Portishead-based Viper Subsea, which supplies hi-tech equipment to the global oil and gas sector, has acquired a 33% stake in a US technology firm – paving the way for it to develop a range of innovative products. 
LiveWire Innovation is the recognised leader in Spread-Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry (SSTDR) – a technology that enables system operators and equipment manufacturers to ‘see’ into their electrical infrastructure and pinpoint the location of electrical short-circuits, open-circuits and other faults.
Under the deal, Viper has acquired exclusivity to LiveWire’s SSTDR products in certain geographical markets and business segments, including subsea.
SSTDR has the ability to locate faults to within 98% accuracy and Viper said it would be a strong value-add to its current product capabilities.
Viper said when coupled with its market-leading products such as its V-IR, which helps locate electrical faults on subsea cabling, and V-LIM, which insulates subsea cables, SSTDR would transform clients’ ability to operate their electrical cable infrastructure and pin-point failures.
Viper Subsea managing director Neil Douglas, pictured left, said: “This is a strategic move that benefits both parties.
“The combined Viper Subsea/LiveWire offer will reduce maintenance and troubleshooting costs for clients, increase system reliability, and reduce down-time for a range of systems that rely on electrical cables to deliver power and/or communications.
“The combined technology will be able to extend the useful life of systems and equipment. This is a very exciting time for both businesses, as well as for the industries that will benefit from a marriage of two innovative technologies.”
LiveWire’s SSTDR technology transmits small signals along communications or power cables and detects any anomalies along their length. Proprietary algorithms interpret the signals and convert the information into data that can be used by the client.
As well as fault locating in subsea electrical distribution, the technology can also be used in aviation, transportation, utilities, and industrial applications.
LiveWire Innovation CEO John Baumann, pictured right, added: “LiveWire is excited to have Viper Subsea as both a financial investor and a close industry partner. 
“Viper Subsea’s engineering skill-set, product development capability, targeted end-markets and complimentary insulation monitoring techniques make them a perfect fit with LiveWire.
“The strategic focus of LiveWire has been to partner with OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and end-equipment manufacturers to integrate and embed SSTDR capability that is needed for wide scale deployment of the technology.”
Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
Founded in 2004, LiveWire Innovation is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with operations in California, Taiwan and a UK operation in Portsmouth.
The firm has an extensive portfolio of patents based in part on $13m of funding by the US Department of Defence that helped it develop the technology and applications aeronautic maintenance.
Viper Subsea was established in 2007 by Neil Douglas and Max Nodder and has since emerged as one of the world’s most innovative suppliers of products and services for the international offshore oil and gas industry. The firm employs 45 staff at its Portishead headquarters and an office in Aberdeen and has enjoyed year-on-year growth since foundation.
Its products, which span hydraulic, chemical, electrical and optical subsea distribution systems and equipment, are exported around the globe.
The firm also offers a range of engineering consultancy and asset integrity management services. More than 80% of its sales are overseas, with products installed as far afield as Brazil, Norway, Germany, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, the US, Australia, and Indonesia.
In April Viper Subsea won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation for its ground-breaking V-LIFE Electrical Insulation Resistance Improvement System.
