Hydratight MORSEAL riser repair for Shell Nelson 31 October 2019

Online pipeline repair specialist, Hydratight, has installed two MORSEAL enclosure clamps on the outer diameter of a riser connected to the Shell Nelson platform in the Nelson field located 80km north east of Aberdeen.

These are the first MORSEAL installations for Shell in the North Sea. The MORSEAL clamps have been used to seal the riser in two locations, extending the riser service life and enabling Shell to conduct riser repairs at a more convenient time. For ease of deployment and speed of installation, the MORSEAL clamp is considerably lighter than alternative sealing systems that require additional riser and pipe supports, providing significant time and cost savings to Shell.

The MORSEAL enclosure clamps were installed on the outer diameter of the riser and injected with high grade elastomeric sealant through multiple inlet ports mounted to the clamp, thus ensuring that the sealant is able to completely flow and fill the cavity and reach the leak point.

“Corrosion is a common problem in offshore environments and can be highly disruptive for platform production. With a typical design life of 5 years, the MORSEAL enclosure clamp gives an operator the flexibility to choose the best time to repair the riser as part of a maintenance shutdown. A MORSEAL with a longer design life is possible, of course,” says David Tromans, global market development manager – speciality services.

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