TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

Improved UOE Pipe-Manufacturing Process

Helps Meet Deepwater Pipeline Challenges

Conventional pipeline design, although table including some typical deepwater diameter, wall thickness, pipe shape,
concerned with many factors, gener- pipe properties is shown in Fig. 1. and material compressive strength.
ally centers on the need to withstand It is possible to produce thick-walled,
the internal pressure in the line. The seamless pipe at these diameters by means Pipe Shape
higher the pressure at which through- of the Pilger process, in which hot round The finished pipe shape is determined
put can flow, the higher the flow rate, steel billets that have been hollowed in during the manufacturing process and
and the greater the revenue potential the initial phase of production are rolled can be optimized by balancing the manu-
for the operator. However, when con- and stretched until the desired length facturing parameters, pipe compression,
sidering the factors critical for deepwa- and diameter are achieved. However, the and expansion. Through the optimiza-
ter pipelines, much of the focus shifts manufacturing process is slow and the tion of crimping, U-press, and O-press
to the need to withstand the external cost of material high. operations, it is possible to control pipe
pressure on the line, particularly dur- The most economic method of man- diameter and wall thickness (hence,
ing installation. ufacturing pipe at these wall thickness- ovality) to the point where the specifi-
With local “infield” lines, such as sub- es and diameters is the UOE process, cations of most deepwater projects are
sea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines, the in which steel plate is pressed into a met and surpassed (Fig. 2). Enhanced
challenge is modest because the lines U and then an O shape and then is tolerances that have been achieved for
are small in diameter and, thus, inher- expanded circumferentially. (This pro- pipe roundness, wall thickness, and
ently resistant to hydrostatic collapse. cess was used in the projects shown diameter, have reduced design- and pro-
These lines are generally produced as in Fig. 1.) The advantages of the UOE duction-related uncertainty and resulted
seamless pipe, which in smaller sizes process notwithstanding, the current in optimized wall thickness.
is readily available and generally a suit- wall-thickness and diameter require-
able economic solution. ments for deepwater trunkline pipe Material Compressive Strength
However, deepwater trunklines, still have proved challenging from the Pipe manufactured by the UOE process
especially with long-distance tiebacks, standpoint of manufacturing econom- undergoes various strain cycles, both
present a greater challenge. These lines ics and installation capabilities. Only a tensile and compressive. The combina-
must be wider in diameter to meet handful of manufacturers are capable tion of these cycles affects the overall
the production demands of large-scale, of supplying double-submerged, arc- behavior of the material in compres-
high-cost projects. Thicker pipe wall welded (DSAW) pipe that meets speci- sion. For standard UOE processes, the
is required to ensure that pipes can fications for the deepest projects, such material response to these strain cycles
withstand the hydrostatic pressure and as the Shell Perdido development in the during forming is a 15% derating of
bending that affect them as they are Gulf of Mexico. compressive strength. This is known as
laid to the seabed. Often, these are 16- The acceptability of a pipeline design the Bauschinger effect (Fig. 3).
to 20-in.-diameter lines, which places for a given water depth is determined by Corus Tubes, over a period of years,
them at the economic limit for seamless means of standard equations that mea- observed that the results it obtained
pipe production methods. A project sure the relationship between outside from the forming process often yielded
higher collapse strengths than those
obtained when any of the standard
equations were applied. Examination
of equation parameters suggested that
this benefit could be the result either
of greater pipe roundness or increased
pipe compressive strength.
This led to a research and process-
development program that has provided
greater understanding of the mecha-
nisms at work during pipe forming.
Fig. 1—A project table with typical deepwater pipe properties.
The enhancement of collapse strength

26 JPT • JULY 2008

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TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

Fig. 2—A diagram of the UOE pipe-manufacturing process.

was found to be a result both of improved pipe shape and facturing conditions that enable collapse performance to
pipe strength. Work by the company has now made possible be enhanced, providing the potential for reducing pipe
a reversal of much of the Bauschinger effect in UOE pipe- wall thickness for future deepwater applications. Among
manufacturing operations. Consequently, higher compressive the benefits expected to result from this process develop-
strengths than those normally expected have been achieved. ment are
By optimizing the various compression and expansion • Reduced material cost
cycles, it has been possible to determine a set of manu- • Reduced welding cost
• Reduced installation time
• Reduced pipe weight for logistics and submerged pipe-
weight considerations
• Increased design scope that will widen options for deep-
water developments

Conclusion
Pipelines in deep water require the tightest dimensional
tolerances to maximize resistance to collapse and maximize
girth-weld fatigue resistance. With lines from 16- to 28-in.
diameters envisioned for future deepwater export pipeline
systems, DSAW UOE pipe manufacturing will be a vital
enabling technology. Work continues to be done to improve
the performance of this manufacturing process, with the goal
of helping the oil and gas industry develop projects in deeper
and deeper waters.

Information provided by Richard Freeman, Business Development

Fig. 3—Material early yielding on strain reversal due Manager (Energy Business), and Martin Connelly, Technical
to Bauschinger effect. Manager (Energy Business), Corus Tubes. JPT

28 JPT • JULY 2008

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