Exploration & Production

GENERAL SPECIFICATION
PIPELINES - RISERS
GS EP PLR 109

Design, fabrication and testing of submarine

unbonded flexible pipes and risers

07

10/2009

General review

06

10/2008

General review

05

10/2007

General review

04

10/2006

General review

03

10/2005

General review and addition of EP root to GS identification

02

10/2004

General review

01

10/2003

General review - Change of Group name and logo

00

10/2002

First Issue

Rev.

Date

Notes

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

Exploration & Production

General Specification

Date: 10/2009

GS EP PLR 109

Rev: 07

Contents
1. Scope .......................................................................................................................3
2. Reference documents.............................................................................................3
3. Definitions and abbreviations ................................................................................4
3.1

Definitions ..........................................................................................................................4

3.2

Abbreviations .....................................................................................................................4

4. Applicability and limitations...................................................................................5

5. Design Brief and Deliverables................................................................................6
6. Design data..............................................................................................................6
7. Design Methodology ...............................................................................................6
7.1

Pipe structure design .........................................................................................................6

7.2

End Fittings Design............................................................................................................9

7.3

Loads .................................................................................................................................9

7.4

In-Place Behaviour ............................................................................................................9

8. Design Tools..........................................................................................................11
9. Qualification program ...........................................................................................11
10. Certification of the design by a Third Party ........................................................12
11. Manufacturing and testing ...................................................................................12
11.1

Quality Assurance Requirements ....................................................................................12

11.2

Manufacturing Process Requirements.............................................................................15

11.3

Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) .....................................................................................17

11.4

Delivery............................................................................................................................17

12. Integrity Management ...........................................................................................18

12.1

Risk Assessment .............................................................................................................18

12.2

Flexible pipe operating manual........................................................................................18

12.3

Continuous collection of Operational data .......................................................................19

12.4

Monitoring systems and testing requirements .................................................................20

Appendix 1

Data to be specified in COMPANY Project Specification...................................23

Appendix 2

Operating Manual to be provided, for each flexible pipe....................................24

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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Exploration & Production

General Specification

Date: 10/2009

GS EP PLR 109

Rev: 07

1. Scope
This General Specification is applicable to the design, procurement, manufacturing and testing
of flexible pipes (the installation is covered by the GS EP PLR 401).
Further information on the Scope is provided in section 4 hereof.

2. Reference documents
The reference documents listed below form an integral part of this General Specification. Unless
otherwise stipulated, the applicable version of these documents, including relevant appendices
and supplements, is the latest revision published at the EFFECTIVE DATE of the CONTRACT.
In case of conflict with listed data, GS EP PLR 109 shall apply.
Standards
Reference

Title

API SPEC 17J

Specification for unbonded flexible pipe

ISO 13628-2

Petroleum and natural gas industries - Design and operation of

subsea production systems - Part 2: Flexible pipe systems for
subsea and marine applications

ISO 9001 or ISO/TS 29001 Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries - Sectorspecific quality management systems - Requirements for product
and service supply organizations
The API SPEC 17J shall be considered as the Prime Reference for the design and construction
of the flexible riser.
Professional Documents
Reference

Title

API RP 2RD

Design of risers for floating production systems (FPSs) and

tension leg platforms (TLPs)

API RP 17B

Recommended practice for flexible pipe

API Technical Report

17TR1

Evaluation Standard for Internal Pressure Sheath Polymers for

High Temperature Flexible Pipes

API Technical Report

17TR2

The Ageing of PA-11 in Flexible Pipes

DNV-RP-F206

Riser Integrity Management

Regulations
Reference

Title

Not applicable

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Exploration & Production

General Specification

Date: 10/2009

GS EP PLR 109

Rev: 07

Codes
Reference

Title

Not applicable
Other documents
Reference

Title

Not applicable
Total General Specifications
Reference

Title

GS EP EXP 311

Plant integrity. Minimum inspection requirements

GS EP PLR 001

Documentation requirements

GS EP PLR 002

Organisation of the design works

GS EP PLR 100

Submarine pipeline systems

GS EP PLR 401

Installation of submarine pipelines

GS EP PVV 611

Welding of pressure containing piping and equipment

GS EP SAF 337

Passive fire protection: Basis of design

3. Definitions and abbreviations

3.1 Definitions
Throughout this specification, the following definitions apply:
Annulus

The space between the internal pressure sheath and the outer sheath.

Bore

The Internal flexible pipe volume delimited by the pressure sheath.

3.2 Abbreviations
The following technical definitions and abbreviations are used in this document:
FMECA

Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis

BSF

Bend Stiffener

NCR

Non Conformance Request

COC

Certificate of Conformance

PFP

Passive Fire Protection

FAT

Factory Acceptance Test

PPS

Project Specification

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Exploration & Production

General Specification
GS EP PLR 109

IRC

Independent Review Certificate

PT

Test Pressure to be applied during the FAT

MBR

Minimum Bending Radius

UV

Ultra Violet Radiation

MQP

Manufacturing Quality Plan

VIV

Vortex Induced Vibration

NCR

Non Conformance Request

PFP

Passive Fire Protection

PPS

Project Specification

PT

Test Pressure to be applied during the FAT

UV

Ultra Violet Radiation

VIV

Vortex Induced Vibration

Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

4. Applicability and limitations

This General Specification covers the minimum requirements, provide recommendations and
guidelines as well as select the reference documents for unbonded flexible pipelines and risers.
Applicability:
This specification applies to unbonded flexible pipe and does not cover bonded flexible pipe, kill
and choke pipeline, flexible pipe with non-metallic tensile armour wires and umbilical.
This specification addresses both static (buried and unburied) and dynamic (riser and jumper)
applications of flexible pipe.
This specification covers the use of flexible pipe for the transportation of crude oil, stabilised or
commercial oil, rough or treated gas, injected or treated water, methanol and glycol.
This specification does not apply to the transportation of cryogenic products.
Design, procurement, manufacturing and testing activities involve:
Engineering the flexible pipe structure and its ancillary components. Engineering the
behaviour of the flexible pipe during installation and in service including defining the riser
configuration
Procuring materials, manufacturing, assembling, inspecting, testing and storing all flexible
pipes and associated equipment
Verifying that all goods and services to be delivered meet the specified requirements, and
providing adequate documentation.
Basic Principle:
The design, fabrication and testing shall be performed according to the GS EP PLR 100 and
GS EP PLR 002.

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General Specification
GS EP PLR 109

Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

5. Design Brief and Deliverables

The type and details of a flexible pipe structure and configuration shall be selected according to:
The fluid composition
The type of application: static (buried or unburied), dynamic riser or jumper
The design and operating conditions
The external environment conditions such as met-ocean data, geometrical limitation, and
attachment point displacement, etc.
The reasons for the selection of the flexible pipe structure and of each individual layer
characteristics shall be fully justified and documented.
Limitation and risk associated to each layer shall be identified and quantified. Measures taken to
alleviate these risks shall be described in details.
Similarly, the design of the end fitting shall be documented in details. End fittings detailed
drawings shall be disclosed.
Behaviour of the flexible pipe during installation and in service shall be assessed. Associated
detailed documentation shall be produced.
Design documentation shall be provided according to GS EP PLR 001 and Prime References
requirements.

6. Design data
The information required to design a flexible pipe is defined in the GS EP PLR 100 and the
API SPEC 17J.
The information shall be collected prior to start of design activities and gathered into the design
basis document as required in the GS EP PLR 100 and in the GS EP PLR 001.

7. Design Methodology
Although it is understood that the design of flexible pipe involves an iterative process combining
the selection of material type, grade and thickness for each layer and the definition of the
configuration (static behaviour, dynamic riser: free-hanging, lazy-wave, etc.) it has been decided
to separate the two issues for clarity purposes.
In the following sections, when testing is required, it shall be understood that COMPANY may
relax this requirement if tests have already been conducted in conditions at least as onerous as
the conditions of the project development under consideration. Full details of the test protocol,
test results and justification for the validity of the existing tests to cover the project development
conditions shall be provided to COMPANY for approval.

7.1 Pipe structure design

Based on the type of fluid transported, a smooth bore or a rough bore structure could be
selected. Each flexible pipe layer shall be designed so as to comply with the Prime References
requirements.

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General Specification
GS EP PLR 109

Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

7.1.1 Polymer sheaths

This section applies to all the non metallic layers manufactured as a sheath i.e. internal tube,
pressure sheath, anti-collapse sheath, outer sheath and any intermediate sheath.
Qualification and design of the polymer layer shall have been performed according to
requirement specified on API Technical Report 17TR1 and API Technical Report 17TR2.
For smooth bore structures in subsea application, the use of anti-collapse polymer sheath is
mandatory.
For all polymer sheaths, minimum allowable thickness shall be documented, and it shall be
clearly specified whether it is driven by manufacturing constraints and/or design requirements.
For hydrocarbon line, the pressure sheath material shall be selected so as to allow visual
identification of flaws i.e. it shall not be black.
To complement the Prime References requirements the following issues and their variations
along the field life shall be addressed and fully documented in order to justify the polymer
sheaths material and thickness selected:
Compatibility with the transported fluid and operating condition (fluid chemical additives
and media used for hydraulic testing shall be analysed too), mechanical creep and
degradation of the polymer sheath by the inner fluid and environment.
Permeability to the different components of the transported fluids shall be determined for
the range of temperatures representing the design conditions. Effect of degradation shall
be analysed. The permeation results shall enable the corrosion rate of steel armours and
H2S resistance to be calculated.
Wear induced by external ancillaries equipment shall be accounted for in the design of the
outer sheath.
In the case of a multi-layer PVDF system, diffused gas and entrapped gas in between the
layers shall be evaluated and subsequent potential for collapse shall be prevented.
Maximum allowable decompression rate shall be provided.
Where applicable, potential creeping of polymer sheath due to external hydrostatic
pressure and/or mechanical contact pressure shall be evaluated and documented (for
instance outer sheath creeping into insulation layers, anti collapse sheath creeping into
pressure vault).
7.1.2 Metallic layers
This section applies to carcass, pressure armour and tensile armour wires and outlines
additional requirements to complement the Prime References ones.
For each flexible pipe structure stresses in the pressure vault and tensile armour wires shall be
provided and compared to the usage factor defined in the API SPEC 17J.
For dynamic application, only product family I and III according to API RP 17B are allowed.
Product family II may be allowed for dynamic oil offloading lines.
Residual stress in steel wire and welds induced during the manufacturing of the layer shall be
determined and accounted for in the design.

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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General Specification
GS EP PLR 109

Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

Selection of steel wires and SSC/HIC testing

For all service applications, selection of steel wires grade (sour or sweet) and dimension shall
be based on SSC and HIC testing results covering the predicted worst environmental conditions
present in the pipe annulus during operation as required in the Prime References. These
conditions are defined as:
Flooded annulus with synthetic seawater saturated in corrosion products
H2S and CO2 partial pressures determined by diffusion calculations through the polymer
sheath of H2S and CO2 contents in the bore at normal operating pressure (not considering
peak effects).
Detailed documentation shall be provided.
SN Curve selection
For dynamic applications, S-N data generated as per the Prime References requirements shall
be documented in details.
For each steel material used in the structure, SN curve shall be presented.
The SN curves to be employed in the design shall be established with a 2.3% failure probability
The effect of the annulus environment due to permeation in normal operating condition shall be
accounted for, including water condensation.
SN curves shall be based on experimental data covering the range mean and alternate stress of
the application.
Standard mean stress correction, Goodman or Gerber is valid for dry environment condition.
However for corrosion fatigue, mean stress correction methodology shall be presented and
submitted to COMPANY approval.
Endurance limit is not acceptable unless it has been validated by experimental data.
This must be documented and submitted to COMPANY for approval.
7.1.3 Polymer tapes
For polymer tape selection consideration shall be given to the maximum operating temperature
and maximum contact pressure
7.1.4 Insulation tapes
The detailed design of insulated flexible pipe shall account for insulation material thermal
properties based on a flooded annulus case.
Loss of thermal characteristics induced by ageing, water absorption, compression of material
(caterpillar, hydrostatic pressure) shall be addressed. The combined effect of temperature shall
be captured in all cases. The design shall be based on detailed testing results covering the
conditions associated with the project development under consideration. These tests results
shall be provided to the COMPANY for review. When these tests results are not available,
dedicated testing for the project development under consideration shall be conducted.
7.1.5 High Strength tapes
The same requirements as per 7.1.3 above apply.
In addition, ageing of these tapes under the annulus environment shall be addressed.

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General Specification
GS EP PLR 109

Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

Abrasive wear of these tapes shall be addressed.

7.2 End Fittings Design

In addition to the Prime References requirements the following issues and their variations along
the field life shall be addressed and fully documented:
Critical location in terms of stress shall be identified
At those locations stresses and resulting usage factor shall be presented for all load cases
The polymer sheaths shall be continuously supported by a steel support
Stress concentration factors at and within the end fitting shall be established and
documented
Inconel 625 clad shall be provided for the end fittings (bore, groove and flange face). The
weld overlay procedure and qualification shall be compliant with the requirements
included in the COMPANY General Specification GS EP PVV 611.
The design shall allow and account for support loads from any ancillary components attached to
the end fitting, including bend stiffeners, restrictors accessories used for pipe installation and
topside piping loads.
When the flexible pipes are insulated, a dedicated system for the insulation of the end fitting
may be required to prevent thermal losses at these locations. In all cases, the thermal
performance of the system at the end fitting location shall be at least identical to the
performance of the flexible line current section. Long term performance of such system shall be
demonstrated and effect of installation addressed.
For dynamic riser application, only one intermediate connection located in the vertical part of the
riser is allowed. In that case the annulus of the bottom section shall be linked to the annulus of
the top section through the intermediate connection.
The use of multiple sections for offloading lines is not acceptable.

7.3 Loads
In order to address the requirements from the two previous sections, all analyses and structure
definition shall take into account the loads encountered during the whole cycle life of the flexible
pipe.
Loads cases shall be combined with manufacturing tolerances of the steel and plastic layers.

7.4 In-Place Behaviour

The additional requirements to the Prime References presented below shall be addressed.
7.4.1 Collapse resistance
The flexible pipe design shall satisfy the collapse resistance criteria when the flexible pipe is
empty and bent to its MBR.
The effect of carcass erosion, pressure vault corrosion and cross section ovality shall be
accounted for.

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Rev: 07

7.4.2 Expansion and Upheaval buckling

Pipeline shortening or lengthening shall be calculated as per the Prime References
requirements and cover the hydrostatic test conditions.
The temperature range for internal and external surfaces shall be included in the calculation.
7.4.3 Reverse End cap effect
Armour layers and high strength tapes shall be selected taking into consideration the effect of
the reverse end cap effect and resulting risk of bird cage and wire disorganisation.
The detailed assessment of the potential risk of armour wires lateral buckling shall be completed
using predicting tools validated by full scale testing and Deepwater Immersion Tests. The
assessment shall cover both intact annulus and accidentally flooded annulus cases.
7.4.4 Riser System Analysis
7.4.4.1 Interference Analysis
Interference Analysis shall be performed in order to avoid any contact or crossing between
flexible line and other items, i.e. mooring lines, risers, structures, etc.
A no clashing criteria shall be used to provide details for riser arrangement, hang-off angle and
azimuth separation angles between adjacent risers.
No interference or clashing is allowed at any time between the flexible riser and mooring lines.
Shield effect of two adjacent lines has to be evaluated and documented. Effect of the shield
may be modelled by adjusting the Cd value as suggested in the API RP 2RD.
7.4.4.2 Fatigue Analysis
The flexible shall be designed for the specific project service life with a safety factor of 10.
In case that water condensation is foreseen in normal operating condition, fatigue corrosion
shall be accounted for from day the analysed area is wet with accumulated condensed water.
Total damage shall be the combination of the dry fatigue damage and corrosion fatigue damage
and shall remain below 0.1.
In case of seawater ingress in the annulus, the service life shall be calculated using de-aerated
seawater SN curve and shall exceed 2 years with a safety factor of 10.
7.4.5 Gas venting System
Gas venting system allowing access to the annulus shall be included in every aerial end fitting,
including for water injection application.
Gas venting system shall be designed so as to properly operate even when the pipeline end
fitting sinks into the mud and the proposed design shall be approved by COMPANY.
7.4.6 Fire resistance
Design of the PFP shall be performed following requirement defined in the GS EP SAF 337.
7.4.7 Marine growth
Effect of marine growth shall be included in the design of the flexible pipes.

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General Specification
GS EP PLR 109

Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

7.4.8 Flow induced pulsation

The design of the flexible pipe carcass shall ensure that gas flow induced pulsations are limited.
Where anticipated, flow induced pulsation frequencies shall be evaluated and documented.
7.4.9 Abrasion layer
For all flexibles, an additional protective polymer sheath shall be extruded over the entire length.
In areas where this protective sheath is in contact with ancillaries or guiding equipment (I-tube,
bellmouth, etc.) abrasion due to relative displacement shall be evaluated and documented.

8. Design Tools
The design tools i.e. software, spreadsheets and computer models used in the design of flexible
pipe structure and end fittings shall have been validated and calibrated upon small and full scale
tests:
Tests conditions shall cover the design ones
Supportive documentation shall be made available to COMPANY
Design tools shall have been certified by a Certifying Authority approved by COMPANY.
Certificate and associated reports and comments shall be made available to COMPANY.

9. Qualification program
For all flexible pipes under consideration, design and operational condition shall be compared
with qualification program already performed or with field proven track record on similar flexible
structure (cross section, internal diameter, material).
The following aspects of the design shall be addressed:
Bursting performance for pipe sample that includes welds
Hydrostatic collapse performance in straight and bent configuration
Flexible pipe behaviour under tensile and pressure loads
Flexible pipe behaviour under high compressive loads due to hydrostatic pressure or
mechanical compression, combined with cyclic bending
Flexible pipe behaviour under installation loads (contact with gutter under tension and
crushing loads in caterpillar)
Flexible pipe thermal behaviour
Properties and ageing of material, polymers and high strength tapes, used within the
proposed structure under design and operational conditions shall be documented, i.e.
abrasion, creeping, blistering, hydrolysis, crack propagation, etc.
End fitting sealing system shall be demonstrated to be suitable under foreseen conditions
Subsea vent valves performance
Anchoring performance of the tensile armours in the end fitting
Polymer sheath creeping due to hydrostatic or mechanical pressure
Fatigue performance of the pressure and tensile armours.

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General Specification

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GS EP PLR 109

Rev: 07

When qualification requirements defined in sections 6 and 7 are not satisfied, a detailed
qualification program shall be prepared according to API SPEC 17J, section 6.2 and
ISO 13628-2, section 6.2 and submitted to COMPANY for review and approval.
During the tender phase, supplier shall provide a qualification status report demonstrating the
proposed flexibles are within its qualified range, (design, material and installability), and/or
highlighting the need for further qualification.
This report shall also described the design tools and validation (software and spread sheet).
If scaling of available test data is considered then it shall be submitted to COMPANY for review
and approval.
In all cases, the qualification programs, including test specifications and procedures with
acceptance criteria, shall be submitted to COMPANY for approval prior to the implementation of
the components, materials or technologies in the design.
The resulting qualification reports, reproducing the original qualification program together with
the achieved results, shall be issued to COMPANY as part of the final documentation.

10. Certification of the design by a Third Party

The design of the flexible pipe shall be certified by a Third Party.
An Independent Review Certificate (IRC) shall be produced by the Third Party.
The Third Party selection shall be approved by COMPANY.
The detailed comments produced by the Third Party shall be provided to the COMPANY during
the course of the design.

11. Manufacturing and testing

Manufacturing and testing of flexible pipe shall satisfy the Prime References requirements.
This section defines additional requirements to be satisfied.
Prior to start of the manufacturing activities and before finalisation of the inspection and test
plan, a kick-off meeting shall be organised by the CONTRACTOR, with the COMPANY
representatives.

11.1 Quality Assurance Requirements

11.1.1 General
The quality assurance system shall be ISO 9001 or ISO/TS 29001 compliant and shall be
certified. The Certifying Authority reports and conclusions shall be issued to COMPANY.
It shall be demonstrated that Prime References quality assurance requirements are fully
satisfied.
All deviation to the Manufacturing Quality Plan, MQP, will result in raising a Non Conformance
Request, NCR.
All NCRs resulting in the product being non conform to the MQP shall be submitted to
COMPANY:
For information, when the product will finally be conform to the MQP after reparation,
using qualified repair procedure.

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Rev: 07

For approval when the final product will be non conform to the MQP or when a non
qualified repair is proposed. In that case NCR must be approved by COMPANY prior to
starting the next manufacturing phase or the repair.
All NCRs submitted to COMPANY during manufacturing shall be including during the final data
book.
Weekly progress report shall be provided to COMPANY and its representative. The report shall
include, at least:
Procurement progress
Manufacturing progress
List of all NCR issued, with their respective status
Forecast for the coming week.
11.1.2 Documentation
11.1.2.1 Procurement Plan
Based on the overall delivery schedule, a procurement plan shall be prepared for all materials
required including specific equipment for testing.
Specifications for wires and polymer materials procurements shall be provided to COMPANY for
review. Details of the material characteristics (SMYS, UTS, hardness, dimension, chemistry,
folding capacity) and associated tolerances shall be produced.
11.1.2.2 Manufacturing Quality Plan
The Manufacturing Quality Plan (MQP) shall contain as a minimum:
Detailed fabrication and assembly procedures, including a step by step description of the
raw material fabrication, welding, flexible pipes fabrication process and tolerances for all
layers, working procedures and repair procedures to be used during the fabrication and
assembly of the flexible lengths and associated termination parts
A Control Inspection Plan, defining all inspections, verifications and controls to be carried
out prior to start off production i.e. on raw material during the fabrication and assembly
phases, together with references to the relevant documents containing the associated
acceptance criteria
The COMPANY and third party Inspection Points
A Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) Procedure, defining all tests to be carried out during
the fabrication and assembly phases.
The MQP shall be submitted for review, comments and approval by the COMPANY prior to
fabrication start off.
All specific requirements indicated in the sections below shall be included in the MQP and
identified as "Client Requirements".
11.1.3 Certifying Authority
Independent verification agent approved by COMPANY Certifying Authority shall certify the
flexible line. A Certificate of Conformance (CoC) shall be produced.

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Rev: 07

11.1.4 Storage
Detailed storage instructions shall be provided taking into account the nature of the goods and
their vulnerability to high or low temperatures, dust, impact, moisture, light (sunlight), corrosion,
oxidation, magnetism, theft, etc.
The Manufacturer shall be fully responsible for the proper organisation of his warehouses and
stocks, including clear, unambiguous marking of the goods for their identification and location.
All equipment forming part of the final delivery, as well as any component thereof, shall remain
the full responsibility of the Manufacturer until the complete job has been delivered and
accepted.
11.1.5 Traceability
Throughout the fabrication and assembly process, all components shall be clearly identified and
marked with a unique reference code, which must be quoted in all associated documentation. In
particular, when furnace is employed in the manufacturing process of the wires, each coil shall
given a metallically identification tag to maintain traceability.
For flexible lengths, a proper identification system shall be implemented, to ensure that the line,
and section if relevant, can be quickly identified at any time during the fabrication process.
11.1.6 Control and Inspection
The fabrication, assembly controls and inspections shall be performed in accordance with the
Control Inspection Plan approved by COMPANY.
COMPANY site representatives shall have full access to Factory with no restrictions in areas
where Companies product is being Manufactured / Tested / Stored, as well as to all
documentation and control / inspection data.
COMPANY reserves the right for photographs of Non-Conformities, requested by COMPANY
representatives.
Wires manufacturing:
Upon fabrication of the first batch of wires, variations of the mechanical characteristics and
associated SSC/HIC tests shall be determined along the whole length of one coil, i.e. 3 samples
per coil.
For welds produced by the wire manufacturer, variations of the mechanical characteristics and
associated SSC/HIC tests shall be determined by WPS/WPQR.
When furnace is employed for heat treatment, the above variation shall also be established to
capture the influence of coils locations in the furnace, i.e. 3 samples per coil.
All wires shall be checked by Eddy currents and 100% graphically recorded. Calibration
samples shall be machined with defects covering 100% of the wire surface. Inspection report
shall be made available to COMPANY for review.
All recorded Eddy currents indications shall be identified and marked on wires (spray painted).
All welds shall be identified and recorded by permanent marking on the wires. Marking shall be
completed immediately upon welding performance.
When furnace is employed in the manufacturing process, maps of coils locations in the furnace
shall be produced and recorded.

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Rev: 07

Upon first coil manufacturing weldability tests shall be performed to ensure mechanical
characteristics and corrosion requirements are satisfied.
Flexible pipe manufacturing:
To ensure quality and dimensional tolerances (diameter, thickness and length), the following
minimum inspections shall be performed:
Continuous measurement of diameters during all stages of fabrication:
- If continuous measurement is not possible, the flexible diameter shall be checked every
10 meters and at shorter intervals in the event of problems or at any COMPANY
representative's request.
Continuous measurement of thickness of the pressure sheath and any other leakproof
sheath.
For subsequent sheaths, continuous measurement shall be carried out at the beginning of
the extrusion process, then discontinuous measurements shall be taken every 10 meters
at four points at 90 (with an offset of 30 between two consecutive series of
measurements)
Electronic files on CD-ROM records shall be included in the as built data documentation.
Measurement of the pitch during wire laying.
During the fabrication phase, the entire length of the various flexible lines shall be
monitored with an indication and record of any particular points or repairs.
No negative tolerance is accepted on the final length..

11.2 Manufacturing Process Requirements

All essential Machinery / Equipment in contact with the PRODUCT shall be cleaned at all
MANUFACTURING phases and shall be verified by COMPANY representative.
11.2.1 Carcass forming
At the beginning of the process, a visual inspection shall be followed by a measurement of the
carcass section using a profile projector.
All welding procedures shall be available for review by COMPANY.
The welding qualification (WPS/PQR) shall be performed in a representative manner of the
conditions met during fabrication:
Welding station on line of the wiring machine
Welding operation during wires spooling phase or welding repair after cut off during
spiralling/armouring.
For dynamic risers, screwlock repairs on carcass are NOT allowed in the most stringent areas in
terms of fatigue. As a minimum, there shall be no screwlock repair within the bend stiffener(s)
area(s).
Screwlock repairs shall appear on the weld map.
Scoremarks, indentations, external steel slivers, internal swarf are NOT allowed.

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Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

11.2.2 Polymer extrusions

Repairs on pressure sheath are not permitted.
Outer sheath repair procedure shall be submitted to COMPANY for approval. The outer sheath
repair shall be tight and withstand an annulus pressure equal to the maximum expected
differential pressure plus one bar.
The integrity of the intermediate sheath shall be inspected with a holiday detector (the voltage
shall comply with the product and its thickness).
The mechanical characteristics of the virgin material used for the pressure sheath shall be
checked. In the case of Polyamide and Polyethylene, five samples shall be taken at the
beginning and the end of the extrusion process.
Humidity / viscosity testing shall be performed prior to extrusion. Results shall be in accordance
with suppliers / manufacturing acceptance criteria.
11.2.3 Pressure and tensile armours winding
For dynamic risers, welds are NOT allowed in the most stringent area in terms of fatigue. As a
minimum, there shall be no welds within the bend stiffener(s) area(s).
All welding procedure shall be previously qualified and approved by COMPANY.
The welding qualification (WPS/PQR) shall be performed in a representative manner of the
conditions met during fabrication:
Welding station on line of the wiring machine
Welding operation during wires spooling phase or welding repair after cut off during
spiralling/armouring.
For all metallic layers, a welds map shall be produced and included in the final documentation.
For product Family II, in addition to the pitch length, the wire gap distribution shall be measured
and compared with the allowable value indicated in the MQP Wire gap measurement shall be
done at least every 10 meters using automatic electronic tools instead of manual measurement.
11.2.4 End fitting
All areas of the pressure sheath shall be continuously supported by a steel support.
For smooth bore pipes, anti collapse sheath crimping shall be tested after mounting at the
maximum hydrostatic pressure experienced by the line.
Pressure sheath thickness shall remain above the minimum design requirement after
machining.
For dynamic risers, all external sealing shall be tested at the maximum hydrostatic pressure
experienced by the line.
11.2.5 Venting system
Testing of venting tubes after epoxy filling shall be completed for all end fittings.
Each gas release valve shall be tested before mounting on the end fitting in order to record the
opening pressure of the valve.
The vent ports flow shall be measured and recorded in the as built documentation. It shall be
greater than 5 L/min per vent with an inlet pressure of 2 bara, for at least two vents.
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Rev: 07

Vent port that does not meet the above criteria shall be clearly identified by red paint.

11.3 Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT)

Unless otherwise stated below, the API SPEC 17J requirements shall be satisfied in terms of
test procedure and test pressure.
11.3.1 Gauge test
During the test, the pumped volume of water, the ambient and the internal temperatures shall
be checked and recorded.
After the Gauge Test, the pig shall be free from any damage and foreign bodies.
11.3.2 Internal hydrostatic pressure test
The equipment required for the test shall be calibrated before each test with a dead-weight
pressure balance (stamp date not older than six months).
A variation of the pressure shall be applied and tested before start off the hydrostatic test.
A redundant mechanical calibrated pressure equipment shall be connected to the line as well.
11.3.3 Annulus Test
Nitrogen test shall be performed to verify the free circulation through the annulus, between the
two end fittings.
For all the lines, vacuum test, to guarantee the leakproofness of the annulus shall be performed.
For all risers, vacuum test shall be carried out to measure the free volume in the annulus. The
measured volume should be within 15% of the theoretical value.
The procedure of both tests shall be submitted to COMPANY for review and approval two
months prior to start the test.
Any respooling operation performed after FAT have been done, shall be followed by annulus
test.

11.4 Delivery
11.4.1 Marking
Marking procedure shall be prepared and submitted COMPANY for review and approval at least
6 months prior to delivery. It shall address as a minimum the length marking, identification code
and position of any specific ancillary or feature
11.4.2 Packing
Packing procedure and drawings shall be prepared and submitted COMPANY for review and
approval at least 6 months prior to delivery.
The reel characteristics shall be in accordance with the laying requirements.
The lines shall be reeled under tension and protected against UV. Slack is NOT allowed.
Vent ports shall be obtruded and a label with instructions for fitting shall be applied.
All sections of line in contact with the shipping reel outer edge plates shall be protected.

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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GS EP PLR 109

Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

Accessories and spare parts (bolts and gaskets) shall be delivered together with the associated
flexible lines.

12. Integrity Management

The integrity management requirements for flexible pipes shall be applicable for all un-bonded
flexible pipes (risers & jumpers / static & dynamic) in all water depths.
All ancillary equipments shall also be integrated in the integrity management strategy.
An Integrity Management Plan shall be developed and documented.

12.1 Risk Assessment

The integrity Management Plan shall be based on a risk assessment that identifies all critical
failure modes and potential mitigation and/or inspection measures.
In practice, a detailed FMECA shall be completed. For this purpose, detailed knowledge of
product design criteria, product weak points, uncertainties of the design tools, uncertainties in
the specified design data, level of innovation in the product, background of manufacturing
process and performance (NCR) and finally installation hazard shall be employed.
The FMECA shall cover the whole life of the flexible pipe i.e. design, manufacturing, installation
and service.
As a result, this analysis shall clearly:
Identify the main contributions to failure
Identify the critical equipment items that have a dominant effect on safety and reliability
List all aspects where small fluctuations in operational parameters might be expected to
have significant adverse integrity or reliability implications.
Subsequently, it shall be demonstrated and documented to Companys satisfaction that suitable
quality assurance strategy, control and resources are employed during design, manufacturing
and installation to address in details the issues identified above.
As part of the FMECA study, it shall be ensured that for potential incidents having a severity
level from the categories Serious, Major and Catastrophic, detection devices for such
incidents are available and in-place.
The result of the FMECA shall then be employed to generate a fault tree diagram linking the
causes of failure.
Subsequently and finally, a Failure Driver analysis (for e.g. but not limited to temperature,
pressure, depressurization, product fluid composition, etc.) shall be completed so as to:
Define, specify and provide the monitoring and failure detection requirements and
equipments
Develop a preliminary in service inspection and maintenance plan. This plan shall cover
the flexible pipe with its ancillary equipments in addition to the monitoring devices installed
on the line.

12.2 Flexible pipe operating manual

For each manufactured flexible pipe, an operating manual shall be completed according to the
format provided in Appendix 3.

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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To summarize, this manual shall list the main information from the project design data:
Data sheets, design basis, main findings from design reports
Manufacturing data relevant for re-assessment of the risers.
In addition, acceptance criterion for all the measurements from the installed monitoring system
shall be clearly defined in the operating manual.
In case one of this criterion is infringed, the operating manual shall clearly document the
subsequent course of actions. Procedures shall be developed to handle observations outside
acceptance criteria.

12.3 Continuous collection of Operational data

The core of the integrity management system shall be to establish and maintain a database
recording the following field operational data listed underneath. Records of the Time & Date
associated with the collected data shall be completed.
12.3.1 Operating pressure & temperature at the inlet and outlet of the flexible pipe
Flexible pipe bores pressure & temperature are basic monitoring requirements. They should be
continuously monitored and recorded. Sampling for data recording shall provide sufficient data
to monitor depressurization rate.
Obviously, the most appropriate data should come from the hottest location of the pipe system.
If not practical, extrapolation of the monitored data shall be done with a sufficient degree of
caution.
Bore pressure and temperature are essential to confirm that the pipe is operating within its
design limit.
12.3.2 Line depressurisation
Detailed record of the depressurisation events (shutdown - blowdown) and their occurrence
shall be completed. For each depressurisation event, the following details shall be recorded:
Pressure and temperature at depressurizations start off
Duration of depressurisation
Pressure and temperature at depressurizations end off / restart of pressurisation
Mean depressurization rate
Maximum rate of depressurisation and associated duration
Minimum temperature at the end of the depressurisation.
12.3.3 Fluid (oil & gas) composition
Fluid (oil & gas) composition in the bore shall be recorded. Sampling to measure water cut, H2S
and CO2 contents in the bore shall be completed in addition to measurement of the TAN of the
crude.
12.3.4 Produced water composition
Produced water composition in the bore shall be recorded (flowrate and detailed composition).

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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GS EP PLR 109

Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

12.3.5 Injected Product

Composition and quantity/frequency of injected products (e.g. methanol, corrosion inhibitors)
shall be recorded. Temperature of the injected chemical and clarification of a deoxygenating or
not prior to injection shall be recorded.
12.3.6 Sand production
Details of sand and over abrasive component (quantity and speed and/or flowrate) production in
the bore shall be recorded.
12.3.7 Additional requirements for oil and gas risers
In addition, for oil and gas flexible risers, the following operating field data shall be recorded in
the database:
Riser annulus condition:
- Vent gas composition: Sampling to measure water content, H2, H2S and CO2 contents
in the annulus shall be completed
- Vacuum test results
Polymer coupons testing results
Sea state conditions, vessel motion, riser response.
All the collected operational data shall be verified, treated, analyzed and compared with the
original design basis assumptions recapped in the Operating Manual.
If it is identified that some of the operational data are out-with the specified design and
operating conditions, the flexible pipe SUPPLIER shall be assigned to re-assess the fitness for
purpose of the pipe.

12.4 Monitoring systems and testing requirements

In order to satisfy the requirements for continuous collection of operational data, simple and
robust instrument solutions should be aimed at.
The use of instruments needed for day to day operation of process system shall be preferred as
these will be maintained regularly. However, for those instruments that are not part of the day to
day process, dedicated inspection and maintenance plans shall be developed.
As a minimum, the monitoring system shall consist in:
Coupon samples for polymer ageing (see section 12.4.1 for more detailed requirements)
Annulus vent monitoring (see section 12.4.2 for more detailed requirements)
In the case where Gas Flow vibrations are predicted, topside vibration measurements with
the objectives of firstly validating the predictions. The associated detailed specifications
for tests and analysis to be performed with inspected/collected material shall be produced.
In terms of testing and inspection, the following minimum requirements shall be adhered to:
For risers, the end fittings shall be designed to conduct regular annulus vent system
checks, and annulus vacuum testing as per the requirements included in section 12.4.3
underneath.

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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General Specification
GS EP PLR 109

Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07

For flexible risers that are pulled in a J or I tube, a visual inspection through a video
camera shall be carried out from the surface. At a minimum, access inside the tube shall
be provided.
A baseline survey shall be completed before the pipe is brought in service as a reference for
condition monitoring and inspection during service.
The detailed features/design of the whole monitoring system shall be submitted to COMPANY
for approval.
12.4.1 Polymer Coupon Monitoring System - for oil and gas risers
A Company polymer specialist shall be involved to determine, during the pre-project phase,
which risers require a polymer coupon monitoring system.
As a minimum, the polymer coupon monitoring system shall consist in:
Polymer coupon samples located in the vicinity (5 m Max) of flexible riser. The associated
detailed specifications for the frequency of the sample removal and the analysis of
collected material (viscosity) shall be defined by the flexible pipe SUPPLIER.
Record of operating temperatures & pressures in the vicinity (5 m Max) of the coupon
holder system shall be completed in conjunction with fluid composition (water) and
injected chemicals.
These data are required for the analysis of the coupon sample.
12.4.2 Annulus Vent Gas Monitoring System - for oil and gas risers
The requirement for Annulus Vent Gas Monitoring System shall be evaluated for all flexible
risers at the pre-project phase and validated by a Company flexible pipe specialist.
Monitoring the gas from the annulus has three objectives:
Validate the diffusion calculation results employed in the design
Monitor and record the vented gas flowrate. This shall help to detect any damage to the
external sheath of the pipe, as any water ingress will induce a sudden change in the gas
flowrate
Monitor and record the composition of the diffused gas. Research for hydrogen in the gas
vented from the annulus shall be carried out to identify damage of the external sheath.
The monitoring system selected for the project under development shall satisfy the three
objectives required above.
In addition, the associated detailed specifications for tests and analysis to be performed with
collected data (for e.g. diffusion calculations, fatigue load verification and re-analysis) shall be
produced.
12.4.3 Annulus Vacuum Testing
In order to investigate the status of the risers annulus and gas drainage system, riser annulus
testing shall be carried out.
Vacuum volume shall be calibrated by performing a volume measurement during the FAT
(Factory Acceptance Test) to establish a baseline.

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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Rev: 07

A vacuum test shall be completed after Installation to ensure that the external sheath has not
been damaged during installation.
During service, the vacuum test will allow to draw a partial vacuum in the annulus space and to
determine water presence by measuring free volume.
Once test is completed, the vacuum in the annulus is then filled with a pre-defined quantity of
Nitrogen to ensure that dry gas is re-injected.
Detailed procedures for testing at the factory, offshore after installation and in-service shall be
produced. Emphasis shall be made on the reconciliation between the data collected from these
three phases tests to ensure the integrity of the external sheath.

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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Date: 10/2009
Rev: 07
Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Data to be specified in COMPANY Project Specification

The following topics are Project specific details that shall be specified by the COMPANY in a
dedicated Project Specification (PPS):
Specific thermal requirements
Detailed Pigging requirements
Installation / Pre-com requirements
Depressurisaton Rates
Definition of subsea and topsides types of connection between flexibles and between
flexible and rigid pipes
Definition of the type of connections for jumpers.

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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Rev: 07
Appendix 2

Appendix 2

Operating Manual to be provided, for each flexible pipe

The following topics shall be specified, by SUPPLIER, for each manufactured flexible pipe, in a
dedicated Operating Manual:

1. Introduction
Project Name
Geographical zone
Field description
Etc.

2. Abbreviations
3. References
4. Flexible pipes description
Design Service Life
Pipe characteristics
Line Description
Service: Production, Water Injection, Gas Injection, Oil Export, etc.
ID - OD
Structure Supplier Identification Number
Quantity
Length
Application: Static or Dynamic
Sweet or Sour
Design & Operating Pressures
Design & Operating Temperatures
Design Water Depth
MBR for Storage
Weight in air & empty

Minimum bending radius

MBR for Storage
MBR for controlled or supported handling
MBR for uncontrolled or unsupported handling

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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Rev: 07
Appendix 2

Pipe layer description

Description of generic layers
Description of specific layers (optical fibers, Electrical cables, Gas-Lift tubes, Insulation
foam, etc.
Detailed Data Sheets to be presented.

End-fittings
Design Temperature
Material
Type (Grayloc, API flange, etc.)
Size
Gasket
Gas draining (FPU piping, plugs, GRVs, No venting, etc.)
Insulation
Corrosion protection

Gas Relief valves / Gas draining system

Description
Predicted diffusion flowrates in normal operating conditions (l/h)

Ancillary equipments
Bending restrictors
Bending stiffeners
Buoyancy modules
Etc.

As-built documents
Document references

Monitoring systems
Description of each specific systems to monitor the operating conditions of each flexible
pipes

5. Installation, Recovery & Handling

Handling limitations
Maximum tension
Storage limitations
Use of rollers or overboarding gutters
Minimum Bending Radius
External sheath of flexible pipes (Specific care, Action to be taken in case of damage,
etc.)
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Appendix 2

End-fittings & Gas vent System (Plugs, etc.)

Testing of the flexible pipes (in case of repair or replacement)
Recovery of the flexible pipes (recovery speed limitations, etc.)

6. Operating conditions
Internal fluid operational limits
Temperature and pressure limits (Minimum & Maximum)
Pipe Empty acceptable?
Minimum allowable internal pressure

Maximum allowable depressurization rates

Max allowable depressurization rates (Mean & Peak values with associated durations)

Internal fluids and applicable restrictions

Operation fluids
Maximum H2S, CO2 & Chloride Maximum Allowable levels
Chemicals injection (Methanol, etc.)

Particular requirements for specific flexible pipe

7. Inspection plan
Description of monitoring systems and inspection plan
Visual inspection
For each inspection tasks and monitoring systems, defined in the GS EP EXP 311:
Recommended frequency
Acceptance criteria for each items and further Actions to be defined.
As an example for the outer sheath:
Item

Acceptance Criteria

Comments and Actions

Any evidence of abrasion of

the Outer Sheath

No tear in the sheath, no

damage deeper than one
third of the thickness of the
external sheath.

Source of abrasion must be

found and rectified. Flexible
pipe SUPPLIER shall be
advised.

Extent and type of marine

growth

Marine growth should be less

than the following thickness:

Extensive marine growth may

affect the riser dynamic
behaviour. SUPPLIER shall
be advised.

- xx mm

This document is the property of Total. It must not be stored, reproduced or disclosed to others without written authorisation from the Company.

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Rev: 07
Appendix 2

As an example for the Armour Annulus Vacuum testing:

Item
Armour annulus condition:
dry or flooded

Acceptance Criteria
Armour annulus not flooded

Comments and Actions

Lines shall be designed for
such event. Nevertheless,
ROV inspection shall be
performed to determine the
origin of the leak.
SUPPLIER shall be
contacted, as armour annulus
flooding would affect the
flexible service life.

As an example for the bending stiffeners visual inspections:

Item
Riser external sheath below
stiffener

Acceptance Criteria
No significant wear

Comments and Actions

Wear may indicate that the
stiffener is not working as
intended, and that external
sheath failure is expected,
affecting flexible pipe service
life.
To contact SUPPLIER

Monitoring systems
Minimum requirements for the monitoring systems are listed below. This list shall be amended
at project stage by:
Definition of the items to be monitored
Recommended frequency for each measured items
Definition of the acceptance criterion for the measurements from the monitoring system
In case one of this last criterion is infringed, flexible pipe supplier shall clearly document
the subsequent course of actions.
As an example, for the Polymer coupons monitoring:
Polymer
coupons

Recommended frequency
for coupon retrieval

Acceptance Criteria for

the associated coupon
analysis results

Comments and
Actions

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Rev: 07
Appendix 2

As an example, for the annulus vent gas monitoring:

Gas Flowrate

Recommended frequency
of measurement

Flowrate range

Comments and
Actions

Gas
composition

Gas sample analysis

frequency

Acceptance criteria for

Composition

Comments and
Actions

To be amended

8. Maintenance and testing

Flexible pipe regular maintenance
General Maintenance
Testings (Armour annulus vacuum, pressure, etc.)
Pigging
Specific requirements

End fittings
Specific maintenance requirements

Bending stiffeners
Specific maintenance requirements

Monitoring systems
Specific maintenance requirements

Buoyancy modules
Specific maintenance requirements

Other ancillary equipments

Specific maintenance requirements

9. Repair and replacement

Flexible pipes
End-fittings
Bending stiffeners

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