Subsea pumping apparatuses and related methods

A subsea pumping apparatus comprising:

• two or more subsea pumps, each having an inlet and an outlet;
• one or more motors, each configured to actuate at least one of the two or more pumps to communicate a hydraulic fluid from the inlet to the outlet;
• and
• two or more valves, each in fluid communication with the outlet of at least one of the two or more pumps and configured to selectively route, when the valve is in a first position, hydraulic fluid from the outlet to a location selected from the group consisting of a subsea environment, a reservoir, and the inlet of one of the two or more pumps and configured to selectively route, when the valve is in a second position, hydraulic fluid from the outlet to the hydraulically actuated device, and not the location,
• wherein at least one of the two or more valves is movable from the first position to the second position while at least one other of the two or more valves is in the first position,
• wherein the subsea pumping apparatus is configured to be in direct fluid communication with a hydraulically actuated device of a blowout preventer;
• and
• wherein the subsea pumping apparatus further comprises:
• a control circuit including a valve controller in electrical communication with at least one of the two or more valves and configured to adjust an output of at least one of the two or more subsea pumps by selectively varying the position of at least one of the two or more valves between the first position and the second position;
• and
• a sensor configured to capture data indicative of at least one of a flow rate or a pressure, thereby permitting the valve controller to vary the position of the at least one of the two or more valves based on the captured data;
• wherein the valve controller is configured to receive data captured by the sensor and compare the data to one of a known, a calculated, or a commanded hydraulic fluid pressure and/or flow rate requirement;
• wherein the valve controller, if the data indicates that the pressure and/or flow rate is lower than the known, calculated, and/or commanded hydraulic fluid pressure and/or flow rate requirement, is configured to adjust the pressure and/or flow rate upwards by varying the position of the at least one of the two or more valves;
• and
• wherein the valve controller, if the data indicates that the pressure and/or flow rate is higher than the known, calculated, and/or commanded hydraulic fluid pressure and/or flow rate requirement, is configured to adjust the outlet pressure and/or flow rate downwards by varying the position of the at least one of the two or more valves.