2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Effects of High Temperature

on the Design of Deepwater Risers

March 2003

2H Offshore Engineering
 Outline of Talk
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Overview of Riser Systems

What is High Temperature?
High Temperature (HT) Developments
Issues Relating to Steel
Effect on Insulation Materials
Problems with H2S, corrosion and fatigue issues
Buoyancy Issues
Pipe-In-Pipe Systems
Use of Flexible Jumpers for COR & SLOR
Summary of HT Design Issues
Alternative Options for Dealing with HP/HT
 Riser Systems - Configurations
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Catenary Risers
Free Standing Risers Flexible
Single line Steel
Bundled

Top Tensioned
 Riser Systems - Pipe Options
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Flexible

Steel Pipe Non Insulated

Steel Pipe Insulated

Steel Pipe in Pipe

Bundled Steel Pipes

 What is High Temperature?
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Typical production temperatures 40-80 deg C

High temperature 80 deg C - 100 deg C

Very high temperature 100 deg C +

 Current 2H HT Project Involvement
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Field Production Production Operator

Temperature Pressure

Tahiti, GoM Very High Very High ChevronTexaco

800m
Thunder Horse, Very High Very High bp
GoM, 1800m
Moho Bilondo, Very High High TFE
Congo,
600m
 Steel - Effect of High Temperature
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Reduced yield strength at high temperature

API derating for T > 120C (250F)
150C = 4.5% strength reduction
DNV derating for T > 50C (120 F)
150 C = 30MPa strength reduction (5.5% on X80)

Example:
steel manufactured to X70
Normal operating stress checks performed against
65ksi to account for steel derating at HT
Stress checks for shut-down conditions checked
against 70ksi yield strength since no HT
 Insulation Materials Effect of HT
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Why would risers for HT wells need thermal insulation?

Cool down times during shut-in must be long enough to prevent
hydrate formation
 Insulation - Requirements
Meet thermal requirements
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Steady state conditions (U-value) and specific heat capacity

Maintain temp. above critical value during shut-in (12-24hrs)

Long-term hydrothermal stability

Maintain material properties in the long-term (20years)

Water depth dictates compressive strength and water absorption

rates
Density
Increases with increase water depth and temperature

Increase in density increases thermal conductivity (k)

Desire to keep riser weight and k-value low

Increased tension, drag loading, fatigue

 Insulation - Requirements
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Corrosion protection & adhesion

FBE typically used mechanically bonds insulation to pipe
At high temperatures (>110 deg C) ordinary epoxy not suitable
and high temperature epoxy required
Resist cathodic disbondment if insulation coating is damaged
Dynamic service
Resistant to cracking under fatigue loading
Resist large strains during storm loading and installation (S-lay,
J-lay and reeling)
Impact strength
Resistant to crushing and mechanical strength during storage
and laying with tensioners and over stinger rollers
 Insulation Material Selection
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

3 major types available for deep and ultra deepwater

riser application
Epoxy based syntactic foams
Polyurethane based syntactic foams
Multi-layer polypropylene systems
Selection influenced by:
Design temperature
Manufacturability of resulting insulation thickness based on
required U-value and cool down time (lower k-value gives
lower insulation thickness)
Cost
 Insulation - Epoxy Syntactic Foams
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Composite - fiberglass macro

spheres in an epoxy binder
Cast directly onto pipe
Low density (600 kg/m3 at 1200m)
High thermal efficiency (k = 0.09
W/m.K at 1200m depth)
Low cost
Less flexible than PU or PP
(cracking concern in high fatigue
areas)
Limited to 100 deg C service
Used on 1000m GoM Shell King
C-Therm with macrospheres
(1999) with 6 miles of C-THERM for
6 OD flowlines (80 deg C design
temp.)
Limited riser track record
 Insulation - PU Syntactic Foams
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Polyurethane matrix loaded with gas

filled glass micro spheres
Applied by standard molding
techniques
Higher density compared with epoxy
syntactic foams (800 kg/m3 at 1200m)
Moderate thermal efficiency (k = 0.165
W/m.K at 1200m depth)
Medium cost
Limited to 90 deg C service
Used on 1600m GoM BP King (2001)
with 59km of GSPU for 12 OD
flowlines (83 deg C design temp.) Glass Syntactic Polyurethane
(GSPU)
Limited riser track record
 Insulation - Multi-layer Polypropylene (PP)
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

3-layer corrosion barrier plus PP foam

insulation and solid PP shield
Applied by side or cross extrusion process
Higher density (800 kg/m3 at 1200m)
Moderate thermal efficiency (k = 0.13 to
0.22 W/m.K)
Medium / highest cost
High temp service up to 140 deg C
Used on:
1500m GoM BP Nile (2000) with Thermotite
for 6 OD SCR (90 deg C design temp.)
Asgard flowlines (140 deg C design temp.)
Will be used for:
GoM BP Thunder Horse production SCRs

5-layer Thermotite System

 Insulation - Field Joints System Quality
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Specialist joints made in factory for main

riser lengths but same quality also needed
for field joints
If high quality field joint are not achieved:
Water ingress
Corrosion - pitting- fatigue
Reduced insulation cold spot
Convection cold spot
Minimise number of field joints since
costly due to
Speed of assembly
Problems associated with working on the
vessel
 Insulation - Material Qualification
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Little long-term data available for high temp. service

Testing required for successful application
Small scale hydrothermal ageing tests under pressure,
accelerated using an elevated temperature (least
expensive)
Large scale pipe simulated service tests to determine
thermal performance and long-term degradation
(expensive)
Mechanical tests (tensile, shear, bend, adhesion,
impact and fatigue)
Cathodic disbondment
 H2S Effect on Fatigue Performance
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Recent tests at 60deg C indicate significant reduction in fatigue

performance if H2S present (Factor of 20 on life)
Effects of HT are currently unknown
 Corrosion Effects at High Temperatures
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Rate of corrosion increases with increase in temp. due

to reduced efficiency of cathodic protection system
Therefore require more anode mass and/or reduced
spacing of anodes
Integrity of coating barriers also an issue at HT
Therefore corrosion allowances must increase thicker
walled pipes
Impact on cost and weight
 Corrosion Effect on Stresses and Fatigue
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Calculation of stresses in riser need to take account of

potential wall thickness loss due to corrosion

Corrosion allowances may lead to thick-walled pipes

and wall thickness correction factor must be applied
when assessing fatigue performance (DnV 2001 >
25mm)
 Fatigue Life Enhancement
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Low fatigue lifes due to high corrosion levels etc. may

be improved by:
Improve weld quality (double side weld)
Reduce stresses using upset (thickened end) pipe
Overlay of critical welds with corrosion resistance alloy (CRA)
Reduce stresses using external sleeves
Cost Increase
 Buoyancy - Typical Properties
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Temperature tolerance
Water ingress
 Buoyancy/Insulation - Hot / Wet Issues
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Accelerated water permeation

Loss of buoyancy
Loss of insulation

Solution
Use of pure syntactics - no spheres- (heavy)
Use of resistant materials Amines (costly)
Low permeability coatings polyethylene (damage)
Barrier insulation material temp. gradient (complex)
Bonding direct to pipe to prevent hot/wet (not
practical with bundles)
 Buoyancy/Insulation - Conventional Bundle
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Hot/Wet interface
Complex buoyancy profile
Difficulty casting
Number of pieces
Assembly procedure
Poor heat sharing
 Buoyancy/Insulation - Internal Bundle
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Buoyancy
Modules Encircling
Water

Carrier
Pipe Gel
Medium

Production Production
Flowlines Fluid
 Buoyancy/Insulation - Internal Bundle Riser
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Lower buoyancy contact temperature

Better heat sharing between prod. lines
Ability to circulate cooler water
Ability to circulate hot water
Simpler buoyancy shapes
Lower buoyancy material spec.
Similar thermal expansion
 PIP, TTR and COR - HT Issues
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

For pipe-in-pipe (PIP), top tensioned risers (TTR)

and concentric offset risers (COR)
Different pipes are at different temperatures and
the relative thermal expansion of pipes must be
considered:
Inner pipe expansion
Buckling
Tension
Centraliser design and spacing Friction
Preloading
Crushing of insulation Compression
Cold spots

Centraliser Spacing
 Flexible Jumpers - Free Standing Risers
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Difficult to design CORs /SLORs

for HT due to problems with
flexible jumpers
Internal pressure sheath
End fittings
Stiffener design
 Flexible Jumpers Internal Pressure Sheath
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Temp. Range Water Cut

Material Comments
(C) (%)
High tensile and impact resistance
HDPE -50 to +60 0 - 100
at low temp and low pressure
Upper temperature limit reduces if
XLPE -50 to +90 0 100
pressure >2000psi
-20 to +100 0
Weak resistance to high water cut at
PA-11 -20 to +90 05
HT
-20 to +65 5 - 100

PVDF -20 to +130 0 100 Appropriate for HP/HT applications

Maximum operating temperature is highly dependent on the

design life of the pipe
 Flexible Jumpers Internal Pressure Sheath
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Example using PA-11:

Design life of 30-years operating temperature 55C
Design life of 10-years - operating temperature 70C
Design life of 1-year operating temperature 100C
 Flexible Jumpers End Fitting Design
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

When PVDF used as internal pressure sheath:

End-fitting design (crimping/sealing mechanism) is critical
Potential for plasticizer loss is high reduced seal efficiency
PVDF has higher thermal expansion coefficient cyclic
expansion/contraction gradual pull-out of sheath from end
fitting
Significant development by manufacturers mean these issues
are being addressed and continual improvements are made
 Flexible Jumpers Stiffener Design
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Stiffener at connection jumper/manifold is made from

structural polyurethane (PU)
PU susceptible to aging at relatively low temp. (e.g. 50 C)
therefore need to accurately determine stiffener internal wall
temperature
Temperatures can be reduced by using water circulation around
stiffener or active cooling
 Flex Joint Issues at HT
Design Issues
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Aging of rubber at HT
Rapid decompression at HP
Solution
CRA Bellows (pressure balanced)
Prevents direct contact of rubber
with hydrocarbons
Produces temperature gradient
across bellows
Reduces rubber temperature
Impact
Cost
Additional stiffness
Fatigue of bellows
 Summary of Riser Design Issues at HT
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

HT wells result in additional complexity for riser

design
Material performance derating of steel yield strength
Problems with buoyancy / insulation material at HT
Potential issues with H2S (if present)
Accelerated corrosion rates
Knock on effects on riser wall thicknesses and fatigue
Additional considerations for pipe-in-pipe systems
Issues for flexible pipes
Issue for key components such as flex-joint design
These all results in significant increase in riser cost
due to higher spec. materials, increase weight etc.
Attention should be turned to finding alternative
ways of dealing with HP/HT problem
 Alternative Approach for HP/HT Risers
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

High Temperature
Cooling loops or heat exchanges on seabed
Potential problems with hydrates and wax in exchanger during
shut down can be solved with chemicals
Therefore high temperature issues with insulation/buoyancy,
steel etc. are no longer a problem
This approach is yet to be implemented
High Pressure
High Integrity Pressure Protection System (HIPPS)
Complex control and additional subsea valving/choking to
reduce pressure in riser system
Issues relating to reliability and risk must be addressed
Already implemented on a number of systems
 Alternative Approach for HP/HT Risers
2H Offshore - deep water riser engineering

Use both cooling loops and HIPPS to eliminate

problems with HP/HT risers. Benefits include:
Reduce weight of riser

Reduce vessel payload / buoyancy requirements

Reduce insulation/buoyancy material issues

Faster installation

Reduced hydrodynamic drag

Improved dynamic response

Lower quality welding may be acceptable