PR-209-9217-R01 Mechanical Connections for J-lay

This report discusses the results of a testing program designed to simulate the operational conditions imposed on a J-lay installed, 13%” subsea pipeline assembled with mechanical connections. The program objective was to gain an understanding of the long-term sealing integrity of various mechanical connections. The connections were subjected to combinations of cyclic internal pressure, cyclic temperature, axial compression, and reverse torsion. The testing results show that the mechanically interlocked Reflange C-Con II connection and two premium threaded connections, the Hunting Fox and Sumitomo Varn Ace, when assembled utilizing suitable bonding agents, successfully resisted the imposed loads of this testing program. In addition, the selection of a proper bonding agent or adhesive to prevent reverse torque back out proved to be important as several of these agents were unreliable in preventing back out failures. The testing conditions applied to the mechanical connections in this test program are believed to be conservative, exceeding the maximum that in-service, J-lay installed pipelines are likely to experience. Therefore, this test program may be used to select a pipeline connection for this duty.