Dutch technology firm Airborne Oil & Gas and Brazilian engineering company SÍMEROS TECHNOLOGIES are working together to deliver the first qualified thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) risers in deepwater Brazil.
The two companies announced that they had signed a collaboration towards this goal at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston this week.
Last year, Airborne Oil & Gas started a TCP riser qualification program. Airborne says that it believes the technology is a world first for fully bonded, free hanging composite risers. The company's aim is to provide a disruptive new riser pipe technology for operators with international deepwater applications.
The program with SÍMEROS TECHNOLOGIES is receiving funding from a major operator in the region and is aimed at qualifying the TCP riser for dynamic deepwater applications, including for pre-salt and highly corrosive conditions, against an ambitious timescale.
Airborne Oil & Gas vice president Brazil, Renato Bastos said: “With tremendous support from our clients, we have developed the TCP riser with optimal characteristics for cost, weight and bend radius, while using robust materials with many years of proven track record in the field.”
Airborne's TCP flowlines and risers can be installed by existing flex-lay and reel-lay vessels and can be installed in the flexible and cost effective free hanging catenary mode. “Installed in free hanging catenary configuration, our TCP Riser provides the opportunity for significant savings on typical FPSO development, through faster installation and avoiding the need to use buoyancy modules,” says Oliver Kassam, Airborne Oil & Gas CEO.
“With our track record to date delivering various applications for major operators around the globe - including hydrocarbon service - we are moving forward rapidly on this program to qualify the TCP Riser. SÍMEROS has extensive experience in flexible pipe qualification testing and we look forward to a successful working partnership.”
Fabiano Bertoni, SÍMEROS' director said: “Brazil is a very attractive deepwater market and will likely play a dominant role in the global deepwater environment moving forward. The qualification program for Airborne Oil & Gas’ TCP riser includes rigorous testing with full monitoring by DNV GL and a clear staircase, leading to qualified TCP risers for hydrocarbon and water & gas service, in deepwater and dynamic applications.”
In March, Airborne Oil & Gas announced that Aker Solutions had joined its shareholder base, joining Chevron Technology Ventures, Evonik Venture Capital, Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, Shell Ventures, Subsea 7, Sumitomo Corporation and the private equity investor, HPE Growth Capital.
