Malampaya Deep Water Gas Pipeline and Flowlines: Technical and Engineering
Challenges faced in the Execution of the Malampaya Pipeline Scope
J.C. Macara - Shell Philippines Exploration B.V.
Copyright 2002, Offshore Technology Conference
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2002 Offshore Technology Conference held in
Houston, Texas U.S.A., 69 May 2002.
This paper was selected for presentation by the OTC Program Committee following review of
information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as
presented, have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to
correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
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Abstract
The Malampaya field development comprises subsea wells in
850 metres water-depth producing via a subsea manifold and
two 16 inch diameter inconel clad flowlines to a shallow water
platform 30 km distant. Condensate is removed on the
platform and the dry gas is then transported via a 504 km long
24 inch export pipeline to an onshore gas plant at Tabangao
(Batangas, Luzon Island) for extraction of H2S. The
condensate is stored in the platform CGS caisson prior to
export via a short 3 km long 24 inch diameter pipeline and
CALM buoy.
The field flowlines and export pipeline route selection,
design and installation are at the forefront of deep-water
technology. The pipelines traverse structurally complex terrain
with varied seabed characteristics and sections of high bottom
relief. The Philippines archipelago is recognised as being one
of the most seismically active areas in the world. The gas
export pipeline crosses active faults, an extensive system of
submarine channels and areas susceptible to mass gravity flow
and other soil instabilities.
This paper addresses the pipeline route selection, design
process and some of the specialist techniques employed in the
seismic design of the Malampaya pipeline.
The paper also addresses some of the novel installation
techniques employed and challenges encountered in the
execution phase of the project. In particular the deepwater
PLES installation, deepwater span rectification and the
removal of ordnance in 460 metres water depth will
be addressed.
Introduction
Following detailed reviews of competing concepts for the
Malampaya field, the gas only development, comprising a
J.C. MACARA
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SPAN Rectification.
The seabed relief along the route of the Malampaya pipelines
is varied and it was recognised early on in the design that there
were likely to be many areas that would require support
beneath the pipeline to avoid excessive spanning. Support by
means of rock dumping was selected as the preferred method
on the basis of cost effectiveness and minimum maintenance
during the operational phase. Rock dumping also provided the
flexibility in terms of quantities necessary to correct the as
then undetermined amount of spanning.
A first estimate of the scope of the span rectification by
placement of rock supports was prepared on the basis of the
route selection surveys conducted in 1997.
This survey had to cover an extensive area in an
inhospitable and unknown terrain and at that time the survey
method chosen focussed on locating the major seabed features.
The survey was undertaken with a surface towed multi-beam
profiler to measure the extent of the seabed obstructions and
provide a first indication of the relief to be expected during
pipeline construction. It was known that the conical shape of
the sonar waves transmitted from the surface would introduce
inaccuracies due to the decrease in data density at greater
water depths. This was accepted as the primary objective of
the 1997 survey was to locate major obstacles on the seabed
and to provide a feasible pipeline route.
A second survey, this time focussed close to the seabed
along the selected pipeline route, was performed in 1999 to
accurately define the seabed unevenness and to also locate the
smaller obstructions that could be a hazard to the pipeline
during installation and subsequent operation. An ROV-borne
multi-beam profiler was employed to achieve transmission of
the sonar waves from a location near the seabed.
Based on the results of the 1997 survey and applying the
conventional method for span analysis, 94 locations had
initially been identified that would require pipe support.
Evaluation of the subsequent more accurate 1999 survey
results employing the some methodology concluded that
supports would be necessary at 1073 locations. This increased
the required volume of rock from 76,000 to 340,000 tonnes.
The dramatic increase underlined the need for accurate
profiling of the seabed when determining the scope of seabed
rectification work.
The difference in resolution of the two survey methods in
illustrated in (Fig. 13).
The next step in determining the scope of the span
rectification work required a re-assessment of conventional
methods in order to arrive at the most cost and time effective
execution of the span correction work.
Opportunities to reduce the amount of rock necessary were
addressed first. Pipeline installation tolerances required a
width of 16 metre of rock support along the pipeline
installation corridor, whereas the width of a support with the
pipeline already in-situ is less than 2 metre. Significant
volumes of rock would therefore be saved if supports were
placed after the pipeline was installed. Two refinements were
introduced in the model for span analysis:
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Reliance on the as-built surveys rather than another predump survey by the rock placement vessel to determine
the exact dimensions of the supports;
Allowing a natural slope for the supports instead of the
1;4 slope specified in the installation specification;
Reduction of over dumps for small supports.
J.C. MACARA
Acknowledgements
The author acknowledge the valuable contributions made by
the Malampaya Project Team members in the preparation of
the paper, specifically Jan Oude Hengel, Luuk Wellens,
Martijn Dekker, Thomas Schneider and Jeff Rimmer.
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28 km
5 04 km
Upstream
Catenary Anch ored
Leg Mo oring ( CALM)
buo y for tan ker
loadin g of cond ensate
Gas d ehydratio n
Gas d ewp oint ing
Con densate stabilisatio n
Export co mpression
Downstream
Sulp hur Reco very
H2S removal
Meterin g
Sup ply base
Batangas
-0m
Power
Stations
Alternative
Fuel
LU ZON
- 43 m
3rd flow line
(2021)
Condensate
storage
Manil
Condensate
export
San Lorenzo
( FG P Co p
r )
Santa Rita
( Fi rst G asP ow er
C orp)
Tabangao Refinery
Batangas Si gayau
Ilija n(NPC) Bay
So uth C hin aS ea
MINDORO
Sub sea
man ifold
B ula a
l cao
B ay
SC38
SC38
BusuangaI sland
Cul o
i n Isl and
Malampaya
- 820 m
PLATFORM
SC38
Semir ar aI sland
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SEISMIC
HAZARD
10
Fault
Movement
Ground
Shaking
GEOTECHNICAL
CONSEQUENCES
Vibration
PIPELINE
BEHAVIOUR
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Ground
Acceleration
Soil Liquefaction
Slope
Instability
Soil
Consolidation
Differential
Ground
Movement
Beam mode
deflection
Pipeline
Fatigue
Localised soil
Failure
Mass Gravity
Flow
Free
spanning
Axial /
transverse
pipeline loading
Pipeline
Settlement
z
x
y
d) Reverse Slip Vertical & Compressive Axial Displacement
Fig. 6 - Schematic Models of Fault Movement
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11
12
J.C. MACARA
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