Eisspeedway

Statpipe

Statpipe
Location
CountryNorway
General directionnorth–south
FromStatfjord and Heimdal fields
Passes throughNorth Sea, Kårstø, Draupner S riser platform
ToEkofisk oil field (connected to Norpipe)
General information
Typenatural gas
OwnerGassled
OperatorGassco
Technical service providerStatoil
Commissioned1985
Technical information
Length890 km (550 mi)
Maximum discharge18.9 billion cubic meters per year
Diameter30 in (762 mm)

The Statpipe pipeline is a natural gas system, which links northern North Sea gas fields with Norway's gas export system. It transports gas from Statfjord, Gullfaks, Heimdal, Veslefrikk, Snorre, Brage and Tordis gas fields.

History

The Statpipe was developed by Statoil. The development plan was approved by the Norwegian Parliament (Storting) on 10 June 1981. The rich gas pipeline from Statfjord became operational on 25 March 1985 and the dry gas pipeline from Kårstø to Ekofisk field came on stream on 15 October 1985.[1] The Draupner S riser platform was installed in 1984 as part of the Statpipe system. In 1998, the Statpipe was connected directly with the Norpipe. On 1 January 2003, the Statpipe was merged into Gassled partnership and Gassco became the operator of the pipeline.[2]

Technical features

The total length of the Statpipe system is 890 kilometres (550 mi). It consists of both rich and dry gas pipelines. The 308-kilometre (191 mi) long rich gas pipeline runs from Statfjord field to the Kårstø gas processing plant. It has branch lines from Snorre and Gulfaks fields. The internal diameter of this pipe is 30 inches (760 mm) and capacity is 9.7 billion cubic metre (bcm) of natural gas per year.

The first leg of the dry gas pipeline runs from Kårstø to the Draupner S riser platform in the North Sea. The length of this line is 228 kilometres (142 mi). The internal diameter of the pipe is 28 inches (710 mm) and capacity is 7.6 bcm of natural gas per year. The second leg runs for 155 kilometres (96 mi) from the Heimdal platform in the North Sea to Draupner S. The diameter of this pipe is 36 inches (910 mm) and capacity 11 bcm per year. The Draupner S riser platform ties the Statpipe lines from Heimdal and Kårstø together for onward transmission to Ekofisk. The internal diameter of this section is 36 inches (910 mm), and it runs for 213 kilometres (132 mi) further south, where a 15.8-kilometre (9.8 mi) bypass around Ekofisk complex takes the Statpipe directly into Norpipe.

In summary the pipelines' details are as follows.[3]

Statpipe pipelines
Start Terminal Length, km Diameter, inches
Statfjord Kalstoe 286 30
Kalstoe 16/11S 208 28
16/11S 2/4S 191 36
Heimdal 16/11S 155 36
Kalstoe Kaarstoe 2 × 20 28/30

The details of the Statpipe riser platforms are as follows.[3]

Statpipe riser platforms
Platform Draupner S (16/11S) 2/4S
Coordinates 58°11′19.60″N 2°28′21.6″E
Type Steel jacket Steel jacket
Function Riser Riser
Water depth, m 70 70
Design and engineering John Brown Offshore John Brown Offshore
Jacket fabrication Aker Trondelag, Verdal Highlands Fabricators, Nigg
Deck fabrication Aker Verdal/Stord Verft Haugesund Mek Verksted
Jacket weight, tonnes 16,500 16,500
Legs 4 4
Piles 16 16
Topsides weight, tonnes 7,670 6,000
Accommodation 48 Bridge link to Ekofisk centre
Installation jacket Summer 1983 Summer 1983
Installation topsides Summer 1984 Summer 1984
Production start January 1986 January 1986

Ownership

The pipeline is owned by Gassled, operated by Gassco, and the technical service provider is Statoil.[1][4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Statpipe Gas Celebrates 20 Years in Operation". Statoil. Rigzone. 17 October 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  2. ^ "GasLed leads way". Upstream Online. 20 December 2002. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  3. ^ a b Oilfield Publications Limited (1985). The North Sea Platform Guide. Ledbury UK: Oilfield Publications Limited. pp. 636–40.
  4. ^ "Pipe peace in Norway". Upstream Online. 3 May 2002. Retrieved 15 November 2009.