WIRELINE ISSUE 33 AUTUMN 2015

Efficiency spotlights A new Efficiency Spotlights section on the Oil & Gas UK website showcases case studies from companies that are addressing costs by working smarter. Wireline presents just some of the good ideas being put into practice and delivering value.

gas export line below and allowed the top of the caisson to be cut away in larger sections than before, saving time and reducing cost. This innovation enabled the caisson to be removed in eight weeks, whereas more traditional methods would have taken 22. The process demonstrates the power of collaboration and holds promise for wider application as BG Group plans to use this technology for the removal of similar caissons on other North Sea assets. Finding new innovative ways of working can help secure the future of our industry. BG Group’s vice president, UK operated assets, Steve Cox, comments: “As an industry, we need to work together to develop innovative methods and technologies. This solution has been an outstanding achievement and is testament to great teamwork and commitment from all companies involved and has the potential to be used for any other similar caissons in poor condition.”

AMEC FOSTER WHEELER AND BG GROUP DELIVER INDUSTRY FIRST In response to a demand from customer BG Group to speed up the replacement of defective caissons (pillars that underpin many North Sea platforms), Amec Foster Wheeler introduced an industry first by developing a new removal technique. This new method not only allows the job to be completed in a third of the time but is also safer. In April 2014, subsea defects on the Lomond platform’s C6 caisson were identified along with badly corroded internal dip pipes. Given that the caisson was located directly above a gas export line, which it had the potential to damage if dropped, the risk of a part detaching during removal had to be mitigated. Amec Foster Wheeler pumped expanding foam down the caisson, fully encapsulating corroded internal dip pipes. This removed the risk of them detaching during removal and falling onto the

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