Guideline for the decommissioning/abandonment of subsea pipelines
- Authors: Reda, Ahmed , Amaechi, Chiemela , Diaz Jimenez, Luis , Sultan, Ibrahim , Rawlinson, Andrew
- Date: 2024
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering Vol. 12, no. 1 (2024), p.
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- Description: The operating lifespan of pipelines is limited, defined by their specific design codes and specifications, with the economic justification for this being determined primarily by the pipeline owner. During its operational lifespan, a pipeline’s integrity is affected mainly by the quality of the hydrocarbons being transported. The integrity of a pipeline can be maintained with regular inspections and maintenance/cleaning programmes followed from installation to commissioning. As production matures and declines, operators face several decisions concerning the pipeline’s future. There are several potential scenarios, and each should be assessed on a case-by-case basis for any specific pipeline in question. The industry best practices outline the minimum requirements for the safe decommissioning of pipelines. However, there currently need to be international specifications to be followed for the decommissioning of disused offshore pipelines. This paper aims to provide insight into the decommissioning and abandonment of offshore pipelines. Also, this article provides case studies for the decommissioning of subsea pipelines. © 2023 by the authors.
Necessity and suitability of in-line inspection for corrosion resistant alloy (CRA) clad pipelines
- Authors: Reda, Ahmed , Shahin, Mohamed , Sultan, Ibrahim , Amaechi, Chiemela , McKee, Kristoffer
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ships and offshore structures Vol. 18, no. 9 (2023), p. 1360-1366
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- Description: This paper outlines the necessity and suitability of in-line inspection (ILI) using intelligent pigging for Corrosion Resistant Alloy (CRA) subsea clad pipelines through an incident that occurred during a baseline survey performed on a 20-inch y CRA clad pipeline of 2.7 km long. In this incident, an ultrasonic (UT) intelligent pigging tool was impacted and resulted in damage to the pipeline's clad layer. This damage was due to the collosion of the sealing pigs with the rear of the UT intelligent pigging tool, resulting in the UT intelligent pigging tool to get stuck and stop at the end of the pipeline. Pressure surges were used to dislodge the UT intelligent pigging tool, but caused the UT pig to be crashed into the pig receiver, resulting in severe damage to the UT pigging tool. The analysis of the metal swarf recovered from the pig receiver revealed that the damage was limited to the pipeline's clad layer. It was also revealed that a bypass has occurred to the sealing pigs causing damage to the sensor carriers of the intelligent pigging tool.
State-of-the-art review of composite marine risers for floating and fixed platforms in deep seas
- Authors: Amaechi, Chiemela , Reda, Ahmed , Shahin, Mohamed , Sultan, Ibrahim , Beddu, Salmia , Ja'e, Idris
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Ocean Research Vol. 138, no. (2023), p.
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- Description: The need for the utilisation of marine risers in deep seas has increased in recent years and this is due to increased drilling explorations with the shift in trend from shallower to deep and deeper waters. Also, there have been increased applications in sea-crossing infrastructure resulting in the need for longer risers, leading to a significant weight increase of marine risers used. Composite materials can thus be utilised in marine riser engineering to provide lightweight, fatigue-resistant, corrosion-resistant, low-bending stiffness and high-strength characteristics. In this paper, the history and potential of composite marine risers, including the first successful deployment of a composite riser joint offshore on the Heidrun Platform in 1995, are reviewed. The paper also discusses the advances achieved on composite marine risers for deep waters and presents some recommendations on their use, in light of their current significance and growth. © 2023 The Author(s)