RetroPod™
Cathodic protection anode replacement for platforms

RetroPod is designed to reduce installation time for anode retrofit projects, cutting costs significantly.

The RetroPod is an aluminum anode system, arranged in stable, self-contained "pods," ideal for replacing depleted anodes on mature assets. The Pods are designed to be lowered to the sea floor and then connected electrically to the target structure via Deepwater's RetroClamp system. The traditional cathodic protection retrofit method of clamping dual-anodes onto existing jacket members is much more time-consuming, and therefore more expensive. The RetroPod can be installed in less than a quarter of the time it would take to install the equivalent amount of cathodic protection anodes using the traditional method (read more).

Diver or ROV Installed - An installed RetroPod is located on the sea bed, just inside or outside the base of the jacket, attached with one or two RetroClamps. The RetroClamp can be installed easily with divers or ROV's (depending on depth) to any tubular member, flange, or subsea support beam. The speed of installation is what makes the RetroPod so successful, as installation costs dominate budgeting for most anode retrofit projects.

A Reliable Connection - The RetroClamp is patented technology, developed at Deepwater and available nowhere else. The RetroClamp connects to the RetroPod electrically with two armored cables to the asset it is intended to protect. The floating plate on the top of the clamp ensures a strong and constant connection that will not damage the structure. The ease with which it is installed makes the RetroClamp incredibly cost-effective in comparison to underwater welding or other attachment methods.

Applications

Traditional Offshore Structures

The RetroPod system is extremely cost effective for replacing or supplementing the cathodic protection (CP) on aging offshore structures that sit in between 85 ft and 300 ft of seawater. The system has been performing well in some installations for over 14 years now, which is over half of the designed life of a standard retrofit. Since the pods can be installed with ROV, there is actually no depth limit to the structures to which it can be retrofitted. However some deeper structures may require some additional CP near the surface.

Deep Water Production Equipment

With the RetroClamp system, and reduced currents in deep water, many operators have begun to use the RetroPod system to retrofit cathodic protection on deep water production equipment. The large amount of anode material on one RetroPod combined with the relatively small amount of exposed steel involved in a deep water field allows one pod to adequately protect multiple wellheads, manifolds, trees etc. (see sample project data for examples).

For anode retrofits with built-in monitoring systems, read about Deepwater's SmartPod, with built in electrodes and subsea readouts.

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Key design points

Designed with cost in mind

By placing the RetroPod on bottom, the design reduces retrofit installed cost to approximately 1/3 of a conventional clamp-on fix. The arrangement of the anodes in the pod also maximizes the current output of the aluminum, requiring less of what is becoming a very expensive metal.

Safe for divers

With the RetroPod, there is no direct diver intervention with the heavy aluminum anodes. A crane lowers the Pod onto the bottom, and then the diver simply installs the RetroClamp Tie-Back (Clamp may also be installed via ROV).

Structural integrity awareness

The traditional bolted clamp-on anodes used to retrofit offshore platforms add a lot of weight and drag to the structure (generally and AGING structure). A RetroPod sits on the sea floor, requiring minimal contact with the structure, only at the RetroClamp connection point.

Modular construction

RetroPod's modular construction allows simple re-configuration for 10 – 25 year life extension in 5-year increments. We do this by selecting either 325 lb or 725 lb anodes for each of the four available slots on the pod .The semi-remote location of the Pod on the sea floor (rather than being directly attached to the structure) greatly improves current distribution as well, maximizing anode efficiency.

Quality Control

All of the anodes that Deepwater provides are manufactured at one of our ISO 9000 certified foundries. Each foundry is located just minutes from the engineers and designers running our projects, allowing Deepwater to oversee QA/QC on every anode.

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