Energy news June 2005


Company	Products & Services	Rules & Guides	News & Events	Regulatory Information

Products & Services • Offshore / Energy • E-News


A Publication of ABS Energy Project Development

Aluminum Alloy for Ultra Deep Risers

ABS joins Noble Drilling and other companies participating in a study to discuss the development of aluminum alloy for drilling risers. As industry moves into deeper waters it is a natural progression to look at material that offers the same strength and reliability while providing weight savings.

The move toward using aluminum alloy for risers (AAR) has been explored by Noble Drilling and ten other participating companies as alternative materials become attractive in terms of cost savings. Since 1996 study and testing has included alloy selection, manufacturing capability, and material and fatigue testing. In 2001 offshore tests were conducted to evaluate full scale AAR joints installed in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Noble Drilling, the first full string of AARs was successfully installed and utilized on the Noble Leo Segerius drillship offshore Brazil.

ABS provided certification of the AAR in 2003 and these risers have been deployed on vessels in the Gulf of Mexico such as the semisubmersible Noble Therald Martin.

Studies by Noble Drilling presented at the 2005 Society of Professional Engineers/International Association of Drilling Contractors Conference (SPE/IADC) showed over a 50 percent weight savings when AARs are submerged.

Currently Noble Drilling and participating companies are developing, testing and plan to certify and deploy ultra deepwater AARs capable of being installed for 10,000 ft. of water depth.

According to ABS offshore research and developers, not only is aluminum being looked at as illustrated by this program but also other materials such as titanium, fiber reinforced plastics (FRPs) and composites for use in risers as well as other offshore applications such as topsides.

Regulatory Information