the way from the safety requirement specification to the source code and the need to do systematic safety analysis on software designs.
The demand for continuous regression testing during the product development phase also drives the need for test automation on different product levels.
This presentation is intended to highlight experiences and learnings from the software development project for an All-electric subsea tree. It will give insights into how the software development teams have accommodated the strict requirements given by the safety standards, while still using agile methodologies.
Hildegunn Brudeli has been with TechnipFMC since 2011 and is currently working as a SW product owner for the SW development team responsible for the SW Safety applications for the All-electric XT at TechnipFMC.
She holds a Masters degree in Electronics from NTNU in Trondheim from 1993 and has previously worked in various positions related to SW development within telecommunications.
At Grieghallen in Bergen, Norway 11 – 13 June