Page 20: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2013)

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Opinion

ThoughtStream

Steve Wisely, Subsea 7 S.A.

Identifying deepwater challenges

As subsea projects continue to That’s why Subsea 7 has an pre-salt Guara and Lula felds. The

A increase in size and complexity, they extensive welding R&D program to BSR offers the advantage of being are also more frequently executed enhance fatigue life and improve the able to accommodate a large number in deepwater and harsh environ- quality of performance across a range of risers into a single FPSO facility ments. As well as having the vessels of pipeline materials. Subsea 7 has by gathering these initially through and ROVs with the capabilities to recently extended its global pipeline a series of sub-surface buoys before execute the scopes, and the expert development center in Glasgow to being hooked-up to the FPSO.

people to develop the technolo- help support Subsea 7’s full range Looking to the future, composite gies and to manage larger and more of pipeline installation methods and materials such as carbon fber are complex projects at greater depths, the procedures required to meet the being considered as an alternative new technologies are required to be material to conventional carbon steel introduced to meet these challenges. for risers, offering both strength and

The bouy

Deepwater surface-to-seabed weight savings.

projects today are typically at depths Finally, the challenges posed by supported riser of 1,500-2,000m and an increas- deepwater subsea system architec- offers the advantage ing number are at depths of up to ture and the need for life-of-feld 3,000m. HPHT wells, the composi- maintenance demand reliable, high- of being able to tion of the hydrocarbons and the technology remote intervention solu- accommodate harsh environments require new tions. There have been many pio- technologies to be developed to neering developments of ROVs and a large number of meet the challenges of operating at remote intervention technology over risers into a single these depths. At the same time, these the last 30 years. Our most recent technologies must enhance safety, innovation is the development of

FPSO facility. improve productivity, and achieve the advanced hovering autonomous cost reductions. inspection vehicle (AIV). This vehi-

As well as extending the high- exacting standards of deepwater. cle, and the associated inspection end capability of vessels to deploy To meet a wide range of feld and monitoring sensor technology, pipelines and associated seabed characteristics such as water depth, will provide an industry step-change infrastructure at such depths, these environmental conditions and for future underwater operations. advances range across many enabling hydrocarbon composition a range of

Steve Wisely has served as Subsea and production technologies, includ- technologies is required for risers. 7’s Executive VP of Commercial ing pipelines, risers, welding and Hybrid, single, grouped SLOR and since January 2011. Wisely has held remote intervention. steel catenary risers have all been multiple positions within Subsea

To develop new felds in ever developed by Subsea 7 in recent 7 and its predecessor companies deeper water, pipeline technology years. including Regional Vice President for is required to meet the challenges of The latest riser development, the

Asia Pacifc and later VP of Global longer tie-backs, fow assurance and Buoy Supported Riser (BSR) con-

Business Acquisition. He holds a de- corrosive products. These advances cept, was developed in partnership gree in Quantity Surveying from the also call for compatible advances in with Petrobras and will be deployed

Robert Gordon Institute of Technol- welding technology. for the frst time in the Brazilian ogy in Aberdeen.

OE | May 2013 oedigital.com 22 0513oe_thoughtstream.indd 22 4/22/13 3:16 AM