Back to search

PETROMAKS2-Stort program petroleum

iHWI - Intelligent Heated Wet Insulation for pipelines

Alternative title: iHWI - Intelligent varmeavgivende våt isolasjon for rørledninger

Awarded: NOK 9.7 mill.

The iHWI project adresses challenges of long-distance transport of oil and gas in subsea pipelines from the well to the platform. When distances of the pipeline reach 100 km or more, one of the main challenges is to prevent the fluid from cooling down and clogging the pipe. Several technologies are known to work for shorter distances, but for long distances a completely new, simple and cost-effective solution which does not waste energy or chemicals to maintain the temperature of the fluid is necessary. The iHWI project will develop this solution, which can be combined with sensor technology to better understand what is happening to the fluid in the pipeline. Successful development of this technology will enable widespread use of very long pipelines to tie in wells that are situated far from the platform. This will have a positive impact on reducing the cost and resources needed to extract the oil and gas and the footprint of both new and existing oil- and gas developments. In 2021 the project had considerable progress, in particular within two areas: Firstly, a new type of pipe insulation for Norwegian conditions which has 25 % improved thermal performance compared to what is available in today's market was developed. The insulation was applied to test pipes and was proven to satisfy the relevant standards for pipe insulation. Already, the invention makes it possible to for insulated pipelines on the Norwegian Continental Shelf to be much longer. In 2020 the project started working on embedding heating sources in the insulation, and in 2021 a unique method for this was developed. The method was used to make test pipes, and thermal and electrical tests on these pipes showed that the system meets the calculated performance.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate estimates that of the total undiscovered petroleum resources on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, almost 65 % is in the Barents Sea. For future developments in the Barents Sea, tie-back lengths of 100 km are expected. Long pipelines used in the offshore oil and gas industry to simplify and make new developments more flexible or to tie in less profitable wells to existing infrastructure are called tie-backs. According to OG21, Norway’s oil and gas technology strategy, enabling of long tie-backs is a prioritized technology need. With 100 km long tie-backs it will be challenging to maintain the fluid temperature along the length of the pipeline above the critical temperatures for hydrate formation and wax precipitation - phenomena that can completely block a pipeline. In the Barents Sea this is extra challenging due to the low well stream temperatures. Therefore, this project target to develop the first intelligent wet thermal insulation system with integrated heating and sensors for tie-backs up to 100 km in length. Project partners Shawcor Norway AS (owner) and Norner Research AS will develop the new solutions in the project Intelligent Heated Wet Insulation for Pipelines (iHWI), solving major and critical obstacles/technological challenges for utilisation of the petroleum resources in the Barents Sea with robust tools to handle short notice flow shut-downs, minimum environmental impact, electrical zero CO2 emission heating, combined with low operational costs. The iHWI solutions will autonomously heat the pipe when and where the temperature is reduced, and enable monitoring of temperature, flow and pipeline state continuously along the pipeline. To meet the project objectives the partners must overcome several R&D challenges including new material solutions for heating, insulation and bonding, furthermore new design concepts for line pipes and field joints must be developed.

Funding scheme:

PETROMAKS2-Stort program petroleum