The New Material Solutions for Flowlines JIP will explore cost savings by use of high frequency welded (HFW)/submerged arc welded (SAW) pipes. The project has so far drawn interest from pipe manufacturers, installation contractors and operators including Corinth PipeWorks, EMAS, JFE-Steel, Sumitomo, Tata steel, Tenaris/Tamsa and Woodside Energy. “Though there is a considerable amount of research and full-scale reeling trials for the use of HFW or SAW linepipe, as well as a good track record in terms of executed projects, a joint systematic approach to optimize the design of these linepipe for reeling is lacking, DNV GL – Oil & Gas Vice President Leif Collberg said. The JIP will be run as a technology qualification project and is expected to result in a qualification plan that will require qualification testing by the manufacturers. Additionally, a JIP looking at affordable composites for the oil and gas industry will aim to reduce the cost of qualifying composite components for subsea use by replacing large scale tests with certification by stimulation. Statoil, Petronas, Nexans, Airborne and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology are participating in the project, which is partly funded by the Research Council of Norway.
New joint industry flowline initiative launched
