Deep-Water Pipelay: Having The Right Tools

Deep-water Pipelay
Having the right tools
what does it mean?
Giorgio Martelli
Saipem
AOEC Bali, September 2012
Objectives
Advances in Deep-water Pipelay
Can Deep water be EASIER than Shallow?
Give a warm feeling that we are in control
AOEC Bali, September 2012 2

Ultimate Comfort
Will your company

entrust this gentleman
with their precious
deep-water projects?
No need:
there is a handful of
high quality
contractors

Deep-water experience
In the last 12 years, Saipem has designed and installed 23 pipeline systems
in water depths over 1,000 m.
Ultra-deep (in excess of 1,500 m water depth)
PROJECT NAME COUNTRY CLIENT LENGTH DIAM. WATER DEPTH PERIOD

BlueStream Russia Gazprom/SNAM 760 km 24" 2,150 m 1999 - 2003
Canyon Express USA Elf 176 km 12" 2,200 m 2000 - 2002
MEDGAZ Algeria Medgaz 210 km 24" 2,155 m 2006 - 2009
P55 SCR and Flowlines Brazil Petrobras 75 km 12" 1,900 m 2010 - 2013
JSM (Jack & S. Malo) USA Chevron 226 km 24" 2,140 m 2010 - 2013
Big Foot USA Enbridge 58 km 20" 1,714 m 2011 - 2013
Guara - Lula NE Brazil Petrobras 76 km 18" 2,130 m 2011 - 2013
Keathley Canyon Connector USA Williams 346 km 20" 2,200 m 2011 - 2013
Lula NE - Cernambi Brazil Petrobras 19 km 18" 2,232 m 2011 - 2014
Cabiunas Gas Export Brazil Petrobras 380 km 24" 2,230 m 2012 - 2014

Pipeline Design
Outside pressure in 2500 metres
A subsea pipeline must do water depth is 250 bar
two fundamental things:
Keep sea water out
Keep Oil/Gas in
Initially, during
installation, the pipe will
be empty and the EMPTY
FULL
pressure will come from
outside
In operation, internal
pressure from Oil/Gas
can be much higher
Product pressure could be
as high as 600 bar

Design Codes
International codes for the design of Pipelines have evolved greatly and
have now been verified by extensive experience.
Two cases in point:
THE CURRENT STANDARD

DNV OS-F101 Offshore Standard for Submarine Pipeline Systems
acceptance criteria and design procedures for pipelines.
applies modern limit-state-design principles
THE INNOVATION
DNV X-Stream
A smart concept based on taking advantage of differential pressure to reduce pipe
wall thickness
Will allow larger pipelines in deepewater to be deployed by existing equipment

Sea Current
(typical)
Current and waves Vertical Current Profile
intensity decreases
with depth.
200m
Once below a certain depth, wave and

current actions on the pipe are very
limited
In this example, the current at 200m

water depth is 4 times stronger than at
2000m
2000m water depth

S-Lay and J-Lay systems
J-LAY

J-Lay: perfect for deep-water

CastorOne: S-Lay and J-Lay together

S7000: Crane Vessel with J-Lay System

FDS & FDS2: Specialized J-Lay Vessels

J-Lay Tower: details

J-Lay System: how does it work?
TRAVELLING
CLAMP
FIXED FIXED
CLAMP CLAMP
Step 1: the pipe is held by the J-Lay tower lower & fixed Clamp;
Step 2: a new QJ is transferred into the J-Lay tower by the loading arm;
Step 3: QJ alignment welding, NDT & FJC activities are completed;
Step 4: load is transferred to travelling Clamp and fixed Clamp is disengaged;
Step 5: the QJ is laid by simultaneously moving the vessel ahead and

lowering the travelling clamp;
Step 6: load is transferred to fixed Clamp and a new cycle can start.

Vessel Position Tolerance
Elevation
2,100m water depth: large allowable movements
300m water depth: tight position tolerance

allowable
pipe bending
Source: Saipem Blue Stream Pipelay

Water Plane
Allowable Vessel Position 2,150m depth DEEP
200
150
100
50
0 nominal route
-500 0 500
-50
-100
-150
-200

Water Plane
Allowable Vessel Position 250m depth DEEP SHALLOW
200
150
100
50
0 nominal route
-500 0 500
-50
-100
-150
-200

Offshore Pipeline Welding
Recent advances in Automatic Welding
(GMAW) for offshore pipe-lay vessels.
Noticeably:
all positions welding

exotic materials alloys (CRA and
CLAD)
Automatic Non-Destructive Testing
(AUT) based on Ultra-sonic
techniques

And what if it all goes wrong?
Some recent high visibility

pipeline accidents
(last 5 years only):
36 CATS trunk line

30 Kvitebjorn line
2 off 24 North Africa lines
30 ADMA Oil export line
20 & 26 TransMed trunklines
19

TransMed (TMPC) 26 and 20
There are generally only 3 possible pipe damage scenarios:
Minor leak or structural damage
Dry buckle or kink
Rupture

TransMed (TMPC) 26 and 20
December 2008
21

Emergency Repairs: Reactive vs. Planned
Emergency repairs: REACTIVE
Accident Time to Repair Mitigation (or the luck factor)
CATS 6 months Pipe was not ruptured only kinked
TransMed 7 months Shallow water damage, diver intervention
An unprepared pipeline repair in deep-water for a serious rupture could take up to 2 years
(engineering, procurement, manufacturing, testing, commissioning, operations)
Emergency repairs: PLANNED

System Features Time to Deploy Time to Repair
MedGaz All components ready and maintained; 48 hrs 7 to 10 days

procedures in place (estimated) (estimated)
Lets do the math (for MedGaz, approximately):

Gas transport capacity Henry Hub Gas Price (31.08.2012) Daily Losses
20 million cubic meters per day 101 USD / thousand cubic meters 2 million USD / day

SIRCOS: Deepwater Pipeline Repair System
Intervention Equipment - Reusable
Specific Components - Permanent

Proven Technology
SIRCOS is qualified and already in operation
Qualified by DNV:
The connection technology has a Type Approval Certificate
covering applications for water depth up to 2,200 m
Two Systems in Operation in the Mediterranean:

GreenStream (GSBV) - 32dia, 1200 m w.d.
Medgaz - 24dia, 2200 m w.d.
One System under build in the Middle East:

Dolphin Gas Pipeline 36 & 48dia, 60 m w.d.

To conclude:
I have tried to scare you: I have tried to re-assure you:
In Saipem, our money is on the bet

that the industry will rest ASSURED (and INSURED!)

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Deep-water Pipelay

Having the right tools

what does it mean?

Advances in Deep-water Pipelay

Can Deep water be EASIER than Shallow?

Give a warm feeling that we are in control

AOEC Bali, September 2012 2

Will your company

AOEC Bali, September 2012 3

Ultra-deep (in excess of 1,500 m water depth)

PROJECT NAME COUNTRY CLIENT LENGTH DIAM. WATER DEPTH PERIOD

AOEC Bali, September 2012 4

AOEC Bali, September 2012 5

Two cases in point:

THE CURRENT STANDARD

AOEC Bali, September 2012 6

Once below a certain depth, wave and

In this example, the current at 200m

AOEC Bali, September 2012 7

AOEC Bali, September 2012 8

AOEC Bali, September 2012 9

AOEC Bali, September 2012 10

AOEC Bali, September 2012 11

AOEC Bali, September 2012 12

AOEC Bali, September 2012 13

Step 3: QJ alignment welding, NDT & FJC activities are completed;

Step 4: load is transferred to travelling Clamp and fixed Clamp is disengaged;

Step 5: the QJ is laid by simultaneously moving the vessel ahead and

AOEC Bali, September 2012 14

2,100m water depth: large allowable movements

300m water depth: tight position tolerance

Source: Saipem Blue Stream Pipelay

AOEC Bali, September 2012 15

Allowable Vessel Position 2,150m depth DEEP

Source: Saipem Blue Stream Pipelay

AOEC Bali, September 2012 16

Allowable Vessel Position 250m depth DEEP SHALLOW

Source: Saipem Blue Stream Pipelay

AOEC Bali, September 2012 17

all positions welding

AOEC Bali, September 2012 18

Some recent high visibility

36 CATS trunk line

AOEC Bali, September 2012

AOEC Bali, September 2012 20

AOEC Bali, September 2012

CATS 6 months Pipe was not ruptured only kinked

TransMed 7 months Shallow water damage, diver intervention

Emergency repairs: PLANNED

MedGaz All components ready and maintained; 48 hrs 7 to 10 days

Lets do the math (for MedGaz, approximately):

AOEC Bali, September 2012

Specific Components - Permanent

AOEC Bali, September 2012

SIRCOS is qualified and already in operation

Two Systems in Operation in the Mediterranean:

One System under build in the Middle East:

AOEC Bali, September 2012