Objetivo - The industrial market targeted by this new product is the offshore production, either temporary or marginal. It aims to improve the oil field production through floating supports with gas injection in the reservoir or using gas lift activation.- Actually the swivel joints with fiction lips under permanent rotation are limited to operating low pressure 1500 PSI.- TPG's original idea avoids this problem, and uses in operating conditions its gas swivel joint under 5000 PSI.- This swivel joint is made of two identical parts, combining a torsionally deformable sleeve and an afeable joint (packer). Each packer performs at same time static tightness of the pipe and the rotational drive of the torsionally deformable sleeve it is associated with.The gas tightness can then be maintained during the rotating on a fraction of turn without any sliding because of the limited elastic deformation of the torsionally deformable sleeve.The results have been estimated satisfying. However two operating conditions have not been achieved : tests with methane gas and higher operating temperature 100 deg. C.The use of methane and the 100 deg. C temperature would have to be done in another test center. Following the over stepping of budget and planning this deplacement has not been conducted.As a matter of fact, the present test center has no methane gas distribution circuit associated with a protection enclosure and the gas heating circuit was not suitable without a new Mines control confirmation of the swivel joint.However use of methane gas as well as high temperature would not have been significant if taking in account the short available duration test.Moreover, the methane is chemically more aggressive than the nitrogen gas, but methane molecules are bigger and then less diffuse in the rubber molecular structure than the nitrogen.In addition the specific rubber used by the manufacture for the torsional sleevewas guaranteed for working with mwethane or nitrogen gas and with temperature of 100 deg. C for long duration.A severe decompresion to the atmospherically pressure of gas was capable to damage the torsional sleeves. This risk has been suppressed by installation of a choke valve (20 bar) on the event.In conclusion, the following modifications have been brought :- ameliorate the packers (more adapted and stronger),- provide a gas exhaust system of high pressure to atmosphere (controlled to avoid the abrupt decompression of rubber a elastomeric component),- optimize the technological mean of inflation and deflation of the packers, not driven by a fixed angle cam but a torsion stress gauge implanted directly on the river.TPG thinks that it will be possible to achieve an operational swivel joint after adaptation and long duration test of this system.Moreover, the manufacture technical procedures are now known and all the technical difficulties have been solved for the industrial development.- After five years of research and development TECHNIP-GEOPRODUCTION has successfully achieved in 1991, a CEC development programme (THERMIE) for the design, the construction and the test of a high pressure gas swivel joint prototype (diameter 4') based on an entirely new step by step concept.- This prototype has been built, with a first concept of packer, including the undulating fine plats, welded in extremity and filled with elastomeric component. After a pressure control at 670 bar, these packers have not been fluid tight.- Others packers have been manufactured, following a new concept of cylindrical fine membranes deformed under high hydraulic driving pressure.- During the thermal treatment, this second generation of packer has been twisted, distorted and has necessitated a reparation. After assembly, the swivel joint has been controlled and tested at high pressure following the specific procedure. The hydraulic system has continuously and successfully performed the gas tightness of the typical pipe whatever the amplitude or the rotation direction.The stress amplitude of the packer, in perfect tightness and without any transfer of one packer to the other, has been around 30 deg depending on the angular stress ability of the torsionally deformable sleeves. This is enoguh to cover most of the floating support motions (over 99%) the hydraulic system being activated only in the exceptional cases of stream and wind changes. These test sequences have ben established with a computer driving the random oscillations of the swivel.The commands were of two types :- position with an angular value selected following the direction +/- during a display time,- oscillation around the preceding established position.The values of command were as follows :- angular (+/-) 2, 3, 4 or 5 deg.,- period 9, 10, 12 seconds.The selected executive speeds were slow to simulate the realistic motions of a tanker anchored around it anchorage buoy.During approximately a total of forty hours, under permanent Nitrogen high pressure (5000 PSI) and associated oscillations, the swivel joint has successfully been tested.The frictions have been observed, resulting of the reparation phase of the packers. But the tests have been carried out, with positive results. Programa(s) ENG-HYDROCARB 2C - Programme (EEC) of support for technological development in the hydrocarbons sector, 1986-1989 Tema(s) 1.7 - NATURAL GAS TECHNOLOGY Convocatoria de propuestas Data not available Régimen de financiación DEM - Demonstration contracts Coordinador TECHNIP GEOPRODUCTION (TPG) Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección TOUR TECHNIP- LA DEFENSE 6 PLACE HENRI RENAULT 180 92090 PARIS LA DEFENSE Francia Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos
