Offshore staff
PARIS – Nexans has delivered its first subsea direct electrical heating (DEH) system consignment to BP for use in the Shah Deniz Stage 2 project in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea.
The full package comprises 130 km (81 mi) of cables and accessories that will provide flow assurance for 10 subsea flowlines serving the high-pressure gas/condensate development. Nexans expects to complete the second and final delivery in 2016.
The $123-million contract is part of a 10-year frame agreement between Nexans and BP covering the supply of umbilical cables, DEH systems, accessories, and services for various deepwater oil and gas projects worldwide.
Nexans says theShah Deniz flowlines system requirements are more complex than previous DEH projects, due to proliferation of subsea systems for this project and the operating environment in the Caspian Sea.
All cables and accessories are produced at the company’s plant in Halden, Norway.
DEH is designed to safeguard the well stream flow through the pipeline to the platform. Alternating current transmitted from the DEH cable runs through the steel in the pipe, which heats up due to its own electrical resistance. This allows the pipeline to be operated in a cost efficient and environmentally safe manner, the company claims.
By controlling the current, the pipeline inner wall can be maintained constantly above the critical temperature for hydrate formation, which is expected to lead to problem-free transportation.
12/18/2014