FLUID SWIVEL
SWIVELS FOR SINGLE POINT MOORINGS THAT NEVER STOP YOUR FLUID TRANSFERS OFFSHORE
With over ten years of experience in delivering bespoke fluid swivels, De Pretto Industrie has become a leading provider in the offshore industry. We deliver turnkey fluid swivels combining the flexibility and offshore competences of our Special Projects business unit with the in-house fabrication and testing capabilities, making possible to deliver cost-effective and reliable solutions.
The offshore oil & gas industry continuously faces the challenges posed by the sea, and this is particularly true with fluid transfers from fixed to floating infrastructures in open waters offshore. This requires the use of single point moorings (SPM), which provide a mooring point to tankers during loading or discharging operations, and, at the same time, allow the tanker to weathervane with wind, waves and currents.
The loading and discharging of tankers using a single point mooring are necessary for:
- Fluid transfers with import or export facilities close to shore, where marine mooring infrastructures such as ports, jetties and marine loading arms are not available;
- Fluid transfers between a spread mooring FPSO and shuttle tankers when a dedicated off-loading point is necessary;
- Fluid transfers from a subsea field to shuttle tankers or FPSO.
The main feature of a single point mooring is the possibility of tankers and FPSO to weathervane while transferring fluids, and therefore, freely rotate around the single point mooring without interrupting the fluid transfer. This is possible thanks to a key element of the SPM: a fluid swivel. The fluid swivel has both mechanical and hydraulic functions. It is both a mechanical component that connects a fixed and a rotating part, and a hydraulic joint able to withstand the fluid pressure and the loads applied to its connections without leakages of the transferred fluid.
In the offshore industry, each project can vary significantly due to ambient and operational constraints. This is why customization and flexibility are two important requirements, and fluid swivels are not an exception. Indeed, load conditions, working pressure, corrosion resistance, type of flanged connections and applicable codes are just a few of the driving factors that influence the development of a swivel joint. The combination of advanced technology, high performance levels and the ability to adapt to different scenarios led De Pretto Industrie to be the preferred partner in the supply of tailor-made fluid swivels for a wide range of applications, and in particular for:
In addition, De Pretto Industrie can also supply customized fluid swivel solutions for subsea applications; visit our dedicated page to understand how De Pretto Industrie can support your subsea applications.
SWIVELS FOR JACKET SPM
Jacket SPM is a passive single point mooring system typically used in shallow water to transfer fluids with import or export facilities close to shore where marine mooring infrastructures are not available or are not technically or economically feasible.
The subsea pipeline, which is the fixed part of the infrastructure, connects the onshore facilities with the offshore jacket. The shuttle tankers that import or export the products are moored to the rotating part of the jacket by means of hawsers.
The core part of the jacket SPM is the fluid swivel, which allows the product transfer between the pipeline from the onshore facility and the weathervaning vessel moored to the rotating part of the offshore jacket.
As it typically happens in the oil & gas market, every infrastructure has its specific requirements in terms of working pressure, flow rate and product type, together with the environmental conditions.
It is for this reason that De Pretto Industrie, with its flexible approach to projects, became a leading provider of bespoke fluid swivels for offshore applications.
CALM SWIVEL
CALM (Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring) SPM is a passive single point mooring system widely used and particularly flexible. Indeed, it can be installed in either shallow or deep waters, and it can be used to transfer fluids to and from near shore facilities, with subsea infrastructures or as an off-loading point for spread mooring FPSO. In this configuration, the SPM system is made of a fixed buoy anchored to the seabed by catenary mooring lines, while the rotating part is where the shuttle tankers or FPSO moor to by means of hawsers or a rigid yoke arm.
On CALM systems, the fluid swivel is the core part that allows the fluid transfer from the fixed to the rotating part. De Pretto Industrie fully appreciates the importance of this component, which has to guarantee continuous workability of the CALM system even in the most challenging offshore conditions and requires strong customization for the specific installations. De Pretto Industrie can support in the development of bespoke fluid swivels for either new-built or existing CALM systems.
SALM SWIVEL
SALM (Single Anchor Leg Mooring) SPM is another passive single point mooring system mainly used for shallow water applications. In this configuration there is a buoy body anchored to the seabed by a single tensioned chain mooring leg. The shuttle tankers or FPSO moor to the buoy body by means of hawsers or a rigid yoke arm.
In these systems, the fluid swivel is typically part of the subsea structure anchored to the seabed, and it follows the weathervaning vessels during the product transfer with its rotating part.
These fluid swivels, which are permanently underwater, need to be particularly reliable due to the difficult maintenance accessibility. It is for this reason that De Pretto Industrie has been chosen as the provider of fluid swivels for SALM system, where reliability together with flexibility in the project execution are core values needed to successfully support the development of these complex offshore systems.
TURRET SWIVEL
Turret mooring is a typical passive single point mooring system of FPSO, which allows the fluid transfer with subsea infrastructures while the FPSO is weathervaning. The advantage of this system is the possibility of managing several risers from the seabed and at the same time provide the required utilities to the subsea equipment like hydraulic fluids, chemical injection fluids and water.
De Pretto Industrie has gained extensive experience in the delivery of a wide range of fluid swivels for turret mooring: pipe swivels, toroidal swivels and utility swivels. Also in these systems, the level of customization and the high levels of quality needed to meet the reliability requirements have made De Pretto Industrie a leading provider of fluid swivels for turret mooring systems.
Contact directly our Special Projects business unit team.
