In 2010, pipe manufacturer Butting produced mechanically clad pipes for installation in the Brazilian ultra-deepwater fields for the first time. According to the manufacturer, these pipes, also known as BuBi® pipes, serve as a „reference project for durability and performance under the toughest conditions“. More than 500 kilometres of pipe have been shipped to Brazil so far: According to the company, it supplied the Brazilian offshore market with 290 kilometres of pipe for three major projects in 2023. TECHNIP FMC purchased around 90 kilometres of pipe for the Mero 2 project, SUBSEA 7 a total of around 80 kilometres for Mero 3 and SAIPEM around 115 kilometres for BÚZIOS 7.
Butting is currently involved in four other projects in Brazil with around 300 km and 45,000 tonnes of mechanically clad pipes, which are either in the production or planning phase, as Uwe Margraf, Managing Director of Butting Brasil, explains: „The market for subsea pipelines and risers can rely on our company's expertise. Our extensive production capacities characterise us and ensure that the projects are delivered on time and in compliance with the highest quality standards.“
Safety and efficiency for use at depths of up to 7000 metres
By using state-of-the-art pipe technology, the pipe manufacturer guarantees „consistent quality and perfect transitions where different material types meet, which is unrivalled in the industry“. „Our commitment to innovation enables us to reliably deliver mechanically clad pipes that meet the highest standards. This gives our customers the certainty that their projects are in good hands with us“, says Marc Brauße, Head of the Clad Pipes business unit.
Mechanically lined pipes (MLPs) play a key role in the safe and efficient development of the huge oil and gas reserves in the Brazilian ultra-deepwater fields, which lie around 150 to 300 kilometres off the south-east coast of Brazil. In addition to water depths of 2,000 to 3,000 metres, several rock and salt layers of another 3,000 to 4,000 metres have to be overcome in order to reach the oil reserves. This places very high demands on the pressure and tensile strength of the pipelines that transport the oil from the distributor on the seabed to the surface.
In addition, the Brazilian deposits, which lie beneath a thick layer of salt, contain high levels of carbon dioxide due to their geological formation. This mixes completely with the oil under the conditions of low temperature and high pressure that prevail in the pre-salt layer. This places very high demands on the corrosion resistance of all materials that are in direct contact with the extracted medium.
