Trelleborg to Present Subsea Portfolio at OTD 2014

Trelleborg will exhibit an extended range of offshore solutions, including its recently re-branded portfolio of thermal insulation materials,subsea seals and LNG hoses, at the Offshore Technology Days (OTD) 2014 in Bergen, Norway.

Trelleborg’s offshore operation, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions and Trelleborg’s oil and marine hose operation are located together in Hall B on stand 3510, and will showcase a number of offshore innovations including its portfolio of thermal insulation solutions, Vikotherm™, Multi-Contact Turcon® Variseal® and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) tandem offloading hoses.

Vikotherm™ R2 consists ofa three-layer coating system that provides total protection against corrosion and hydrogen induced stress cracking (HISC). Its seawater, impact and creep resistance means that it offers excellent thermal insulation properties. The material can be installed using a newly designed mobile production unit on site anywhere in the world.

Ben Erik Jansen, Business Group Director of Trelleborg’s offshore operation based in Norway, states: “As the offshore oil and gas industry continues to push the limits, flow assurance is becoming a critical element of deepwater developments. This is resulting in a growing need for higher performance solutions which are guaranteed to perform in extreme environments.

“Our Vikotherm™ portfolio more than caters to these demanding environments, operating effectively at depths as low as 3,000meters / 9,843 feet or even less and at extreme temperatures from -49°C to +155°C / -56°F to +311°F /. Our customers can therefore be assured that oil and gas can flow through pipelines when required.”

Trelleborg’s Multi-Contact Turcon® Variseal® from Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has been developed to replace multiple chevron seals or V-stack type products in subsea valve stems requiring a high-integrity sealing capability. It includes a series of single-acting spring-energized seals housed within a U-shaped Turcon® polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based-material seal profile.

The Turcon® seal is designed to provide integrated redundancy, helping to extend the flex life of seals in high-pressure applications while providing better performance and lower operator costs. With the addition of anti-extrusion devices, the Multi-Contact Turcon® Variseal® can withstand pressures of up to 207 MPa / 30,000 psi.

Eric Bucci, Segment Manager Oil & Gas Americasat Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, explains: “The unique single-piece design significantly improves sealing integrity and leak tightness in high-pressure applications by providing higher contact force across multiple seal hardware interfaces.”

Trelleborg’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) tandem offloading system offers increased safety and flexibility with less downtime offshore. Tandem offloading, where vessels line up stern to bow, allows vessels to keep more distance between them – 328 feet / 100 meter distance or more between Floating Liquid Natural Gas (FLNG) vessels and Liquid Natural Gas Containers (LNGC) – easily cope with greater wave heights. This significantly limits the risk of collision between the two vessels, enhancing safety, but also greatly simplifies naval operations in approach, berthing and residence.

Vincent Lagarrigue, Global LNG Manager within Trelleborg Industrial Products, comments: “Moving LNG production to an offshore setting can present serious challenges for the offshore oil and gas industry, particularly in the design and construction of a vessel. FLNG facilities need to maintain the utmost levels of safety and ensure flexibility of LNG production, while withstanding the effects of winds, waves and currents in the open seas.

“With prospective FLNG locations moving away from ‘mild’ areas, to sites where environmental factors are more severe, conventional marine loading arms simply do not perform well, potentially causing shut-down in poor weather conditions.”

Press Release, October 16, 2014