Subsea STP Buoy Mooring Subsea Australasia 2010 ... - Subsea UK

Subsea STP Buoy Mooring
Subsea Australasia 2010, Perth
Ben Crouch, Sales Engineer, First Subsea Ltd
‘Always Part of the Solution’

Presentation Overview
• First Subsea
• Ball and Taper Technology
• Subsea Mooring Connector
• Spar, FPU and FPSO Mooring
• STP Buoy Mooring
• Buoy Tow-Out and Connection
• Buoy Disconnection and Retrieval
• Peregrino case study
• Future STP Buoy Mooring
• Summary

First Subsea
• Formerly BSW Ltd …
• Established in 1994
• MBI in September 2001
• Patented ‘Ball & Taper’ Technology
• Innovative Design & Engineering
• Extensive Oil and Gas Experience
• Employing 40 People in NW England
• Certified QMS to ISO9001:2000
• Representative ti Worldwide
• Australian representative: Brian
Arnold, Energy Agencies.

Ball and Taper Principle
• Mechanical Mechanism
• Friction / Wedge Locking
• Individual Multi-Point Grip
• Grip Elements in Compression
• Grip is Proportional to Load
• Self Aligning, Self Activating
• No Release Under Load
• Fully Scaleable Design: Mooring
Connector, Diverless Bend Stiffener
Connector, Pipeline Recovery Tool,
Autoswage Connector

Subsea Mooring Connector
• Two-part Ballgrab SMC: male and female
connectors
• Range of connectors to meet loading
requirement: Series I, II & III
• Loads up to 2000Te MBL supplied so far
• Mooring line media independent: chain,
spiral wire and fibre rope
• Shallow water and deepwater deployment

Subsea Mooring Connector
• Over 250 Ballgrab subsea mooring
connectors deployed around the
world.
• Ballgrab SMC:
• Simpler and safer connection
• Greater operational flexibility
• Easier shallow and deepwater
installations
• Key projects:
• Vincent STP buoy, Kikeh SPAR,
Perdido Spar, Cascade Chinook.

Spar, FPU, FPSO mooring
• Pre-install female connector on seabed
connected to pile and ground chain
• Suction pile - Docking porch with
female connector
• Driven pile – Mud mat with female
connector
• Male connector lowered from surface
vesselconnected to mooring line
• Male connector stabbed vertically into
female connector to secure mooring line
connection
• Male connector can be disengaged d
enabling production platform to be moved,
if necessary.

STP Buoy Mooring and Connection
• Reverse implementation to surface
platform mooring:
• male preinstalled seabed anchor,
• female preinstalled on buoy with uni-
joint arrangement
• Male installed with suction pile, held
above seabed with midline buoyancy
element
• Buoy lowered into position and male
connector pushed into female connector
with ROV – diverless connection
• Female connector typically held at 45
degrees.

Buoy Tow‐out Simpler
• Female connector pre-installed on
side of buoy
• Avoids need for mooring lines pre-
connected to buoy
• Easier buoy lift from quayside to
water
• Enables safer tow out
• Fewer tow out boats needed
• Allows final mooring line
connections without the need for
divers.

Buoy Disconnection and Retrieval
• FPSO disconnects buoy and moves off-station
to avoid adverse weather
• Integrated ball and taper connection within
buoy allows easier retrieval
• Female receptacle within top of buoy
• Buoy retrieved into FPSO with Ballgrab male
connector on retrieval wire
• Doppler TV used to position male connector
and assist female connection
• On connection, buoy winched into moonpool
• Alternative to floating ropes, padeyes and
shackles
• Easier retrieval of buoy without ROV / divers
• Provides simple, remotely operated buoy
abandonment and retrieval system.

Future STP buoy mooring
• Subsea STP buoy mooring – a proven
methodology
• Focus on meeting deepwater / ultra
deepwater mooring challenges
• Drive for ‘Lean Installation’
• Key developments in mooring line
make-up and deployment
• Fibre rope connector technology
• Mooring line seabed pre-
deployment.

Mooring Line Developments
• Deepwater mooring line deployment –
complex and time consuming
• Need dedicated deepwater mooring lines
• Longer ropes with fewer connections
• Easier and quicker deployment and recovery
• Focus on ‘Lean Installation’
• ‘LankoFirst’ fibre mooring line connector
• Smaller, lighter, stronger and more
efficient than existing link designs
• Easier make-up and slimmer rope splice
construction
• Flexible, safer and easier offshore
assembly, running and retrieval.

Summary
• Subsea STP buoy mooring simpler with
Ballgrab SMCs
• Consistent with ‘Lean Installation’
• Simpler buoy lift and tow-out
• Easier buoy retrieval
• Further developments in mooring line
connectors, and fibre rope sand barriers
offer greater STP buoy mooring
flexibility.

‘The innovator of engineering
excellence, specializing in
connection and mooring solutions’
Engineering House, Lune Industrial Estate, New Quay Road, Lancaster, LA1 5QP, UK.
UK T : +44 (0)1524 387 777 F : +44 (0)1524 387 777 E : sales@firstsubsea.com
11757 Katy Freeway, Suite 1300, Houston, Texas 77079, USA.
US
T : +1 832 448 1240 F : +1 832 448 1241 E : sales@firstsubsea.com