June 2009 Vol. 236 No. 6

Projects

Innovative Pipe Repair Solution For North Sea Field

TDW Offshore Services AS designed and delivered a customized pipeline repair solution for StatoilHydro.

Kvitebjorn field in the North Sea. The field, which resumed exports of liquids and gas on January 27, 2009, had been shut down in August 2008 when a gas leak was discovered approximately 6.2 miles from the platform. StatoilHydro contacted TDW Offshore Services, as one of its suppliers with which it shares a frame contract, to develop one of several alternative solutions to repair the gas pipeline between the platform and the Kollsnes processing plant near Bergen, Norway. The pipeline had been dragged out of position and damaged by a passing ship’s anchor.

Working in close cooperation with StatoilHydro, TDW Offshore Services conducted extensive testing – including an onshore installation of a special subsea clamp system (Patent Pending) onto a mock-up of the affected portion of the Kvitebjørn pipeline – at its base in Stavanger. The purpose of the clamp would be to secure integrity for the pipe connector in the event that it was not possible to obtain adequate holding power with the primary solution. The clamp is one of the key features of the Kvitebjørn field pipeline repair solution.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the damage inflicted on pipeline systems in the Gulf of Mexico, there is a growing trend in the industry to thoroughly prepare for the possibility of natural disasters and potential pipeline disruption, especially subsea. “During recent years, the offshore industry has experienced several pipeline shutdowns caused by anchor drags or similar,” said Rune Haddeland, managing director of TDW Offshore Services. “In such situations, TDW Offshore’s engineered solutions have proven to be highly beneficial for our clients.”