Dry insulation systems such as pipe-in-pipe (PiP) offer considerable advantages in many situations. With a better thermal performance than wet insulated pipe, the technology is particularly well suited to long tie-backs where flow assurance can be challenging. Whereas the weight of PiP is a benefit to on-bottom stability, vessel top-tension limitations make it difficult to install in extreme water depths using typical J-lay methods.
Taking pipe-in-pipe to new depths
The thermal benefits of pipe-in-pipe are well known, but installation challenges have so far limited how deep the technology can go. Pipeline experts at France’s ITP tell Russell McCulley about an innovative and cost-effective method to bring pipe-in-pipe systems to unprecedented water depths.
16 September 2016 0:00 GMT
Updated
16 September 2016 0:00 GMT