Subsea Connectors and Sealing Systems

After removing a subsea tree from its manifold, protection is needed for the manifold piping, valves and seal surfaces for long-term preservation.

Seahorse Energy® engineered, manufactured and tested a new pressure cap (Knock-On Cap) to meet these needs – and this was done in 11 weeks. The pressure rating was 5,000 psi for each passageway in the multi-bore hub, and the nominal connector size was 18”.

The resulting pressure end loads were over 400,000 pounds. Because of this, it was critical for the design to be efficient and light weight. The Knock-On Cap is a great example of the connector expertise that exists at Seahorse Energy®.

The Pompano project uses a unique subsea connection with a multi-bore horizontal connection system. The main elements to the system are 2 hubs, a connector and the special running tool.

The connector is made up of a clamp and a seal plate. The purpose of the running tool is to pull the 2 hubs together, “sandwiching” the seal plate and clamp between them.

Then, the running tool is used to torque the 2 drive screws on the clamp, which preloads the system. For this project, a new connector was needed(seal plate and clamp).

Seahorse Energy® engineered, manufactured and tested a new connector for the Pompano subsea tieback.