Testing of an electronics module

• US 8,290,737 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Oil & Gas UK Limited (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Vetco Gray Controls Limited (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Davis, Julian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wachsman, Hal
• Assistant Examiner(s): BETSCH, REGIS J
• Application Number:
  US12/500,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 702/58, 702/119, 702/183, 166/336, 166/250.01
• US Class Current: 702/119
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2829 Testing of circuits in sensor or actuator systems testing of apparatus for measuring electric or magnetic variables G01R35/00; testing of indicating or recording apparatus G01D; in airbag systems B60R21/0173; checking gas analysers G01N33/007; monitoring or fail-safe circuits for electromagnets H01F7/1844
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2834 Automated test systems [ATE]; using microprocessors or computers G01R31/317 takes precedence; ATE for detection of defective computer hardware G06F11/2736

Abstract

A method of testing an electronics module (11) for an underwater well installation, comprises the steps of: providing a test equipment (7) comprising a processor (8) and a Local Area Network (LAN) switch (9), such that the processor (8) may communicate with the switch (9); providing an electronics module (11) comprising a data acquisition means (12) and a second LAN switch (10), such that the data acquisition means (12) may communicate with the second switch (10); passing test data from the processor (8) to the data acquisition means (12) via the first and second LAN switches (9, 10); and monitoring the response of the electronics module (11) in response to the test data.

Claims

1. A method of testing a subsea electronics module (SEM) for an underwater well installation, comprising the steps of:

providing test equipment configured for testing an SEM, the test equipment comprising a plurality of processors and a first Local Area Network (LAN) switch, such that the processors may communicate with the first LAN switch;

providing an SEM for an underwater well installation, the SEM comprising a data acquisition means and a second LAN switch, such that the data acquisition means may communicate with the second switch;

separately passing packages of test data from each of the processors of the test equipment, in parallel, to the data acquisition means of the SEM undergoing testing via the first and second LAN switches to thereby reduce testing time, performed separately from normal operations of the SEM in the underwater well installation; and

monitoring for a corresponding response of the SEM in response to the test data passed to the SEM, the monitoring performed by the test equipment to evaluate operation of the SEM.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

evaluating operation of the SEM for fault location performed by the test equipment responsive to the response of the SEM in response to the test data passed to the SEM.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the SEM response comprises response data sent from the SEM to the test equipment via the second and first LAN switches.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second LAN switches comprise Ethernet switches.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition means of the SEM comprises a plurality of Data Acquisition and Control (D&

C) cards, and wherein the step of separately passing packages of test data from each of the processors of the test equipment, in parallel, to the data acquisition means of the SEM undergoing testing, includes;

each of the, plurality of processors providing the test data in parallel to a separate one of the plurality of D&

C cards.

6. A. method according to. claim 1, wherein the test conditions include vibration testing of the SEM.

7. A method according to claim 1, which is performed prior to deployment of the SEM at the well installation.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the SEM is an operationally deployed SEM, the method further comprising the step of:

performing time-limited vibration testing when performing the steps of separately passing packages of test data from each of the processors of the test equipment, in parallel, to the data acquisition means of the SEM undergoing testing and monitoring for a corresponding response of the SEM in response to the test data passed to the SEM.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the data acquisition means comprises a plurality of D&

C cards, and wherein the step of separately passing packages of test data from each of the processors of the test equipment, in parallel, to the data acquisition means of the SEM undergoing testing, includes;

each of the plurality of processors providing the test data in parallel to a separate one of the plurality of D&

C cards to thereby minimize testing time.

11. A method according to claim 7,

wherein test conditions include vibration testing of the SEM;

and

wherein the vibration testing is time-limited vibration testing.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition means of the SEM comprises a plurality of Data Acquisition and Control (D&

C) cards.

8. A testing system for a subsea electronics module (SEM) for use at a well installation, comprising:

test equipment comprising a plurality of processors for outputting test data to an SEM at a well installation and a first Local Area Network (LAN) switch, configured such that each of the plurality of processors communicate with the first LAN switch, the test equipment further configured to separately communicate packages of the test data from each of the plurality of processors, in parallel, to a data acquisition means of the SEM via the first LAN switch of the test equipment and a second LAN switch of the SEM to thereby reduce testing time, and to receive a response to the test data from the SEM to thereby evaluate operation of the SEM; and

the SEM comprising the data acquisition means and the second LAN switch, the SEM configured such that the data acquisition means communicates with the second LAN switch to provide the test equipment a response to test data in response thereto to so that the test equipment evaluates operation of the SEM.

12. A testing system as defined in claim 8, wherein the test equipment is further configured to perform the following operations:

monitoring for a corresponding response of the SEM in response to the test data passed to the SEM; and

evaluating, operation of the SEM for fault location responsive to the response of the SEM in response to the test data passed to the SEM.

13. A testing system as defined in claim 8, wherein the data acquisition means of the SEM comprises a plurality of Data Acquisition and Control (D&

C) cards, and wherein the operation of separately communicating packages of the test data from each of the plurality of processors, in parallel, to the data acquisition means of the SEM undergoing testing, includes;

each of the plurality of processors providing the test data in parallel to a separate one of the plurality of D&

C cards.