PIPELINE BASED ON ESTABLISHED AND FIELD-PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES
new deep-water pipeline concept reduces cost but not safety
Henrik O. Madsen, CEO DNV
DNV has developed a new pipeline concept, called X-Stream, that can significantly reduce the cost of a deep- and ultra-deepwater gas pipeline while still complying with the strictest safety and integrity regime. X-Stream is based on established and field-proven technologies which have been innovatively arranged.
X-Stream can reduce both the pipeline wall thickness and time spent on welding and installation compared to deep-water gas pipelines currently in operation. The exact reduction in the wall thickness depends on the water depth, pipe diameter and actual pipeline profile. Typically, for a gas pipeline in water depths of 2,500 m, the wall thickness reduction can be 25 to 30 % compared to traditional designs. massive “It’s essential for DNV that the new concept meets the strict requirements of the existing safety and integrity regime, 32
OFFSHOrE VISIE
1 / 2012
and I’m pleased to confirm that this concept does,” says Dr. Henrik O. Madsen, DNV’s CEO to OV at a press briefing in London mid January.“ DNV has been instrumental in developing and upgrading the safety and integrity regime and standards for offshore pipelines over the past decades. Today, more than 65 % of the world’s offshore pipelines are designed and installed to DNV’s offshore pipeline standard. As the deep-water gas transportation market will experience massive investments and considerable growth over the coming years, new safe and cost-efficient solutions are needed.”
thick Current deep-water gas pipelines have thick walls and, due to quality and safety requirements, the number of pipe mills capable of producing the pipe is limited. When installing pipelines, the heavy weights are difficult to handle and the thick walls are challenging to weld. And finally, the number of pipe-laying vessels for deep-water pipelines is limited too. deeper New offshore oil and gas fields are being developed in deeper and deeper waters and export solutions for the gas are critical. New exploration activities are