High temperature thermal insulation for deepwater pipelines

Thermal insulation of subsea pipelines is critical in assuring flow of oil and gas on many fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and worldwide. Pipe insulation keeps the temperature of the fluid high and prevents precipitation of solids which can clogg the pipe. The maximum temperature rating for insulations on deepwater flowlines is currently 150 °C. There is an increasing trend towards deeper waters and higher temperatures for new fields in Norway and internationally. To make extraction of these resources more feasible, insulation with higher temperature resistance is required. Shawcor Norway AS is the primary supplier of wet thermal insulation to the Norwegian continental shelf and supplies many projects internationally. In the project "High temperature thermal insulation for deepwater pipelines" we have collaborated with Norner Research to develop a new pipeline insulation, XT180, which will meet the coming challenges with increasing temperatures and deeper waters. The development had not been possible without the support of the Petromaks 2 program of the Research Council of Norway.

The XT180 project funded by Petromaks 2 succesfully developed a new, robust thermal insulation system for subsea oil and gas pipelines which can be used up to 180 degC operating temperature and down to 3000 m water depth. The research conducted in the project found several new methods for evaluating the performance of insulation properties under harsh environmental exposures. As a consequence, the new insulation materials have been thouroughly characterised and understood, and they can be employed for service lifes of 30 years or more with high confidence. The product which was developed will allow Shawcor Norway AS and Shawcor globally to bid on pipeline projects which require operating temperatures up to 180 degC. The solution has since been developed further commercially in full scale prototype development projects and recieved a positive reception in the market. The XT180 pipe insulation will most likely be utilised for the first time on a commercial project in 2022.

Thermal insulation of subsea oil and gas pipelines is critical in assuring flow in pipeline fluid transport on many fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Insulations prevent flow reduction by keeping the temperature of the fluid high, to avoid solids precipitation and clogging the pipe during production shut downs and towards terminations. The maximum temperature rating for insulations on deepwater flowlines is currently 150 °C. There is an increasing trend towards deeper waters and higher temperatures for new fields in Norway and internationally. To make these resources more feasible, higher temperature insulation is required. Shawcor Norway is the primary supplier of wet thermal insulation to the Norwegian continental shelf. The wet insulation used on the highest temperature flowline ever was produced by Shawcor Norway and we see the need to develop even higher temperature resistant insulation to meet the coming challenges.