Offshore staff
RICHARDSON, Texas -- Furmanite has designed, built, and delivered a high pressure subsea self-sealing repair clamp as a contingency measure for the BP-operated Everest-Forties condensate pipeline in the North Sea. The clamp will provide a fast and efficient means of repairing a leak without requiring shutdown, the company says.
The 14-in. (36-cm) FurmaSeal clamp has been custom designed to accommodate the pipeline's 346 mm 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 on to 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 (14 to 149° F), in accordance with the pipeline operating conditions, with a design life of 25 years.
The clamp does not require sealing compound or welding as it 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 mechanically-actuated high integrity seal, the company says.
The Everest field lies 233 km (145 mi) 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, 65 km (40 mi) to the west, from where it enters the Forties pipeline system.
03/26/2009
