Bosch Rexroth wins Hermes Award 2021

Bosch Rexroth has won the Hermes Award 2021 for the company’s SVA R2 Subsea Valve Actuator, the world’s first electrical actuator for controlling process valves under water. Presented at Hannover Messe 2021, the Hermes Award is the international trade show’s annual technology prize, recognizing products and solutions that have a particularly high level of technological innovation.

The SVA R2 is designed to a drop-in replacement for conventional hydraulic cylinders commonly used in subsea process industries, such as oil and gas production. Within these offshore installations, hydraulic cylinders are typically used to open and close subsea valves, and require a central power unit with hydraulic lines several kilometers long. While energy inefficient, hydraulic systems are currently the standard since they are compact and integrate field-tested safety systems.

In comparison, Bosch Rexroth’s all electric SVA R2 is also compact and satisfies Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3 requirements but minimizing energy consumption and eliminates the possibility of hydraulic fluid leaks. The new module comprises a pressure-compensated container that contains an electric drive, a motion control system and a safety device. As such, the unit also allows for precise motion control and only requires one cable for the power supply and communication down to a depth of 4,000 meters.

According to Bosch Rexroth, the SVA R2 is suitable for other applications both below and above water such as hydrogen production, CO2 storage and general applications in the process industry. The company says it’s currently in the testing phase of full scale prototypes built in accordance with stringent international standards, with the first pilot tests to start in the third quarter of 2021.
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