Super Pipeline | National Geographic | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Engineers at norsk kedro are drilling the Orman L gas deposit, located 120km off the coast of Norway, in a 10-year, $10 billion operation to extract and transport the gas to meet 20% of Great Britain's needs for 40 years.

Key Insights

• 🫢 The Orman L gas field contains a vast amount of gas that can meet a significant portion of Great Britain's gas needs for decades.
• 🫢 The operation to extract and transport the gas involves drilling, processing, and laying a 1,200km pipeline, requiring precision and immense resources.
• 🎮 The pipe laying barge, lb200, is a massive floating steel welding factory, with welding stations and ultrasound inspection for quality control.
• 🎨 The pipeline is designed to withstand the strain and pressure exerted on it during the offloading process and is kept under tension to prevent collapse.
• 🖐️ Each pipe is numbered and placed in a specific location in the pipeline to ensure efficiency and accuracy during the laying process.
• 🥵 The pipes are sealed with a protective heat-trunk plastic to prevent corrosion in the seawater.
• 🖐️ The operation is estimated to lay over 100km of pipeline per month, demonstrating the efficiency and scale of the process.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How much gas does the Orman L gas field contain?

The Orman L gas field contains over 300 billion cubic M of gas, making it one of the largest underwater gas fields in the North Sea.

Q: How long will it take and how much will it cost to complete the operation?

The operation will take 10 years and cost $10 billion to drill, transport, and lay the pipeline for the Orman L gas deposit.

Q: What is the purpose of the pipeline being built?

The pipeline is being built to transport the processed gas from the Orman L gas deposit to the UK, supplying 20% of Great Britain's gas needs for 40 years.

Q: How is the pipeline laid on the ocean floor?

The pipeline is laid as a continuous tube dropped from the supply ships to the seabed using a pipe laying barge, which moves forward as the pipe is lowered. The process involves precise welding, ultrasonic inspection, and sealing to ensure the pipeline's integrity.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Orman L gas field, located deep below the sea surface, contains over 300 billion cubic M of gas and is 40km long and 10km wide.

• Engineers at norsk kedro are undertaking a massive operation to drill the gas deposit, transport it 120km to a processing plant, and then send the processed gas to the UK through a 1,200km pipeline.

• The operation involves manufacturing, laying, and sealing 100,000 pipes, each weighing 10 tons and numbered for specific locations in the pipeline.