Offshore Staff
HOUSTON -- Subsea 7 in collaboration with 2H Offshore has launched a new deepwater riser design, the Grouped SLOR.
According to 2H, this is a further development of the 2H Single Line Offset Riser arrangement that has been field-proven on the Kizomba A & B projects and will soon be installed on Petrobras'P-52.
Meanwhile, SLOR technology "is becoming more and more popular in the Gulf of Mexico," said Steve Hatton, principal director of 2H Offshore, at a DOT press conference on Wednesday.
According to 2H, the company conceived and developed the Grouped SLOR system, while Subsea 7 is investing in the concept including detailed engineering analysis and hydrodynamic tank tests. The contractor will propose it as a SURF solution for current and future deepwater field developments.
"We were particularly keen on this concept because it suits the capabilities of our construction fleet including the new vesselsSeven Seas and Seven Oceans, thus allowing us to provide a field optimized solution," said John Mair, global technology manager, Subsea 7.
"Additionally, such a system can be installed using our tow-out capability maximizing installation flexibility."
According to 2H, the arrangement allows a large number of SLORs to be located adjacent to each other without the risk of clashing. This is achieved by a lightweight guide frame that constrains the lateral movements of all SLORs. "Now we can use 20-30 risers without the possibility of interference," said Hatton.
The system is optimally suited for field developments where the number of risers is high and can be optimized so that the riser angle is splayed out below the frame to optimize field layout and interface with seabed flowlines, according to 2H.
"This system compares favorably against the hybrid bundle system such as used onGirassol in that the design complexity of the system and individual components is greatly reduced, added Hatton.
11/29/06
