NO20151637A1

NO20151637A1 - Method for replacing flexible products whilst construction/installation vessel is positioned away from platform to allow production to continue, to improve marine safety and to provide flexibility with heading/improved weather criteria for operations

Info

Publication number: NO20151637A1
Application number: NO20151637A
Authority: NO
Inventors: Håvard Strand
Original assignee: Ocean Installer As
Priority date: 2015-12-01
Filing date: 2015-12-01
Publication date: 2017-06-02
Also published as: WO2017095229A1; WO2017095229A9; NO344410B1

Description

Method for replacing flexible products whilst construction/installation vessel is positioned away from platform to allow production to continue, to improve marine safety and to provide flexibility with heading/improved weather criteria for operations.

A method for replacing risers, umbilicals and other flexible products (summarily termed risers) was developed in order to prevent the construction/installation vessel performing the operations from needing to be in close proximity of the platform. This provides marine safety benefits in terms of keeping the vessel further away from the platform (hence reducing risk of collision as well as exposure to potential hazardous discharge/leaks from platform), it provides flexibility with heading for the construction/installation vessel which provides improved operability depending on environmental (wind/waves) direction, and as some platforms have exposed riser balconys (hang off areas where risers are hung off on the topside) and prohibited zones where the vessel cannot enter whilst production is ongoing it allows for simultaneous marine operations to replace risers, umbilicals and flexible products whilst production is ongoing at the platform.

The method can be performed either with recovery of risers or installation of risers. This patent covers for the differences in method compared to the normal replacement method which requires the construction vessel to be typically within 20m of the platform. Typical arrangement for operations when platform is required to be close to platform for topside handshake is shown in steps 1-6 below which show a typical up close arrangement for topside transfer of a riser topside end to the platform/topside pull in winch wire.

CLAIM1: With reference to Statoil Patent (International Publication Number WO 2015/074687 Al), this patent describes installing or replacing flexible products by an improved and simplified transfer of both topside and subsea ends to and from vessel/platform. This is without the use of additional vessel(s), additional winches on the topside/platform, subsea winches or requiring to take topside end near the seabed. This method describes a novel use of a lightweight rope or wire to safely transfer and connect heavy rigging up between installation/construction vessel and platform, with use of wire deflecting sheaves/wheels on both topside/platform and installation/construction vessel.

CLAIM 2: This patent also describes a way to use buoyancy on the topside end if required in order to reduce winching tension for transfer of topside end between topside/platform and installation/construction vessel. Several devices/equipment are required for this method. A "vessel wire deflector" device on the construction/installation vessel (described below), a winch with lightweight rope/wire on it on it, rigging for performing the "handshakes" and a topside winch with a "topside wire deflector" on the topside.

The "vessel wire deflector" is a device which allows a lifting wire to be deflected away from its main lifting axis (this is usually vertical for cranes but may be different for other lifting devices - such as horizontal for winches). This typically involves a sheave but may have a chute or rollers or other similar design to allow the wire to be bent away from the main vertical axis. The sheave/chute/rollers can typically rotate such that there is minimal wear on the lifting wire. The sheave/chute/rollers may also swivel (typically in the vertical axis - but may be different depending upon lifting device) such that it allows for varying angles of the wire relative to the vessel (which provides vessel heading flexibility). This is particularly useful on cranes as the crane wire typically has a restriction in offlead and sidelead angles which prevents large deflections relative to the vertical axis from being allowed. A typical concept sketch for a "vessel wire deflector" is shown in sketch below.

The "topside wire deflector" is a similar device which allows a lifting wire to be deflected away from the main lifting axis (typically vertical for winches but may be different depending on lifting device and wire rauting). This typically involves a sheave but may have a chute or rollers or other similar design to allow the wire to be bent away from the main lifting axis. The sheave/chute/rollers can typically rotate such that there is minimal wear on the lifting wire. The "topside wire deflector" however does not typically need to swivel around an axis as the platform riser angle towards the construction/installation vessel is typically maintained within a small sector and the platform does not typically need heading flexibility. A typical "topside wire deflector" arrangement is shown on the left side of the sketch below and if this is not used the normal angle of wire out of the hangoff area is restricted due to clashing of wire and this is shown on the right hand side of the sketch below.

Due to the distances of transfer, the wire tensions and deflection angles can be large. If the wire angle & tension combination during the transfers are larger than what the equipment can safely operate, an alternative method is to incorporate some buoyancy elements on the topside end of the riser in order to reduce the top tension. This can be kept in place during the transfer or removed separately.

The method for recovery of existing risers consists of the following steps:

• Lowering the topside end of the riser through the hang off slot so the riser goes deeper into the water (shown in step 1 below). • Installing a "topside wire deflector" on the topside hang off slot such that it allows the winch wire on the platform to be deflected below level of the hang off slot towards the vessel. • The construction/installation vessel then deploys a lifting wire over the side of the vessel facing the platform (typically crane block but could easily be a winch or other lifting device with wire attached) (shown in step 1 below). • This lifting wire from the construction/installation vessel is then inserted into the crane wire deflector and secured in the sheave/chute/rollers. • A pulling device (typically winch) with lightweight rope/wire (typically synthetic/fibre rope made close to neutrally buoyant) or lightweight wire is then deployed over the same side of the vessel facing the platform (shown in step 1 below). • The lightweight rope/wire is equipped with rigging that is attached to the bottom of the construction/installation vessel lifting wire and with a snatch block (or other running device which allows the rope to run through the system) to the topside end of the riser (or rigging above it) (shown in step 2 below). • The lightweight rope/wire is then paid in to bring the end of the lifting wire from the construction/installation vessel towards the topside end of the riser and this is then connected up to the topside end of the riser through rigging (shown in step 3 and 4 below). • The lightweight rope/wire is then disconnected and recovered back to the vessel (or in an alternative arrangement can remain connected during the transfer), whilst the winch wire from the platform is paid out and the lifting wire from the vessel is paid in either simultaneously or in steps or in a combination to bring the topside end of the riser towards the constructions/installation vessel (shown in step 4 and 5 below). • The lightweight rope/wire is then deployed again and connected up to the topside end of the riser (or rigging above it) and the snatch block (or other running device which allows the rope to run through the system) is connected up to the winch wire from the platform/topside. This can be also done the other way with the snatch block connected to the topside end of the riser and the end connected to the winch wire from the

platform/topside. This is shown in step 6 below.

• The winch wire is then disconnected from the riser and the lightweight rope/wire is paid out to allow the winch wire from the platform/topside to be recovered to the

platform/topside area. This is shown in step 6 below.

• The vessel remains at distance from the platform during this whole process.

• The riser is then recovered in the normal method whilst keeping at distance away from the platform/topside.

The method for installation can then involve additional steps in order initiate the subsea end of the riser if the subsea end of the riser is in pliant wave configuration. The method for this initiation of subsea end consists of the following steps: • The subsea end of the riser is deployed from the construction/installation vessel (shown in step 1 below). • The pulling device (typically winch) with lightweight rope/wire (typically synthetic/fibre rope made close to neutrally buoyant) or lightweight wire is then deployed over the same side of the vessel facing the platform (shown in step 1 below). • The lightweight rope/wire with snatch block or other running device attaches to the subsea end of the riser below the vessel and also is connected to the winch wire from the platform/topside (shown in step 1 below). • The lightweight rope/wire is then paid in to bring the winch wire from the platform/topside across to the subsea end of the riser (shown in step 2 below). • A subsea connection is then made between the platform wire rigging and the subsea end of riser (shown in step 2 below). • The lightweight rope/wire is then disconnected from the subsea end and platform/topside wire (shown in step 2 below). The winch wire from the platform and riser on the vessel are paid in/out either simultaneously or in steps or in a combination to allow the subsea end of the riser to be brought doser to the platform and then the "sag bend" catenary that is created in the riser is landed on the seabed in correct position with the subsea end suspended on the platform winch wire and the riser is then laid away from the platform (shown in steps 1-2 below). Once the construction/installation vessel is in position, the platform is then moved in a coordinated pattern (typically using the mooring/winch system) and the platform/topside winch wire is lowered (either simultaneously, in steps, or a combination) to enable the subsea end to be lowered towards the seabed and disconnected (shown in step 3 below).

Once the platform winch wire is disconnected from the subsea end and the construction vessel is ready for transfer of the topside end of the riser to the platform/topside, the topside end of the product will typically be hanging from below the vessel on the A&R (Abandonment and Recovery) rigging or the crane rigging (shown in steps 1-2 below). The transfer of the topside end of the riser will then be performed from either the crane/winch rigging or from the A&R rigging and it consists of the following steps: • The lightweight rope/wire with snatch block or other running device will be deployed and connected up to both topside end of riser and platform winch wire (shown in step 3 below). • The lightweight rope/wire is then paid in to bring the end of the lifting wire from platform/topside towards the topside end of the riser and is then connected up (shown in step 4 below).. • The lightweight rope/wire is then disconnected and recovered back to the vessel (or in an alternative arrangement can remain connected during the transfer), whilst the winch wire from the platform is paid in and the crane rigging or A&R wire from the vessel is paid out either simultaneously or in steps or in a combination to bring the topside end of the riser underneath the platform/topside (shown in step 5 below). • Once the load is tåken by the platform winch wire, the lightweight rope/wire is connected to the end of the crane rigging or A&R wire and the topside end to disconnect the crane/A&R rigging and then the lightweight rope/wire is paid out to allow the crane/A&R rigging to return to the construction/installation vessel (shown in step 5-7 below).. • The lightweight rope/wire is then disconnected and the topside end of riser is fully transferred over to the platform/topside (shown in step 7-8 below).