Petrobras, Shell and Strohm join forces to transform deepwater riser market

Strohm has announced what it says is a game-changing joint industry programme (JIP) with Petrobras and Shell for its thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) flowline and riser technology. The contract is claimed to have the potential to revolutionise the deepwater flowline and riser market in Brazil and beyond with a corrosion-free solution that has a 30-year design life. 

Brazil’s prolific pre-salt provinces have some of the most productive wells in the world. Typically, deepwater fields such as these, are produced through dynamic risers connected to floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels. Recently, conventional flexible flowline and risers have been reported to exhibit premature integrity issues due to corrosion, leading to regular replacement which is costly and leads to deferred production. Strohm’s TCP flowline and riser is corrosion-resistant with a three-decade design life. It is claimed to have a superior fatigue performance and is light weight compared to steel, resulting in a cost effective free-hanging catenary configuration once installed. 

Once fully field proven, the concept will be made commercially available for deployment.

The TCP riser is spoolable and prepared in long lengths, resulting in lower transportation and installation costs, reports Strohm. It can be installed using vessels currently available in the market and, as it does not require any buoyancy elements during installation, costs are significantly reduced leading to an overall saving. As a consequence, CO₂ emissions are greatly reduced. It is also 100% recyclable. 

The TCP riser can be installed quickly by existing flex-lay or reel-lay vessels 
Photo: Strohm