4Subsea, a leading provider of digital technology and services, has launched a new autonomous sensor which measures the dynamic strain of offshore wind turbines with high resolution and accuracy. The sensor will reduce cost of operations and maximise life of offshore wind turbines.

Unlike regular strain gage installations, 4Subsea’s Smart Monitoring Sensor (SMS) Strain™ is an autonomous, retrofittable sensor that can be installed without special requirements such as the use of specialised technicians, equipment, or a clean environment. In addition, the technology can easily be installed by hand on the turbine tower or using divers or ROV for subsea installation, for instance, on the substructure.

SMS Strain™, which the company is showcasing at this year’s WindEurope: Electric City 2021, has extremely low power consumption, enabling continuous logging and data storage at 10 Hz sampling frequency for a full 12 months.

The SMS Strain™ sensors can be cabled to motion sensors like the SMS Gateway™ (topside) or SMS Motion™ (subsea) to provide fully synchronised strain and motion data. This gives a unique opportunity to assess structural loads in correlation with deflections and response frequencies which are critical parameters in wind turbine design. Furthermore, the sensors are made as true IoT sensors where that given access to power and the internet, they will automatically start sending data to the cloud where the data is processed, and insight from the data can be visualised to the customers.

Peter Jenkins, CEO of 4Subsea, said, 
“With the launch of SMS Strain™, we continue to simplify the complexity of the challenges faced by our clients by providing informed data to develop optimal, tailor-made solutions. The sooner you know the status of your asset, the larger the range of available options to either optimise or mitigate the findings. The key to unlocking this knowledge is increased understanding, which our sensors deliver.” 

“SMS Strain™ is the latest of our autonomous sensors that help operators reduce the cost of operations and maximise life of assets when combined with our data analytics and engineering specialists within the company.” 

4Subsea provides sensor technology for subsea assets and offshore wind operations worldwide. They started developing bespoke tools and design methods before commercial equipment or design standards were available. 

Tackling industry challenges for operators, 4Subsea’s technology is developed to perform the most challenging of engineering tasks. Providing data to track integrity status, inform key decision making and reduce the need for regular ROV inspections to monitor the condition of equipment, the new technology can extend the lifetime of assets beyond design life.

The SMS Strain™ is the sixth sensor in 4Subsea’s sensor product line, adding new capabilities to the company’s existing offering that includes SMS Motion™, SMS Magic Hand™, SMS Gateway™, SMS ComCentral™ and SMS Guard™. 

4Subsea is exhibiting at WindEurope: Electric City 2021 on Stand C2-A14.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: 4Subsea