RGB Spectrum Helps Cap the BP Gulf Oil Well
RGB Spectrum, a leader in videographic processing technology, today announced its part in the successful installation of a replacement cap on the Deepwater Horizon Well in the Gulf of Mexico. The delicate work was handled by deepwater remote operating vehicles (ROVs) controlled shipboard by an integrated control system using RGB Spectrum MediaWall display technology.
Each ROV communicates video images from cameras mounted on it to a control ship where an operator manipulates the mechanical arms of the ROV. The MediaWall, by concentrating camera feeds with other operating data, provides enhanced situational awareness to the remote operator for the sophisticated work required more than 1500 meters underwater.
Recent estimates indicate that up to 180 million gallons of crude oil have leaked from the well since the fire and explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform on April 20, 2010. BP Plc, which is responsible for the disaster and clean up efforts, used remote operated vehicles during the evaluation of the well's status and to implement all recovery and repair procedures. Due to the extreme pressures of subsea operation, ROVs are the safest and most cost effective means of addressing seafloor operations. Without a robust and effective remote control solution, timely subsea operations would not be possible.
To underscore the importance of remote control and monitoring, BP vice president Kent Wells said, "Results monitored from control rooms on ships at sea and hundreds of miles away at the company's U.S. headquarters in Houston showed the oil staying inside the cap, rather than escaping through any undiscovered breaches."
"RGB Spectrum is pleased to have been an important link in the chain of the solution to this economic and environmental disaster," said Bob Marcus, RGB Spectrum founder and CEO. "Control rooms around the world, which monitor critical assets, operations and safety, are made possible through the use of RGB video processing technology providing faithful, real-time, high quality, visual display of monitored situations."
RGB Spectrum® is a leading designer and manufacturer of videographic and multimedia hardware subsystems. Products include the View™ family of video windowing systems, the RGB/Videolink® line of scan converters, the Linx™ DVI Matrix Switchers, the DGy™ digital recording system, Quadra® DVI universal scaler and synchronizer, SynchroMaster® keyers and overlayers and ComputerWall® and MediaWall® multi-screen display controllers. RGB Spectrum is based in Alameda, California, and can be reached at 510-814-7000 and on the internet at http://www.rgb.com.
RGB Spectrum is a leading designer and manufacturer of mission-critical, real-time audio-visual solutions for a civilian, government, and military client base. The company offers integrated hardware, software, and control systems to satisfy the most demanding requirements. Since 1987, RGB Spectrum has been dedicated to helping its customers achieve Better Decisions. Faster.™
