Improved UOE pipe-manufacturing process helps meet deepwater pipeline challenges

UOE pipe-manufacturing process pertains to pressing a steel plate into a U and then an O shape and then expanded circumferentially. Although UOE process has many advantages, there are economic challenges as well as installation issues. However, improvements in pipe forming yield higher collapse strengths, greater pipe roundness, increased pipe compressive strength, improved pipe shape and pipe strength have been explored. By optimizing the various compression and expansion cycles, it has been possible to determine a set of manufacturing conditions that enable collapse performance to be enhanced. There are also improvements in the manufacturing process itself, such as minimized material and welding costs, reduced installation time, less pipe weight and submerged pipe-weight considerations, and increased design scope to benefit deepwater options.