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Brown & Root Energy Services Wins Pipeline Industries Guild Technology Award
LONDON - Brown & Root Energy Services (BRES), a division of Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL), and GD Engineering have been presented the 2000 Award for the Most Significant Contribution to Subsea Pipeline Technology by the Pipeline Industries Guild, for their work in developing the first subsea pig launcher to be used for regular maintenance on a multiphase oil pipeline without interrupting production. The UK-based Pipeline Industries Guild is a world-wide authority on pipeline engineering and associated activities and promotes the subsea award annually.
Larry Farmer, president, Brown & Root Energy Services said: 'BRES is very honoured to receive this award. This is a tribute to our subsea and pipeline engineers and those of our client and collaborator. We have been committed to breakthroughs in subsea and pipeline engineering and construction for many years, and so it is especially gratifying to receive this recognition.'
The award was presented by the President of the Pipeline Industries Guild, Andrew Palmer, at the Guild's annual dinner held in London on 14th March.
The pig launcher was developed specifically for use in the BP Amoco Machar subsea oil field, part of the Eastern Trough Area Project (ETAP), but offers opportunities for significant cost savings for other long tie-back subsea developments.
Brown & Root Energy Services carried out the conceptual engineering of the launcher applying its extensive knowledge in subsea engineering. Specialised engineering company, GD Engineering, part of the Ti Group, carried out the detailed engineering design and fabrication of the multiple pig launcher and assisted with integration testing on site.
This innovative subsea pig launcher has now been successfully used on several occasions for wax removal from the 16-inch diameter, 245 bar design pressure, 36 km long production pipeline from BP Amoco's Machar subsea field to the Marnock platform in the northern sector of the North Sea, without the need to stop oil production.
The pig launcher is vertically deployed, remotely operable, flexible enough to accommodate intelligent pigs, environmentally friendly and intrinsically safe. It combines proven subsea technology with several innovative solutions. The pig launcher has been designed and fabricated to be robust enough to withstand repeated use with minimal intermediate maintenance and is deployed from a diving support vessel using heave compensated guide wires. Three pigs are launched in sequence using flow diverted from the subsea manifold. Connection to the subsea system is through two standard subsea hydraulic connectors. All of the subsea operations are carried out by remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with zero hydrocarbon leakage.
A significant problem associated with many long distance subsea tie-backs is the control of petroleum wax deposited on the inside of the pipeline wall as the process stream cools down. In the case of the BP Amoco Machar field pipeline, the wax build-up could be up to 3.5 mm per month along the pipe wall and will impact on the throughput of the pipeline if it is not removed. Brown & Root Energy Services and BP Amoco carried out a series of studies to determine the most cost-effective wax management method. These studies concluded that a subsea pig launcher would offer greater savings in CAPEX and OPEX than round trip pigging (no need for a second pipeline and no production downtime). Eleven alternative subsea launcher concepts were considered and key components identified. The study team focused on two basic critical components that had little or no previous history within the context of the subsea launcher: the remote pipeline connector and the pig release mechanism. The preferred connection system requires the coincidental make up of a 16-inch diameter pipeline and a 5-inch diameter kicker line. The connectors must be robust enough to be able to withstand being deployed as often as four times per year over a life of 18 years, be operable from a ROV and secure against 245 bar pressure. Standard 183/4 inch and 51/8 inch hydraulic tree connectors were selected. Provision of a reliable, fail-safe, pig release mechanism is fundamental to a successful subsea pigging operation. An innovative mechanism has been developed which consists of a pressure-balanced spool acting as a pig stop and kicker flow bypass. Kicker fluid is directed through each spool to the front and back of each pig providing a pressure-balanced system. Withdrawal of the first spool by the ROV directs full flow to the next spool and creates a positive pressure on the back of the first pig. This process is used to launch each of the 3 pigs in turn.
Building upon the technological success of the Machar field launcher, Brown & Root Energy Services and GD Engineering are working on a joint study to provide state of the art solutions for deepwater pigging applications in the USA and world-wide.
Brown & Root Energy Services supplies engineering, construction, operations and maintenance services to the upstream oil and gas industry worldwide. Its primary role is the engineering, project management, construction and operation of the facilities that are utilized for the production and transportation of oil and gas.
Founded in 1919, Halliburton Company is the world's leading diversified energy services, engineering, energy equipment, construction and maintenance company. In 1999, Halliburton's consolidated revenues were $14.9 billion and it conducted business with a workforce of approximately 100,000 in more than 120 countries.
Contact
Ken Beedle
ken.beedle@halliburton.com
Halliburton Company
Public Relations
Europe/Africa Region
(p) 44.1372.866622
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