Trelleborg has been awarded a contract to provide NOV Flexibles with 25 polyurethane (PU) vertebrae bend restrictor assemblies for static flowlines on the field development and production expansion of the Parque das Baleias oil field, offshore Brazil.
Using polyurethane restrictors brings a number of significant benefits when compared with steel. Installation and maintenance of the assembly is less time-consuming and more cost-effective, with significantly lower whole life cost, as plastic does not corrode or have to be protected using platings, paint and anodes. It also has a greatly reduced weight, making it neutrally buoyant in water. This means there is considerably less stress applied to the flowline and adjacent parts of the subsea structure during both installation and service.
All the solutions will be tested in accordance with NORSOK, DNV and customer specific standards. Delivery of the products is expected in June 2013.
To prevent pipes from overbending at the interface between flexible and rigid structures, Bending Restrictors are often installed. Trelleborg’s bend restrictors are made up of a number of interlocking elements which react when subjected to an external load, locking together to form a smooth curved radius. This radius is chosen to be equal to or greater than the minimum bend radius of the pipe that it is applied to. Once the elements have locked together, the bending moment present is transferred into the elements and back through a specially designed steel interface structure into the adjacent rigid connection, therefore protecting the pipe from potentially damaging loads.
The P-58 FPSO, which operates on the Baleia Azul field in the Parque das Baleias area, north of the Campos Basin, is moored 48 miles / 78 km offshore in a water depth of 4,593 feet / 1,400 meters, and is expected to last for 25 years. Oil production comes from 19 satellite wells connected individually to the unit and is expected to commence during the first quarter of 2014.
Trelleborg
www.trelleborg.com
Filed Under: Materials • advanced