By John French
Our Head of Design, John French is sharing his experience and views on a first of its kind project in the North Sea:
‘I’m thrilled to have just completed an in-depth pipeline design with the Jee team, centred around the Zap-Lok connection system.
Zap-Lok has been used across the globe for onshore and offshore pipeline systems but never in the North Sea. Once installed, this pipeline system will be the first of its kind in the North Sea and could set a trend for lower-cost pipelines, allowing marginal fields to be developed at a more attractive price. I am proud to have led this work and hope it will be the first of many.’ John explains.
How many of you working in the offshore pipeline industry have come across Zap-Lok?
‘Instead of welding pipe joints together on a conventional lay barge, the Zap-Lok connection is a simple push-fit system, energised by the internal pressure inside the pipe. It uses standard line pipe that is mechanically expanded at one end to create a bell. The next pipe is simply pushed in using a hydraulic press.
No expensive machined connectors are required, and no welding, which means installation is not reliant on conventional pipelay vessels. It even eliminates the need for field joint coating and allows continuous coating both internally and externally.
I have been a fan of the Zap-Lok system for years, but this is the first time I have been able to fully design a pipeline system based around it. Zap-Lok isn’t a Jee technology, but Jee has followed its development for several years and has conducted various studies to independently assess its suitability across design aspects, including tensile capacity, burst resistance, corrosion resistance, cathodic protection, and fatigue performance.
Although Zap-Lok isn’t suited to large diameters or deep water, it is ideal for North Sea applications in depths up to 100 m (and possibly deeper).’ he adds.
We are interested to hear your thoughts. Have you heard of Zap-Lok? Would you use it? If not, what do you consider to be the main obstacles?
To find out more about how Jee can help you with your design needs click here.
