The Colossal Gas Pipe Laid At The Bottom Of The Ocean | Megastructures | Spark

Spark・2 minutes read

Norsk Hedro engineers plan to extract gas from the Foreman Lag field to supply Great Britain's gas needs for 20 years, overcoming challenges like drilling through the seabed and scaling underwater cliffs by using specialized ships and underwater ROVs. The Ormen Lange gas project transforms Gossam island into an industrial hub, with a complex pipeline system, underwater excavators, and a massive amount of steel pipes to supply gas efficiently to the UK for decades.

Insights

  • The Ormen Lange gas project in Norway involves extracting gas from the Foreman Lag field to supply Great Britain's gas needs for 20 years, requiring innovative drilling techniques and underwater infrastructure. This project transforms a remote island into an industrial hub, emphasizing rigorous testing and unique engineering solutions to ensure safe and efficient gas extraction.
  • The construction of the Langeland sub-sea pipeline, spanning 1200 kilometers from Norway to the UK, showcases meticulous welding, reinforcement, and laying processes to withstand pressure for 40 years. Unique challenges, such as handling pipe expansion and erosion threats, are addressed through innovative solutions like the Spider excavator and routing the pipeline through a tunnel to protect the coastline.

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Recent questions

  • How much gas is in Foreman Lag?

    Over 300 billion cubic meters.

  • What challenges are faced in extracting gas from Foreman Lag?

    Drilling through seabed, scaling underwater cliff, handling gas mixture.

  • How is gas transported from Foreman Lag to the UK?

    Through Langled pipeline from processing plant in Nihomna.

  • What is the purpose of the underwater gas platform template?

    Guides drills, controls well flow remotely.

  • How is the Ormen Lange gas project transforming Gossam?

    Into bustling industrial center for gas conversion.

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Summary

00:00

"Ormen Lange Gas Project: Transforming Energy"

  • Foreman Lag, a massive underwater gas field 120 kilometers off the coast of Norway, contains over 300 billion cubic meters of gas.
  • Norsk Hedro engineers plan to extract gas from Foreman Lag to supply 20 years of Great Britain's gas needs.
  • The project involves drilling the gas deposit, transporting it to a processing plant in Nihomna, and sending it to the UK through the Langled pipeline.
  • Challenges include drilling through the seabed, scaling a 300-meter underwater cliff, and adapting systems to handle the dangerous gas mixture.
  • Specialized industrial ships are used for deep-sea construction, while underwater remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) handle the brawny work.
  • A revolutionary underwater gas platform called a template guides drills through the gas field and controls well flow remotely.
  • The template, powered by a 125-kilometer control cable, connects to the underwater gas wells and controls gas flow to the processing plant.
  • The seabed's treacherous terrain, including the Storegga slide face, poses challenges for laying the world's longest underwater pipeline.
  • A 3D model of the seabed helps engineers plot the pipeline route, ensuring minimal impact on fisheries and the environment.
  • The Ormen Lange gas project transforms the remote island of Gossam into a bustling industrial center, where raw gas is converted into usable fuel efficiently.

18:17

"Deep Sea Pipeline Construction: Engineering Marvels"

  • Thomas Burnt is the sub C manager overseeing rigorous testing of systems to ensure tight connections and prevent leaks offshore at 850 meters depth.
  • Modules handling 70 million cubic meters of gas daily are tested with exact replicas of those on the sea floor, surrounded by a protective steel cage.
  • To manage pipe expansion, a connector sliding on rails absorbs movement, preventing damage to the Ormond Lang pipeline expected to expand by up to one meter.
  • Engineers tackle the Sterega slide by creating an underwater excavator, the Spider, capable of excavating trenches at water depths up to 1000 meters.
  • The Spider, inspired by Swiss forest industry machines, excavates trenches up to four meters wide and deep, using a powerful shovel or suction nozzle.
  • The Langeland sub-sea pipeline, spanning 1200 kilometers from Norway to the UK, requires over one million tons of steel pipes, each 12 meters long and weighing 10 tons.
  • The pipeline, needing 100,000 pipes, is reinforced with 25,000 tons of steel and over one million tons of concrete to withstand pressure for 40 years.
  • The pipeline assembly involves creating double joints, each 24 meters long, with precise welding and ultrasound checks to ensure a leak-proof connection.
  • The pipeline laying process on the seabed involves continuous tube deployment from the barge, with precise welding, sealing, and offloading to prevent snapping under strain.
  • The final connection to the Schleichner gas platform involves welders doubling as divers, working in pressurized modules to make the final underwater connection, completing the pipeline from Easington to the platform.

38:05

"Super Pipeline Project: From Sealing to Completion"

  • 600 kilometers of pipe connections are needed for gas flow, with a major goal achieved through sealing and connection, followed by inspection using internal gauges known as the pig.
  • A mysterious shipwreck discovered 500 meters off the coast halts progress, leading to an archaeological excavation using remote operated vehicles to recover 18th-century artifacts.
  • Erosion threatens the landfall point in Easington, with up to 80 meters of coastline disappearing over 40 years, prompting the pipeline to be routed through a 400-meter tunnel under the cliffs.
  • A slug catcher is built to prevent explosive debris slugs from reaching the Nihomna plant, while condensate storage in underground caverns and transportation by freighters is implemented.
  • The final leg of the pipeline to the Ormond Lang gas field is laid using a special ship, the S-7000, with 20,000 pipes welded together and lowered vertically off the ship, marking the completion of the super pipeline project.
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