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Vipo awarded contract by Randaberg Industries

June 2021

Vipo’s offshore operation in Norway has been awarded a contract by Randaberg Industries AS, to provide Vikotherm® R3 thermal insulation for the 10 inch VFS-2 spool skid to be installed on the Hod Field Development Project, located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in the North Sea. This collaboration between Vipo, Randaberg Industries AS and Subsea 7, is the first contract for application of Trelleborg’s Vikotherm® R3 material on pipeline spool field joints.

Vipo’s Vikotherm® R3 material will insulate 13 pipeline spool field joints, protecting the welded joints from seawater corrosion and damage. It will also lower heat loss to ensure the pipeline spool temperature is maintained, providing flow assurance to reduce the likelihood of production stoppage.

Eirik Simonsen, R&D Manager at Vipo’s offshore operation in Norway, says: “We are very proud to have been awarded the first order for Vikotherm® R3 from Randaberg Industries AS. As the material does not require a mold and is vulcanized using heating blankets, Vikotherm® R3 is quick and easy to apply by hand onsite at a customer’s facility without large equipment or ovens to carry out the application.”

Elisabeth Fjeldstad, Proposal Manager at Vipo’s offshore operation in Norway, says: “This is the first instance of Vikotherm® R3 used to protect pipeline spool field joints. The short application period of the material allows our customers to quickly assemble the pipeline structure with minimal delays during the coating process. The pipe joints can be coated onsite by Vipo, reducing timescales and speeding up the coating process.”

Vikotherm® R3 is the latest generation of thermal insulation material, engineered for unlimited water depth capability and increased temperature performance up to +180OC. This high performance subsea thermal insulation material is flexible with excellent adhesion. The material requires minimal up-front engineering and design, while offering fast application.

The Hod field is Iocated in the southernmost part of the Norwegian Continental Shelf and is operated by Aker BP ASA. It was first discovered in 1974 with first oil in 1990, however it stopped producing in 2012. The redevelopment of the Hod field now includes installation of a new NUI (Normally Unmanned Installation) named Hod B, production and gas lift pipelines and umbilical tied-back to Valhall. The offshore work will take place Q3 & Q4 2021.