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I N N O V AT I O N S • A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 1 4
Raising Lima
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19
INCREASED SAFETY
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»
No potential leak path
through flange
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No plug drop
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Interlock system
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Operator can retrieve set,
pressurized plug without being
positioned over it
EFFICIENCY
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Easier, quicker setting process
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Plug can only be set correctly
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Correct coupon alignment
eliminates piggability problems
MAINTENANCE
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Flange and plug have fewer
parts compared to standard
LOCK-O-RING design
SIMPLICITY EQUALS SAFETY
Once the leaves are fully extended, the LOCK-O-RING
®
Plus
completion plug provides operators increased safety and simplicity.
LOCK-O-RING
®
Plus Plug
Features & Benefits
plug has been set. With divers struggling with
traditional, unwieldy equipment, each plug
setting can take several hours.
To save time, the team decided to try something
previously performed only onshore: Installation of
LOCK-O-RING® Plus completion plugs.
This completion plug technology was patented
in early 2011, and has been successfully used to
complete multiple onshore STOPPLE isolation
jobs. The technology had been thoroughly
tested for subsea, but had not yet been used
on a subsea job.
Each STOPPLE fitting has a flange with no
side openings, which reduces any potential leak
paths. This flange helps with the attachment of
the bypass system. Once the bypass is removed,
the flange can also assist with the attachment of
the LOCK-O-RING Plus completion plug.
A feature of the completion plug that made it
the right tool for Pertamina EP’s project is that
its interlock system indicates when the leaves
are fully extended, which lets divers know, with
certainty, when it is positively set in the flange.
Plus, the plug setting machine used to set the
plug transfers pressure from the pipeline to the
inside of the plug setter, balancing the pressure
by counteracting the force pushing against the
machine. Altogether, this system provided divers
and engineers with a quicker and safer way to
complete their work underwater.
PERTAMINA EP’S CUSTOMERS
CONTINUE TO COOK
The Lima project was a distinguished introduction
of the LOCK-O-RING Plus completion plug to its
new subsea application. Now that the technology
has proven to be effective underwater, the door has
been opened to using the technology in similar
projects following the shared experiences and
lessons learned by Pertamina EP, the contractors
and TDW’s project managers.
Most importantly, Pertamina EP was able to
raise their Lima Flow Station without any incidents
or disruptions to the gas supply. Jakarta and the rest
of West Java had gas for cooking and power, and
Pertamina EP didn’t lose profits from a shutdown.
“We asked our team to make the impossible possible,
and they did it,” says Nababan.
C O V E R S T O R Y
