Repairs to a 42-in (107-cm) diameter section of the High Island Offshore System, the largest pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico, following damage by Hurricane Ike involved removal and replacement of more than 200 ft (61 m) of line.
Offshore staff
HOUSTON -- Repairs to a 42-in (107-cm) diameter section of the High Island Offshore System, the largest pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico, following damage by Hurricane Ike involved removal and replacement of more than 200 ft (61 m) of line. Successful completion of the project used subsea connectors from Quality Connector Systems.
QCS provided two mechanical end connectors and two misalignment ball connectors to join the two cut ends of the pipe following removal of the damaged section.
Application of this on-bottom, non-welded connector system resulted in quicker return of the line to production, according to QCS.
"The time and cost reductions on the project were made possible because the pipeline owner made the forward-looking decision in 2004 to purchase the QCS Emergency Pipeline Repair System (EPRS) in advance of the need," said Lee Avery, president of Quality Connector Systems. "Connectors of this size can require almost a full year to manufacture. By purchasing the connectors and storing them for future use, Enterprise guaranteed their ability to respond quickly to an actual pipeline damage occurrence."
