UV resistant coatings are key to avoiding early fatigue due to corrosion or
damage – especially important for near‑surface buoyancymooring.
Themanufacturer should test and document thematerial properties
of composite syntactic foams, including its bulkmodulus, density, water
absorption, hydrostatic creep resistance, hydrostatic strength, compressive,
shear and tensile strength, aswell asmodulus and strain at break.
Standardmodular buoyancy, if manufactured froma high
performance, low density, rigid syntactic foam core, encapsulated within a
rigid polymer skin, will mean that should the buoy be damaged or fatigued,
water ingress will not affect the efficiency of the buoy. A lightweight core
and closed cell design guarantees that water cannot be absorbed if the
skin is punctured. As such, the loads can still be catered for while repair
or replacement of themodule takes place, if required. Similarly, the
composition of the internal compoundmeans that no leakage of the foam
material is possible, even if the skin is broken.
It is also worth noting that the test procedure standards referenced
within API 17Lmay be replaced by other international or national
standards that can be shown tomeet, or exceed, the requirements
referenced in this standard.
Supplier support
The design andmanufacture of critical solutions – such as modular
buoyancy – in an offshore environment will need to continually develop
and adapt in order to remain safe and compliant. Legislation will only get
stricter, and without a knowledgeable and experiencedmanufacturer to
assist with product selection and analysis of various legislative guidelines,
projects could suffer.
Operators should not just think on a project‑by‑project basis; the
legislation that is in place todaymay be totally different in years to come.
A supplier that sees the curve in development and uses up‑and‑coming
legislation to drive its product development will stand it in good stead
for the future. Especially when considering that moremodular buoys are
being required to last around 20 years, just like permanent mooring –
future proofing is vital here.
Similarly, should project requirements change, so too can
specifications meaning that products may have to be switched. By using
amodular buoyancy system that supersedes industry requirements, the
likelihood of having to replace it is reduced.
Adaptable in nature, a buoyancymodule can easily be added or
removed, to suit the exact environment and buoyancy requirements.
Solutions that offer different end fittings and fixtures allow for alternative
connections. A well thought through design will ensure that unnecessary
downtime and associated costs can be kept to aminimum.
Conclusion
The offshore oil and gas industry has been through significant changes
and advancements and will continue to go throughmore. As environments
offshore become harsher and demand for more oil and gas extraction in
shorter timelines increases, the effects will be felt market‑wide.
Now is not the time to allow substandard buoyancy products to creep
in. Also, one cannot expect those products that do the job today to be
as effective in 10 ‑ 20 years time. And that is without considering what
industry wide legislationmight look like in the future. Therefore, working
with a supplier that can future‑proof applications can bring benefits.
It is important to look to suppliers that are investing in product
innovation beyond the current standards and are able to support and
guide companies through difficult and potentially confusing times ahead.
While over specifying or engineeringmay be seen as an unnecessary
cost, in the offshore oil and gas market the risks and associated costs of
downtime aremuch greater. Modular buoyancy has a big job to play in the
oil and gas market, ensuring that buoyancy can performas required and
remain compliant.
F-T90
HORIZONTAL
FRAC TREE
FRAC
INNOVATION
WITH
This is forward-thinking at its best. A vital part
of CAMSHALE
™
Services’ Frac Rental portfolio,
the F-T90
™
brings new levels of safety, efficiency
and reliability to the field. Its innovative
horizontal design results in an ultra-compact
footprint, lower height for safer operations,
and reduced bending stress at the tree
connection. Stable and easily anchored, the F-T90
is the ideal configuration for the job, providing
greater uptime and longer life through leading
technology that’s 50% smaller and 25% lighter
than conventional frac trees.
Bringing Innovation
to the Field
Cameron’s F-T90 Horizontal Frac Tree
H I G H L I G H T S
50% less height for greater safety
25% less weight for easier installation
Fewer connections to make up
Learn more at
AD01845SUR
