Electrically Trace Heated Pipe in Pipe: Technology Upgrade for Extended Application Range

Abstract

The benefits of active heating of subsea pipelines in terms of operability and flow assurance have been demonstrated, in particular for deepwater and/or remote fields with complex production conditions (hydrate formation risk, wax deposit, gelling issues, short production plateau…). Electrical Trace Heating was developed to reduce significantly field developments CAPEX by simplifying subsea architectures and topside equipment, and OPEX through a low power consumption, and a drastic reduction in the use of chemicals. After the first deployment of Electrically Trace Heated Pipe in Pipe (ETH-PiP) in reel-lay on Islay Field (North Sea, 2012), a development programme was launched in 2012, supported by major Operators to upgrade and qualify ETH-PiP technology for long tie-backs and higher power for production or export lines. This paper presents the maturity of all components of the ETH-PiP system. In a second part, the paper emphasizes on tracing cables design, production and validation testing phases as a critical aspect of the overall qualification process.