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Contenuto archiviato il 2022-12-27

THERMAL INSULATION OF SUBSEA PIPELINES FOR HOT FLUIDS (110 DEG. C) IN DEEP WATERS (400 M)

Obiettivo

To develop and produce at an economically acceptable price, a subsea insulation and anti-corrosion coating for application onto oil and gas flowlines. The coating will be suitable for installation by the normal pipe lay methods. The coating will be capable of operating at depths in excess of 400 m and oil temperatures of greater than 110 deg. C.
The coating is designed to protect the pipe from the corrosive effects of the sea water and to prevent heat loss from the pipe. It consists of two layers, an insulation and anti-corrosion layer and a top protective layer.
The materials for the insulation and the outer coating has been defined with the final materials meeting the expected mechanical performance. The materials are applied via side extrusion onto the steel before being cured in a steam autoclave. Problems were encountered with the extrusion and curing of the coating when applied to long (12 mtr.) lengths, the green (uncured) strength of the extrudate is very low with the subsequent breaking and feathering. It was found that lowering the temperature helped solve the problem but gave rise to increased shear within the extruder which caused the temperature to increase and the extrudate to break. Changing the die design again helped but resulted in a low application rate.
On curing it was found that the material went into flow while having a low viscosity, this results in a 'slumping' of the material around the pipe - uneven coating thickness and extrusion of the material through the compression wrap. Changing the cure temperatures and pressures did not eliminate the problem or did increasing the compression wrap build up and tension.
On testing the coated pipe passed all the mechanical tests, bending, shearing and stinger impact. The simulated service test showed that the coating could operate fully at 110 deg. C and was taken to 125 deg. C at water depths of 400 to 600 mtrs. The simulated surface testing was kept on for 8 weeks while the industry standard is 4 to 6 weeks.
Field joint systems have been developed which allow both fast and slow application either on board ship or on land.
At the current time the project is complete with the materials defined and a prototype built and tested, at this point in time further work is required in order to allow economical extrusion and to overcome the curing problems. This further work may require a change in materials.
The project will be split into seven phases :
PHASE 1 : DESIGN OF SYSTEM
PHASE 2 : DEFINING THE INSULATION MATERIAL
PHASE 3 : DEFINING THE OUTER COATING
PHASE 4 : FIELD JOINT SYSTEM
PHASE 5 : NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
PHASE 6 : PROTOTYPE MANUFACTURE
PHASE 7 : QUALIFICATION TESTING
Phases 1, 2 and 3 cover the design of the system, the screening of materials and the final formulations.
Phase 4 covers the on site joining and insulation of the weld area.
Phase 5 covers the factory QC.
Phase 6 and 7 cover the building and testing of the system to the oil industries specification.
All phases are now COMPLETE.

Argomento(i)

Invito a presentare proposte

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Meccanismo di finanziamento

DEM - Demonstration contracts

Coordinatore

Regal Technology (UK) Ltd
Contributo UE
Nessun dato
Indirizzo
c/o British Pipe Coaters Ltd Imperial Dock Leith
EH6 7DR Edinburgh
Regno Unito

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Costo totale
Nessun dato