Deepwater pipeline pre-commissioning and in-line inspections are
logistical and technical challenges, and vessel time is typically a
major expense. The Tamar gas field project in the Mediterranean Sea met
these challenges using specialized subsea commissioning technology to
mechanically displace and introduce pipeline fluids, and ultrasonic
in-line inspection tools to assure pipeline integrity.
The long-distance, deepwater pipeline project for Noble Energy
involved a subsea gas production and transportation system connecting
the Tamar gas field to an offshore receiving and processing platform
linked to the existing Mari-B platform. The system produces gas from
five high-flow-rate subsea wells through separate infield flowlines to a
subsea manifold. Dual subsea pipelines transport production from the
subsea manifold approximately 149 km (92.5 mi) to the Tamar offshore
receiving and processing platform. The processed gas goes to the
existing Ashdod Onshore Terminal (AOT) for sales into the Israel Natural
Gas Line (INGL).
Weatherford's Pipeline and Specialty Services (P&SS) group was
contracted to provide the pipeline pre-commissioning and inspection,
including tieback pipelines, monoethylene glycol (MEG) pipelines,
infield flowlines, gas and condensate injection pipelines, Tamar sales
gas export pipeline, and utility pipelines. Integration of these
services through a single contractor was one key to reducing logistical
and scheduling constraints for overall project success.
Infield flowline operations
Challenges and solutions engaged in the project revolved around
subsea flooding, testing, and MEG injection; dewatering, MEG
conditioning, and nitrogen purging; and ultrasonic wall measurement base
line inspection.
A key aspect of the pre-commissioning involved flooding, cleaning,
gauging, and hydrotesting the 5 x 10-in. deepwater (1,600 m to 1,800
m/5,248 ft to 5,904 ft) infield flowlines of 4-km to 6-km (2.5-mi to
3.7-mi) lengths. These operations were performed from the seabed using
Weatherford's Denizen subsea pre-commissioning system.
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The Tamar gas field presented many logistical and technical challenges to pre-commissioning and inspection. |
Flowline operations were independent of the tieback lines and jumper
installation. Schedule flexibility increased as a result, and the remote
subsea operations avoided the use of a large, vessel-based pumping
spread or deepwater downline. Subsea pumps for the flood and hydrotest
operations were driven by high ambient hydrostatic pressure during the
pipeline free-flood phase and by ROV hydraulic power.
The Denizen pigging pump launched the dewatering pig train with slugs
of MEG. A custom, high-volume MEG skid was deployed subsea and
connected to the flooding skid to avoid the cost of downline
intervention to inject the MEG.
Pre-launching the pigs allowed dewatering of the 10-in. infield lines
via a jumper from the 16-in. tieback lines. As a result, all dewatering
nitrogen injection was performed from the shallow end of the tieback
lines.
Another novel subsea operation used multiple remote subsea
data-logging skid packages during hydro-testing. Typically, the ROV and
pumping skid hold station at the end of the pipeline for the full 12- or
24-hr pressure test. This was unworkable with five pipelines requiring
testing and hold periods.
The solution was to deploy multiple independent hydro-test logging
skids. The system's pumping skid has a built-in hydro-test data logging
system that displays pipeline pressure, temperature, and pump flow rate.
A high-pressure triplex pump, powered by the ROV's hydraulic system,
elevated pipeline pressure by injecting chemically treated and filtered
seawater.
The logging skids were stabbed into the pipeline and the pressure
test was conducted through them. Instead of remaining on station during
the hold period, the pump skid was freed to pressurize the next
pipeline.
Twin 16-in. pipelines
Flooding, cleaning, and gauging the twin 147-km (91.3-mi) x 16-in.
pipelines was done from a vessel at the shallow end of the 240-m to
1,700-m (782-ft to 5,576-ft) water depth run. In-line inspection surveys
were conducted during flooding. A caliper tool was pumped to verify
minimum bore followed by a UTMW tool to acquire the wall thickness
baseline survey.
The inspection was followed by dewatering operations for all 5 km (3
mi) of the Tamar infield and tieback pipelines. Pipeline diameter and
water depth required a pressure range of 170 to 235 bar (3,465 psi/17
MPa to 3,408 psi/23.5 MPa), which required specialized compression
equipment. Weatherford's Temporary Air Compression Station (TACS) fleet
provided sufficient compression power to complete the dewatering, MEG
conditioning, and nitrogen purging in a single pigging operation.
The procedure eliminated additional post-dewatering pigging/purging,
and left the pipelines ready to accept hydrocarbons. MEG batches between
pigs in the dewatering train conditioned the post-dewatering residual
water and prevented the formation of hydrates. Additional MEG was
included for pipe wall desalination.
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Denizen pumping skid with ROV reduced vessel time for subsea operations. |
A novel approach was also used to dewater the 10-in. infield lines
via the 16-in. tieback lines without using a downline or a second
vessel. The tieback lines were packed to a higher gas pressure (232
bar/3,365 psi/23.2 MPa) than required for dewatering (170 bar). Later,
the nitrogen in from these lines was directed through a manifold and set
of jumpers to drive the pig trains in the 10-in. infield lines. Because
the pig trains were launched earlier, no deepwater downline was
required for MEG injection.
Dewatering efficiency was achieved by regulating pig speed using a
stab-mounted orifice plate installed at the discharge end of each 10-in.
infield line. Days of vessel time were saved by dewatering all five
infield lines using the pressurized nitrogen contained in the long
tieback lines.
UTWM line inspection
The cost of deepwater repair makes inspection accuracy critical to
pipeline integrity assessment. An ultrasonic wall measurement (UTWM)
baseline survey was performed on the 16-in. tieback using Weatherford's
latest ultrasonic in-line inspection (ILI) tools.
Ultrasound non-destructive testing has been used for in-line
inspection since the 1980s. The technology measures wall thickness based
on ultrasound compression waves directed into the pipe wall. Ultrasonic
transducers positioned 90° to the pipe wall use an impulse-echo mode to
transmit an acoustic wave and to receive return echoes. The echoes
represent the locations of the internal and external pipe wall, and
metallurgical anomalies such as laminations. A UTWM baseline inspection
identifies and classifies non-injurious signals such as mid-wall
laminations and other mill-related anomalies.
Baseline corrosion survey
Accurate anomaly classification and sizing is valuable when comparing
the baseline to future inspection data. Accuracy also enhances future
integrity efforts such as engineering assessments and growth rates. It
is important for deepwater subsea lines where normal onshore
non-destructive examination validation practices are cost prohibitive. A
higher level of accuracy is also important when assessing anomalies,
assigning risk, and prioritizing maintenance and expenses.
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Advanced ultrasonic inspection tool was used to examine pipeline integrity. |
Compared to magnetic flux leakage (MFL) tools, ultrasonic technology
results in better sizing accuracy in determining wall loss and pipe wall
thickness. This is because ultrasonic pulse echo physics are a more
direct measurement of wall loss. In some cases, however, MFL is a better
solution because it can be more forgiving of dirt, debris, rough
internal pipe surfaces, and waxy liquids. This necessitates a
comprehensive pre-inspection assessment prior to selection of the
appropriate technology.
Accurate measurement of wall thickness has a direct influence in
calculating the failure pressure of a corrosion feature. Typical MFL
tools do not measure wall thickness but infer it from API pipe
specification, pipeline construction data, and/or estimated variations
in the magnetic field. This provides a relative assessment due to
pipeline data inaccuracies or difficultly obtaining data because of
asset ownership transfers, unavailable data, or unrecorded pipeline
reroutes and modifications.
In addition, inferred measurements do not consider wall thickness
tolerances from the pipe mill. As a result, an MFL corrosion wall loss
depth measurement depends on a relative measurement of the pipe wall.
This decreases the sizing accuracy beyond the normal ILI tool sizing
tolerance because, in addition to tolerances associated with the ILI
tool anomaly sizing, there are also tolerances associated with the
actual pipe spool wall thickness from the mill.
Acceptable tolerances from the mill can be as high as ± 10% for pipe
wall thicknesses between 5 mm (0.2 in.) and 15 mm (0.6 in.) in welded
pipeline. Tolerances for pipe walls greater than or equal to 15 mm are ±
15% in welded pipe. These pipe mill tolerances and the high
corrosion-anomaly sizing tolerances of an MFL tool mean the calculated
failure pressure from an ILI survey can be significantly over or under
as the result of sizing inaccuracies caused by quantifying depths as a
percentage of the assumed wall thickness.
More accurate corrosion sizing also provides better data to feed an
assessment standard such as B31G, modified B31G, or RSTRENG effective
area assessment, the preferred method for determining the remaining
strength of the pipe. Of the three, RSTRENG effective area assessment is
the most accurate, based on actual versus predicted burst pressure
tests.
Experience demonstrates the occurrence of echo loss due to adverse
pipeline conditions. New sensor technology in current UTWM devices helps
enhance detection and accuracy. API 11636 engineering tests and field
data analysis show improved sensitivity and reduced signal degradation,
which is critical to a successful deepwater subsea baseline survey. The
same sensor technology is used for in-line crack inspection with
accurate sizing results that can be used for integrity assessments
methodologies such as API 5797.
16-in. tieback inspection
In the Mediterranean operation, tight scheduling for the subsea
launch presented a challenge for the 16-in. UTWM ILI inspections.
Normally, there would have been sufficient battery life for the
inspection tool run. However, in this case a delayed activation was
needed because of the time needed for a subsea launch.
The ILI tool first had to be inserted into the pipeline launcher
receiver (PLR) onboard the vessel. A vessel crane moved the launcher
with the ILI tool to the pipeline end manifold (PLEM). A hydraulic lock
secured the pipeline end termination (PLET) to the pipeline, and an ROV
was used to turn the subsea valves and launch the pig.
The time-consuming process increased the risk of delays that could
drain battery life and cause a failed run. As a result, a two-hour
window was included for unforeseen delays. This safety factor led to
programing a 12-hour delayed activation from the time the tool was
inserted into the PLR onboard the vessel.
Sumber :
http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-73/issue-12/flowlines-and-pipelines/innovation-enhances-deepwater-pipeline-pre-commissioning-and-inspection.html