SUBTECH ’91, 1991 Back to the Future. Papers presented at a conference organized by the Society for Underwater Technology and held in Aberdeen, UK, November 12–14, 1991 Advances in Underwater Technology, Ocean Science and Offshore Engineering Series, Vol. 27

The concept of using flexible, reelable pipe to transport liquids, gases, and vapours is not a new one. As early as the 1940s a steel braided elastomeric pipeline was developed for the Allied Forces in order to transport fuels to support the Normandy Beacheads. In fact, the longest flexible pipeline ever constructed is likely to be that laid across the English Channel as part of 'Operation Pluto'. The methodology used to handle and instal such pipe is also not new. Ellis (1943, London) in an early patent specification identifies three basic objectives for a flexible pipelining method. These are: prefabrication of the pipe onshore; coiling of the pipe on suitable drums or reels; and using such reels to lay pipe from anchored or motorised barges. The design concept for flexible pipe is also not a new invention given that flexible hoses and umbilicals have been in service for more than sixty years. A break-through was however achieved by the French Institute of Petroleum in the early 1970s when they developed an improved steel reinforced pipe structure having a high axial loading capaci ty which utilised corrosion and hydrocarbon resistant polymers to extend pipe service lifetime. This early pipe design utilised established cable making techniques to apply steel armour and axially and radially reinforce alternating layers of polymer sheaths. The pipe was primarily developed as a flowline for use in static seabed applications.

1. Back to the Future.- Production Technology for Subsea Development wells.- Flexible Pipe Technology — A Decade of Change.- A Review of Past and Future Developments in Bundled Pipeline Installation by the Mid Depth Tow Method (Abstract).- Subsea Repair of Concrete Weight Coating on 30? North Sea Pipeline (Abstract).- Developing the Troll Project.- Wellhead Protection at Gannet B (Abstract).- Installation and Maintenance of Subsea Isolation Valves.- Review of Subsea Isolation Valves Installations in the UK North Sea.- Recent Developments in the Design of Subsea Isolation Valve Installations.- 2. Subsea Field Developments.- Dynamically Positioned Vessels — Their Suitability and Safe Operations.- Getting the DP Act Together.- Subsea Support Vessel for the Nineties.- Diving and Underwater Services — An Overview.- Advances in ROV Tooling for Subsea Cable Repair and Maintenance.- The Application of Work Class ROV’s — An overview.- R.O.V. Personnel Training Past, Present and Future.- 3. Equipment Development.- The FUDT-Project (Research and Development Project in Diving Technology).- Hyperbaric Pipeline Welding Beyond 600msw: A Conceptual Proposal.- ROV Operated Electrical Connector.- 4. Safety.- Hyperbaric Evacuation.- Risk Assessment of a Hyperbaric Evacuation System.- Diving Incident Data — The Way Ahead.- An End to Decompression Sickness? A New Approach to the Decompression Disorders.- A New Approach to Air Diving.- HADES, Highest Accumulated Decompression Score.- Inshore Diver Safety — A Review of Recent Developments.- 5. Tomorrow’s World.- Optimisation of Underwater Inspection Programmes.- Real Time Photogrammetry — A Technique for Today or Tomorrow?.- Alternative Approaches to Pipeline Survey: The Pipeline Engineer’s View.- Pipeline Freespan Monitoring.