Recommended Practice for Wet and Dry Thermal Insulation of Subsea Flowlines and Equipment

API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 17U FIRST EDITION, FEBRUARY 2015

REAFFIRMED, JULY 2020

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Copyright © 2015 American Petroleum Institute

Foreword

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Contents

Page

1. General 1

   1. Scope 1

   2. Applicability 1

2. Normative References 1

3. Terms, Definitions, and Abbreviations 2

   1. General 2

   2. Abbreviations 7

4. General Requirements 7

   1. Performance Requirements 7

   2. Design Life Requirements 9

   3. Material Requirements 9

   4. Field Joints Requirements 11

5. Application Process and Quality Control 11

   1. General 11

   2. Quality Control of Raw Materials 11

   3. Procedure Qualification Test 11

   4. Manufacturing Procedure Specification 12

   5. Inspection and Test Plan 13

   6. Operators Certification 13

   7. Preproduction Test 13

   8. Production Tests 14

   9. Test Failure 14

   10. Process Certification 14

6. Handling and Storage Requirements 14

   1. General 14

   2. Purchaser Free Issued Materials 14

   3. Insulation Materials Handling 14

   4. Final Product Handling and Storage 14

7. Documentation 15

   1. Documentation Prior to Commencement of Work 15

   2. Documentation at Delivery of Work 15

   3. Documentation Submittal Schedule 15

   4. Marking 16

Annex A (normative) Recommended Performance Qualification Testing and Inspection Testing Requirements for Wet Insulation Systems 17

Annex B (normative) Recommended Performance Qualification Testing and Inspection Testing Requirements for Dry Insulation Systems 21

Bibliography 24

Tables

1 Documentation Submittal Schedule 15

1. Performance Qualification Matrix for Wet Insulation Systems 17

2. Inspection Frequency and Acceptance Criteria for Wet Insulation Systems 19

1. Performance Qualification Matrix for Dry Insulation Systems 21

2. Inspection Frequency and Acceptance Criteria for Dry Insulation Systems 23

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Recommended Practice for Wet and Dry Thermal Insulation of Subsea Flowlines and Equipment

1. General

   
   

   1. Scope

      
      

      This recommended practice (RP) provides guidance for the performance, qualification, application, quality control, handling, and storage requirements of wet and dry thermal insulation for subsea applications in the petroleum and gas industries. This guideline also covers the inspection of the insulation, and the repair of insulation defects. For flowlines, the installation method is not defined and may be either S-lay, J-lay, or reel- lay. This guideline is intended to cover all three installation methods. This guideline also takes into consideration the design and structural handling of subsea trees, manifolds, pipeline end terminations (PLETs), flowline jumpers, etc. as it pertains to the placement of structure, sacrificial anodes, handling appurtenances, etc. to ensure the integrity of the insulation’s construction.

      
      

      Annex A specifies the minimum requirements for the performance qualification testing and inspection testing requirements for wet insulation systems (insulations in direct contact with seawater).

      
      

      Annex B specifies the minimum requirements for the performance qualification testing and inspection testing requirements for dry insulation systems (insulations not in direct contact with seawater).

      
      

      This document is not intended to address either installation procedures or proprietary fabrication of any particular insulation type.

      
      

   2. Applicability

      
      

      This RP is applicable to the following systems and components:

      
      

      • flowlines and risers;

        
        

      • christmas tree, valve block, and piping;

        
        

      • manifold valves and pipework;

        
        

      • PLET piping;

        
        

      • jumpers (i.e. piping and bends);

        
        

      • connectors and fittings;

        
        

      • valves and chokes.

      
      

2. Normative References

The following reference documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

API Recommended Practice 5L1, Recommended Practice for Railroad Transportation of Line Pipe

API Recommended Practice 5LW, Recommended Practice for Transportation of Line Pipe on Barges and Marine Vessels

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