Offshore pipeline and the arctic challenge

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Over the past decade, offshore pipeline technology has been widely used in oil and gas explorations across the world. The industry has long recognized the need for reliable pipeline networks for the transportation of oil and gas. This issue has now taken more significance when the global petroleum industry started to focus on offshore operations in the Arctic locations. Due to extreme conditions in the arctic areas, the offshore pipeline technology provided significant solutions to exploration challenges under extreme conditions. Nonetheless, despite the intensive efforts in developing industry standard mechanisms for effective use of Arctic pipelines, issues on design, installation, operation, and maintenance continue to pose challenges. This is the reason for continuous R&D work on offshore pipelines fundamental design principles.

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Arctic subsea pipelines drive one of the complex elements of subsea operations that challenge oil production firms—from the design and construction of long-distance pipeline projects to installation, maintenance, and operation of offshore pipeline infrastructure. Petroleum engineers recognize that there is so much to learn and consider in the design, construction, and installation of offshore Arctic pipeline and the whole subsea systems. Loading conditions take most of the bulk of primary consideration in most cases. Currently, oil and gas explorations in remote Arctic locations are given the most premium solutions and technology.

Offshore pipeline is a high-stake industry since offshore pipeline operations in Arctic regions are often high-value and high-cost projects. There’s just so much at stake to ignore every room for improvement. It is just fitting that extreme attention is given to Arctic pipeline systems and other areas related to offshore pipeline infrastructure designs and installation, operation, and maintenance strategies.

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Ali Ghalambor was an American Petroleum Institute endowed professor and is the co-author of the book “Offshore Pipelines: Design, Instillation, and Maintenance.” Follow this Twitter page for more related content on offshore pipelines.