Bosch Rexroth wins Hermes Award 2021

Bosch Rexroth’s commitment to innovation and sustainability was honoured at Hannover Messe with the prestigious Hermes Award 2021 for the world’s most compact electrical subsea valve actuator. The innovative SVA R2 will significantly reduce CO₂ emissions and is also suitable for use in future process systems for green hydrogen production and carbon capture and storage applications.

The Subsea Valve Actuator, designed for use underwater at depths down to 4,000 metres, combines an electric drive, field-proven safety systems and motion control solutions without taking up any more space than conventional hydraulic cylinders.

The revolutionary design eliminates the need for very long hydraulic hoses and a hydraulic power unit. The sensor power supply can also be used for the actuators, while the motion control system allows all operating states to be monitored.

One of the first intended applications is the electrification of subsea facilities for energy production. Thanks to the SVA R2 actuator, 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 farms generate renewable energy and hydrogen on site which must then be transported ashore via pipelines. The actuator will also play a key role in plans to use carbon capture and storage to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it underwater in subsea production facilities.

The first pilot tests are scheduled for the third quarter of 2021.