FPSO export connections tested
April 2000 Vol. 221 No. 4 Feature Article TECHNOLOGY FROM EUROPE FPSO export connections tested One of the world’s most noteworthy deepwater field developments is the site for fir
TECHNOLOGY FROM EUROPEFPSO export connections testedOne of the worlds most noteworthy deepwater field developments is the site for first installation of a new export line concept. At Elf Aquitaines Girassol field offshore Angola, an arrangement consisting of two 16-in. rigid export lines connected to the FPSO is being utilized.
Supplied by TECHLAM, this scheme includes the firms Flexjoint connection systems. These easily-installed connectors use laminated elastomeric components (rubber / steel composition) and have integrated pre-tensioning devices. Placed at the connection points (FPSO and buoy sides) of the export lines, they are able to flow 6,000 cu m/hr (37,740 bbl/hr) of crude oil. This flow is achieved with a pressure of 75 bar and extreme angulations of ± 36°. The connectors are designed to have a 20-year lifespan. This initial contract and installation result from a strategy put in place in 1997 by TECHLAM and its parent company, SNECMA, to develop Flexjoint connectors. The companies believe that given the expected acceleration of deepwater projects within the next 10 years, significant opportunities exist offshore West Africa, Brazil and the U.S. Gulf Coast for use of these connection systems. |