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Announcements
Posted by: anonymous on 03/29/2009 09:37 PM
Updated by: anonymous on 03/29/2009 09:37 PM
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00 AM
Leak Sealing Precautions for North Sea Pipeline
Furmanite, the specialist engineering and technical services company, has designed, built and delivered a high pressure subsea self-sealing repair clamp as a contingency measure for the BP operated Everest to Forties condensate pipeline in the North Sea. The clamp will provide a fast and efficient means of repairing a leak without requiring shutdown, should the need arise.
The 14 inch FurmaSeal clamp has been custom designed to accommodate the pipeline’s 346mm outside diameter (an unusual dimension as a 14 inch line is typically 355.6mm outside diameter).
The hinged split sleeve repair clamp is designed for emergency pressure containment in the event of any pipeline defects, and can be installed onto the line to repair or provide reinforcement without interrupting normal operation. It is designed to accommodate pressures to 179 bar, and temperatures from -10 to +65°C, in accordance with the pipeline operating conditions, with a design life of 25 years.
No sealing compound is necessary, and no welding required, as the clamp uses flouro-elastomer seals. These are compressed and loaded by bolting around each end of the clamp and between the two lamp halves, providing a high effective, mechanically-actuated high integrity seal.
Furmanite is well known for its experience and expertise in this field, and was selected to supply the clamp by pipeline and subsea engineering and management contractor J P Kenny. “We were very happy with Furmanite’s fully detailed bid documentation and have been pleased with the level of service provided throughout the manufacturing process, keeping us informed at every stage,” J P Kenny subsea engineer Adnan Razzouk said.
Furmanite business development director Mike Tucker added: “There are always potential risks to consider, as any damage breaching pipeline integrity can be extremely costly. Contingency repair clamps such as this one allow any leaks to be dealt with immediately, at a cost that is likely to be far less than the potential financial impact of a leak, particularly if that leak forces a platform or pipeline shutdown. Our contingency repair clamps are attracting growing demand as this is increasingly recognised.”
The Everest field lies 233 km east of Aberdeen and is a gas condensate reservoir. The Everest condensate liquid is piped to the Central Area Transmission System (CATS) riser platform where it is mixed with Lomond condensate and transported to the Forties complex, 65km to the west, from where it enters the Forties pipeline system.
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