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Heating contract won for subsea flowlines

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 25, 2006

E23 million order to supply direct electrical heating system for subsea flowlines on Tyrihans oil and gas field in the Norwegian Sea covers the delivery of 46km of 52kV cable and associated equipment

Nexans has won a E23 million order from Statoil to supply a direct electrical heating (DEH) system for the subsea flowlines on the Tyrihans oil and gas field in the Norwegian Sea.

The contract covers the delivery of 46km of Nexans 52kV cable and associated equipment to Statoil, the operator of the Tyrihans field, for installation on the flowlines that will connect the subsea facilities with the floating production platform.

The DEH system will be used to keep the pipelines clear of potential blockages by heating them from the ambient water temperature (about 6C) to around 27C, so preventing the formation of hydrate (hydrocarbon ice) and wax plugs that can occur during production shutdowns and periods of low production rates.

Atle Bornes, Statoil's Direct Electrical Heating Specialist, said: "Nexans is the world leader in supplying direct electrical heating cables".

"It was chosen for this contract due to the proven system it could offer for Tyrihans".

DEH technology qualification work has been carried out for the Tyrihans project by Sintef Energy Research in collaboration with Nexans.

This research represents progress in the application of underwater cables.

"The result is that it is now possible to heat much longer pipes", said Bornes.

The DEH cables will be manufactured at the Nexans factory in Halden, Norway, and should be delivered in spring 2008.