Delta SubSea, Zerlux collaborate on hydrate remediation technology

June 10, 2015
Delta SubSea has signed a memorandum of understanding with Zerlux Hungary Kft. to intensify collaboration on laser-based hydrate remediation technology. 

Offshore staff

MONTGOMERY, Texas - Delta SubSea (DSS) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Zerlux Hungary Kft. to intensify collaboration on laser-based hydrate remediation technology.

DSS, through a partnership with ZerLux, is exploring the use of laser-based technology for the oil and gas industry’s flow assurances needs. Laser-based hydrate remediation technology is driven by the evolution of fiber and diode laser efficiency, reliability, and a drop in laser costs.

Laser-based hydrate remediation technology uses focused warming to create a relief path for pressure equalization and chemical flow across the hydrate plug. The technology can create a path for chemical flow across the hydrate plug. This enhances the effectiveness of the hydrate remediation methods based on chemical inhibitors, allowing the media to attack the plug on multiple sides.

The tool is based on a string of laser heads that apply thermal energy to the subsea structure. Depending on the application the string can be composed of several laser heads, from a few units for short sections up to 72 for long sections of pipeline. The string is mounted on a ROV-deployable frame equipped with syntactic foam for buoyancy and thermal insulation. The tool clamps on the pipe with hydraulic cylinders, and is electro-hydraulically connected to the ROV.

DSS says that, relative to competing technologies for hydrate remediation, lasers benefit from: precise thermal management, compactness and efficiency; higher efficiency, as laser heats pipe surface directly; being carried by an ROV and operable up to 3,000 m (9,842 ft); and the versatility that its modular design allows.

06/10/2015