Award for Innovation and Sustainability

Bosch Rexroth won the Hermes Award 2021 for its SVA R2 series, an electrical actuator for subsea valves that significantly reduces CO2 emissions. Thanks to this system, control units and kilometre-long hydraulic lines are no longer necessary, and procurement and operating costs are reduced.

Bosch Rexroth received the Hermes Award 2021, at the Hanover Trade Fair, for its SVA R2, a compact electrical actuator for subsea valves. This innovative system is helping to significantly reduce not only CO2 emissions from process systems but also environmental risks. The SVA R2 is also suitable for use in future process systems, to produce green hydrogen and for carbon capture and storage applications. The SVA R2 Subsea Valve Actuator opens and closes valves in process systems. Up until now, this task was usually performed in subsea factories by hydraulic cylinders which had to be supplied by hydraulic lines several kilometres in length. Previous attempts to replace them with electrical actuators failed because they required more space, the emergency power supply using batteries was too expensive and it was not possible to integrate field-proven safety systems.
The Bosch Rexroth team of experts was able to rise to every challenge and achieve a great result. For the first time ever, the SVA R2 Subsea Valve Actuator combines an electrical drive, field-proven safety systems and a motion control system and takes up no more space than the hydraulic cylinders normally used. The module is designed for subsea use at depths of up to 4,000 m.

Agile development methods for futuristic applications

After all, the hydraulic pipes with several kilometers in length along with the central hydraulic power unit are no longer required. The currently available power supply for sensors can be utilized in addition to power the actuators. With a space-saving design, the safety systems which have proven themselves in hydraulic cylinders for decades, could now be integrated what was not possible in all previous approaches. In addition, the motion control system allows the operating states to be monitored. The Subsea Valve Actuator team at Bosch Rexroth uses agile development methods and works closely with operators, suppliers and international universities. One of the first intended applications is the electrification of subsea production facilities for energy production. Thanks to the Subsea Valve Actuator SVA R2, the procurement and operating costs for these facilities are lower and they are more energy-efficient and safer than ever before. Other areas of use include future process systems for the production of green hydrogen where for example offshore wind energy plants generate renewable energy and hydrogen on site which is then transported ashore via pipelines. The actuator also plays a role in the initial plans to use carbon capture and storage to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it under water in previous subsea production facilities.