guest column
How best to repair the worlds
aging pipelines?
Paul Hughes
Global Subsea Market Leader
Hydratight
Paul Hughes, Global Subsea Market
Leader at Hydratight, explains how
organisations have an obligation
to maintain their aging pipelines
and how they can best go about
achieving leak free pipelines, in
t h e e nv i ro n m e n t a l l y s e n s i t i ve
subsea environment. A Chartered
Engineer with 10 years experience
in the subsea engineering field,
Paul discusses the advantages of
using mechanical connectors for
pipeline repair.
www.oswindia.com
There is no escaping the fact that many of the
subsea pipelines around the world are reaching
the end of their natural life. Indeed, some are
probably already working beyond this point. The
majority were brought in to service in the 1970s
in places like Europes North Sea and the Mumbai
High fields in India, and as such will need more
rigorous maintenance in the coming years.
The Nor th S ea, and more recently Mumbai
High, have seen a rapid expansion of oil and gas
extraction activities, due mainly to demand for
oil and gas having risen significantly as consumer
habits altered and the incomes of the worlds
population rose. It is estimated that around 25 per
cent of subsea pipelines are now operating beyond
their intended lifespan.
Th i s c re ate s a n u m b e r o f p ro b l e m s f o r t h e
industry. Firstly, there will become an increasing
need for a larger propor tion of budgets to be
spent on maintenance, which naturally cuts
into bottom lines.
Secondly, in light of a number of high profile
incidents, political and environmental pressure
has grown on organisations to ensure that they
maintain pipelines and joint integrity.
The industry needs to ensure that incidents like
this dont happen again, in order to repair its
badly tarnished image in some quarters of the
mainstream media.
Finally, it is worth noting the cost implications of an
unscheduled shutdown. These can run into millions
of dollars in lost production time per day if a platform
is taken out of action for any period of time, meaning
that a leaking pipeline cannot be ignored until
routine maintenance checks are carried out.
Offshore World | 18 | DECEMBER 2012 - JANUARY 2013
It is likely therefore that at sites across the world
many pipeline repairs will have to take place in the
coming years. But, the big question is; how should
these repairs be done?
As a rule it would normally be suggested that in
shallow water welding would be the way to go
when tackling a repair. This is not always the case,
with some people within the industry subscribing
to the view that pipelines can be wrapped with
repair clamps, composites and epoxy materials. In
our experience though, this kind of repair should
be limited to smaller, more localised repair jobs.
Surprisingly to me, welding still remains the
principal method used by most organisations for
repairs in deeper water. At depths of up to a couple
of hundred meters it is usually relatively simple to
arrange for divers to come and carry out work, but
beyond this problems start to arise.
However beyond that the equation suddenly
becomes significantly more complex. The need
for hyperbaric chambers, specialised rigs and
the fact that due to a number of factors repairs
rarely have the longevity of the original fitting,
mean that financial and speed advantages of
welding suddenly dont seem so great. So what
is the solution?
We believe that now, and in the future, more and
more pipeline repair work will be done using
mechanical connectors. Indeed, since Mumbai
High has been actively explored, mechanical
connectors have become an increasingly popular
tie-in method.
Mechanical connectors are by no means a new
technology. They have been in use since the 1920s,
however for a number of reasons, ranging from
Pre deployment trail and site integration testing of the Coupling Installation Frame (CIF)
sealing problems and issues with materials, which
included inflammable elements, they were largely
obsolete by the 1970s.
However since the end of the 1980s the situation
has changed significantly and much work has been
done to improve both systems and sealing materials,
making connectors a real alternative to traditional
welding methods.
Organisations such as our own, have led the field
in graphite sealing systems, which overcome many
of the fire-safe and shelf-life disadvantages of the
polymer and elastomeric seals previously used.
Indeed there has been almost a development of
an industr y within an industr y, specialising in
mechanical connectors.
Even up until the turn of the last century many
engineering papers were dismissive of the use of
mechanical connectors. Often citing a belief that
they werent as durable as welds, and that the
mechanical systems used for installation were not
accurate enough to ensure that further damage
wasnt done whilst installing them, many in the
industry were rather mistrusting of the technology.
Welding seemed to be the chosen son in terms of
method of repair, and although attitudes are gradually
shifting, there are still elements within the industry
that seem unwilling to shift from this paradigm.
In reality, many connector systems, through well
over 15 years of painstaking research now offer a
number of benefits, that welding cannot; particularly
in deep-water exploration sites. Systems available
now offer strength and safety benefits, above those
offered by welding and in every case less damaging
to the metal structure of the joint, and which are far
more placement-tolerant.
Modern diverless connection methods for welding or
mechanical connection use the same highly-accurate
systems. These were not available 15 years ago,
and have given rise to increased confidence in the
application of connectors. It is not in the interest of
Offshore World | 19 | DECEMBER 2012 - JANUARY 2013
anyone in the industry to jeopardise safety, and as
an organisation we know this from our conversations
with other businesses working in the field.
But is it possible for mechanical systems do the work
of typical welded ones?
Yes. In our own experience and through rigorous
product testing of our own range, it is certified in
place of welds (DNV, Lloyds, API, ABS, ROK) on pipes
up to 42 inches in diameter and on pressure ratings
up to ANSI Class 2500. We have also shown that we
can create a joint at least as strong as a weld.
We can only speak about our own product, but its
designed connection life is at least 30 years. Over
the years we have installed approaching 2,500
connectors around the world in the past 2 decades,
many of them diverless, and they have a 100 per
cent leak-free record.
D o m e c h a n i c a l co n n e c to r s o f f e r a d va nt a g e s
over welding?
www.oswindia.com
In many instances they do. The benefits of welding
are only really apparent at lower depths. Mechanical
connectors require no welding, which means no
specially trained divers; they cannot introduce the
common problems of welds, including contamination
and the requirement for pre and post weld treatments
and inspection. Indeed, pressure testing is made
significantly easier by using connectors, with all
of our connectors having pressure-test facilities
built in.

Other major advantages include the negation of the

need for specialised machining and preparation tools
or careful shaping of the joint, and most importantly,
complex requirements such as hyperbaric chambers
are not required to install them.

Mechanical connectors, fitted diverless on large-

diameter lines, do admittedly require heav y
placement and alignment rigs, but this would be
the same when using welding as a method too.
In practical terms, it could be argued a weld rig
requires greater accuracy, as the need for bringing
pipes together within a millimeter of each other is
apparent, and they must be held in this position
until the weld has cooled. Mechanical connectors
have much wider installation tolerance and as
A Hydratight engineer examines a mechanical connector prior to delivery
soon as the system is tensioned, the connection
is at full strength. longer welded lines together, by staging them in 70 hours, and with fewer personnel. Each hour that
at intervals along sections of pipeline. Our own a platform is down costs money, and by reducing the
Mechanical connector systems offer a range of experience suggests that the usage of connectors down time, connectors helped the organisation in
elements - pipe-to-pipe connectors, pipe-to-flange is particularly cost effective when fields are over question limit their losses.
connectors, riser connectors, subsea and topside 100km out to sea. This is due to the complexities
connectors, end caps and special tees amongst many associated with organising manpower and the Whilst welding will invariably still play a significant
more, to cater for all manner of emergencies and sheer logistical nightmare that such a welding role in the future of the pipeline repair industry,
repairs that may arise. operation can involve. undoubtedly the case for the use of mechanical
connectors is growing ever stronger as operators
>> It is likely therefore that at sites across the world many pipeline repairs will look to improve profitability and more importantly
have to take place in the coming years. But, the big question is; how should safety on platforms. sw
these repairs be done?

A number of organisations also now routinely hold
mechanical connectors in storage, for use as and
when emergencies occur. Connectors can also be
used on lines that need to be connected and then
disconnected, which is another advantage of using
them, as they can be reused a number of times.
There has been a lot of talk within the industry
about the usage of mechanical connectors to tie
An example of what is achievable from our own
operations with modern connectors comes from
using one of our products on a Nor th Sea gas
platform. The estimated welding time for four two-
inch flange adaptors was 50 hours, added to around
240 estimated hours for another five 12in couplings
and one flange adaptor. Whilst a very experienced
welding team may have been able to reduce this
time, by using connectors the work was completed

www.oswindia.com Offshore World | 20 | DECEMBER 2012 - JANUARY 2013