Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway --StatoilHydro has commissioned a conductor protection system for its Oseberg South platform in the North Sea.
UK engineering group Furmanite has installed SmartShim devices below the water line to protect the conductors from damage resulting from wave-induced displacements inside the conductor guides.
The PVC-proofed nylon SmartShim slips are filled with a polyurethane resin. According to Furmanite, this has sufficient elasticity to absorb the wave effects, while keeping the riser or caisson securely in place within the guides.
Subsea application of these devices necessitates use of special support frames to keep the slips in place while they are filled with resin.
On Oseberg South, 27 slots were SmartShimmed at a water depth of 15 m (49 ft). The operation, managed from an Acergy diving support vessel, involved the use of 4 km (2.49 mi) of hoses, 9 metric tons (9.92 tons) of resin, and 30 metric tons (33 tons) of support equipment. Furmanite technicians onboard the vessel supervised resin pumping operations, as well as directing the divers.
01/02/2007
