Page 20: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Dec/Jan 2015)

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Analysis

Cutting the umbilical

Eliminating the umbilical has been targeted as a way to help make the exploitation of small pools more viable. Elaine Maslin reports on a string of new technologies which aim to do just that.

A spool piece ? tted with Exnics collars.

Photo from Exnics. ccording to a recent study by the UK’s Tec hnology eradicating umbilicals.

Leadership Board, there are 210 “small pools” of The initiative is being pushed by Gordon Drummond, who

A hydrocarbons (those containing less than 15 MMboe). leads of the UK’s National Subsea Research Initiative (NSRI),

While recognized, these pools, containing 1.5 billion boe an organization which aims to connect the subsea industry and in total, remain undeveloped, due to their distance to existing academia to ? nd solutions to industry challenges. infrastructure, their reservoir complexity or they are uneco- Eliminating the umbilical, and even nomic because of their size. potentially the pipeline, could save signi? -

An initiative in the UK is hoping to ? nd technologies cant costs – a key requirement in today’s that will help unlock market - and reducing infrastructure, instal- them – and most them – and most lation time and assets, and maintenance lation time and assets, and maintenance revolve around revolve around concerns. concerns.

A number of technologies that could A number of technologies that could help achieve this aim were presented at an help achieve this aim were presented at an

NSRI event, supported by Subsea UK, in NSRI event, supported by Subsea UK, in

Gordon

Drummond

Aberdeen, late September.Aberdeen, late September.

Photo from NSRI.

Andrew Connelly, NASCoM product line Andrew Connelly, NASCoM product line manager at Aberdeen-based through-water wireless commu-manager at Aberdeen-based through-water wireless commu- nications ? rm Nautronix, one of the presenters, says: “Cost is nications ? rm Nautronix, one of the presenters, says: “Cost is key at the moment, including the cost impact of umbilicals, key at the moment, including the cost impact of umbilicals, the lead time to procure them, plus deployment and support the lead time to procure them, plus deployment and support requirements.”requirements.”

For deepwater projects, the implications are even greater, For deepwater projects, the implications are even greater, he says, with deepwater umbilicals taking up signi? cant deck he says, with deepwater umbilicals taking up signi? cant deck space, and requiring more effort around connection and logis-space, and requiring more effort around connection and logis- tics, i.e. ROV or diver time, as well as suitable subsea construc-tics, i.e. ROV or diver time, as well as suitable subsea construc- tion vessels. tion vessels.

An Exnics collar. Photo from Exnics.

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