Claxton to Supply Advanced Norwegian Drilling Riser

Claxton Engineering Services Ltd, an Acteon company, is supplying a Norwegian client with a complete subsea drilling riser package enhanced by services and equipment drawn from around the Acteon Group. 

The 7000-psi, 24-in. riser will be used to drill one well and two completion wells in 135 m of water: the deepest water in the Norwegian North Sea tackled to date.

Comprising riser joints, custom flange connectors, vortex-induced-vibration suppression fairings, a bespoke tension system and a proprietary Claxton NT2 handling tool, the riser system is the result of close collaboration between Claxton and several sister Acteon companies: 2H Offshore, Subsea Riser Products and Pulse Structural Monitoring.

Subsea Riser Products is supplying the custom flanges for the riser. These have a smaller diameter than standard API flanges and offer improved make-up times and fatigue characteristics.

In addition, Pulse Structural Monitoring will provide a complete riser monitoring system that will give the client real-time fatigue, bending and stress monitoring data to help determine how the riser is performing. This has obvious safety and operational benefits. 

The new 7000-psi riser will be used for 240 days and is due to be run for the first time in early 2012.