Latest Industry Data and Flexible Pipe Integrity Management Lessons from the Sureflex JIP

Abstract

Abstract The 5th phase of the Sureflex Joint Industry Project (JIP) provides the latest data-driven industry guidance relating to unbonded flexible pipe population and damage / failure statistics, integrity management guidance and good practice. To maximise knowledge and experience sharing, the full deliverable report has been made freely available through an open industry publication. This paper shares the key findings of the JIP. The JIP gathered data from the industry, with wide global member support from flexible pipe suppliers, operators, and regulators, and a wide range of non-member stakeholder organisations. The data is gathered, assessed, desensitised and presented to provide the best possible integrity management guidance to pipe users. The JIP also included a series of workshops: assessing vendor inspection, monitoring, and repair technologies; evaluating other key flexible pipe challenges, and sharing of operational experiences, with the key findings presented in the main JIP report. An ongoing network continues and expands the sharing of data and lessons learned. Whilst flexible pipe technology may be considered as mature, being commercialised in the 1970s, there has been an almost 1/5th increase in the volume of pipes delivered in the latest five-year period. This indicates an increasing volume of use, and the JIP data demonstrates the pace of technology acceleration of design parameters, as users of the technology seek to stretch the operational envelope. The manufacturers continue to perform product research, development and qualification to meet this demand, though this has not prevented the emergence of a limited number of new failure modes. Reported Leak and Damage rates have shown a decreasing trend over the last 20 years, however the incident rate for rarer Rupture events has increased for Riser applications since 2011. These rupture events have been attributed to a relatively small number of failure mechanisms in specific applications, some of which have emerged in the last 5 years. Important developments of existing and new inspection and monitoring technologies have continued, though further work to improve the reliability, ease of deployment and usability is required. Knowledge and experience sharing of successes and failures is key to ensuring that appropriate and relevant guidance is maintained and made available to the wider industry. Building on the knowledge shared through the preceding JIP phases dating back 25 years, this initiative has compiled and shared the most comprehensive industry dataset of unbonded flexible pipe supply experience, damage and failure data, and corresponding integrity management mitigations in the form of guidance and good practice.