DeepFlex provides flexible pipe solutions for critical dynamic environment in waters off South Africa
DeepFlex announced the manufacturing and replacement of 490 meters of flexible, four-inch-diameter pipe used as an oil export riser for PetroSA (the Petroleum, Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa). PetroSA owns, operates and manages South Africa’s commercial assets in the petroleum industry.
The pipe was connected to an offloading buoy located in 120 meters of water in the ORIBI field near the coast of the Cape of Good Hope.
Upon routine diver inspection and subsequent detailed examination, it was found that the existing traditional steel flexible pipe was in a “failure stage” due to abrasion of the cover and subsequent corrosion. The riser was approximately ten years old. The pipe needed to be replaced quickly and efficiently in order to avoid a costly field shutdown. PetroSA requested completion within a very short time period, and contractor J. Ray McDermott S.A. contacted DeepFlex— the only manufacturer of unbonded, nonmetallic flexible pipe — for a solution.
The DeepFlex Flexible Fiber Reinforced Pipe (FFRP®) was selected because it met the needs of both the contractor and end user. The pipe used in risers is subjected to substantial fatigue and stress over years, even decades, in an extremely dynamic environment. Steel flexible pipe often succumbs to these forces, compromising flow due to corrosion and, thus, reducing the economics of the well by inhibiting production, requiring costly replacement.
The DeepFlex FFRP® served as an ideal solution for replacing the existing steel flexible steel pipe because of its non-corrosive properties, higher fatigue resistance and lower weight. Installation of the DeepFlex riser allowed production to be maintained without a shutdown, and the innovative composite technology will ensure there will be no release of oil into the environment due to pipe corrosion.
DeepFlex was able to deliver this pipe in less than three months from the time of order, allowing PetroSA to replace the riser system in a fraction of the time when compared to other riser solutions.
DeepFlex Inc. designs, manufactures, and installs premium composite flexible piping and extends solutions to some of the world’s most challenging subsea oil and gas production environments. It is the only manufacturer of Flexible Fiber Reinforced Pipe (FFRP®), a corrosion resistant unbonded, nonmetallic pipe designed specifically for deepwater applications.
