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Furmaseal clamp acts as contingency for pipeline

A Furmanite International product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 30, 2009

Furmanite has designed, built and delivered a high-pressure subsea self-sealing repair clamp as a contingency measure for the BP-operated Everest-to-Forties condensate pipeline in the North Sea.

The engineering and technical services company designed the Furmaseal clamp to provide a fast and efficient means of repairing a leak without requiring shutdown, should the need arise.

The 14in (36cm) clamp has been custom designed to accommodate the pipeline's 346mm outside diameter.

The hinged split-sleeve repair clamp is designed for emergency pressure containment in the event of any pipeline defects and can be installed onto the line to repair or provide reinforcement without interrupting normal operation.

It is designed to accommodate pressures to 179bar and temperatures from -10C to +65C, in accordance with the pipeline operating conditions, with a design life of 25 years.

No sealing compound is necessary, nor is welding required as the clamp uses flouro-elastomer seals.

These are compressed and loaded by bolting around each end of the clamp between the two lamp halves, providing a mechanically actuated high-integrity seal.

Furmanite was selected to supply the clamp by pipeline and subsea engineering and management contractor J P Kenny.

Mike Tucker, Furmanite's business development director, said: 'There are always potential risks to consider as any damage breaching pipeline integrity can be extremely costly.

'Contingency repair clamps such as this one allow any leaks to be dealt with immediately at a cost that is likely to be far less than the potential financial impact of a leak, particularly if that leak forces a platform or pipeline shutdown,' he added.

The Everest field - a gas condensate reservoir - lies 233km east of Aberdeen.

The Everest condensate liquid is piped to the Central Area Transmission System (CATS) riser platform, where it is mixed with Lomond condensate and transported to the Forties complex, 65km west, from which point it enters the Forties pipeline system.

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