Statoil Award Contract for Pipeline Heating on Tyrihans

A NOK 185 million contract covering cables and associated equipment for direct electric heating (DEH) of underwater pipelines has been awarded by Statoil to Nexans Norway. Involving 46 kilometres of 52 kV cable, the system will be used for subsea installations on the Tyrihans field operated by the group in the Norwegian Sea.

"Nexans is the world leader in delivering cables for DEH," says Atle Børnes, a Statoil specialist in this method for keeping underwater pipelines warm. "We've chosen this company on the basis of the solutions it can offer for Tyrihans."

DEH is used to avoid the formation of hydrate (a form of hydrocarbon ice) or wax plugs in a pipeline in the event of production shutdowns or periods with low flow rates.

The system to be used on Tyrihans has been subjected to extensive technology qualification in close cooperation with Sintef Energy Research and Nexans Norway.

This work is unique globally, and represents an important step forward in the use of power cables under water. "This allows DEH to be used for considerably longer pipeline lengths than was previously," explains Mr Børnes.

Statoil is so far the only company in the world to have adopted this solution, and currently operates 14 pipelines with DEH on the Norwegian continental shelf. The technology has resulted in substantial savings for the company in connection with subsea pipeline development.

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Posted 25/04/06

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