Norpipe
In-game article clicks load inline without leaving the challenge.
Norpipe is a subsea oil and natural gas pipelines system in the North Sea. It supplies oil from the Norwegian Ekofisk and associated fields in the North Sea to the United Kingdom and natural gas to Germany.
Oil pipeline
The Norpipe oil pipeline starts at the Ekofisk 2/4-J facility. In addition to Ekofisk (Cod, Ekofisk, West Ekofisk, Tor, Albuskjell, Eldfisk, Edda, and Embla fields) the pipeline carries oil from Valhall, Hod, Gyda, Ula, Tambar, and Oselvar fields in the Norwegian zone, and from several of the UK's oil fields, such as Fulmar and Judy (see table). A tie-in point for UK fields is located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Ekofisk. It has a landfall at Teesside Refinery in England.
The length of pipeline is 354 kilometres (220 mi) and it has diameter of 34 inches (860 mm). The pipeline is owned by Norpipe Oil AS, a consortium which includes ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS (35.05%), TotalFinaElf Exploration Norge AS (34.93%), Statoil (18.5%), Eni Norge AS (6.52%), and SDFI (5%). It is operated by ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS. The pipeline was commissioned in 1975. The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway has granted consent to use the pipeline until 2028. The Norpipe oil pipeline originally had two intermediate booster pump installations in the UK sector designated 37/4A and 36/22A, these were seldom used and were subsequently bypassed. The booster platforms were removed in 2009/10 as part of the greater Ekofisk decommissioning.
Booster pumping stations
The specification of the booster station was as follows.
| Designation | Norpipe 37/4A | Norpipe 36/22A |
|---|---|---|
| Distance from Ekofisk 2/4 J | 123 km | 235 km |
| Distance from Teesside | 231 km | 119 km |
| Water depth | 85 m | 81 m |
| Fabricated | McDermott, Ardersier | UIE Cherbourg and St Wandrille |
| Total weight | 9,750 tonnes | |
| Installed | 1974 | 1974 |
| Operational | 14 October 1975 | 1975 |
| Drive | 3 × GE (MS-3002J) 2-Stage axial gas turbines 11,800 / 14,400 hp | 3 × GE (MS-3002J) 2-Stage axial gas turbines 11,800 / 14,400 hp |
| Fuel | Diesel or crude oil | Diesel or crude oil |
| Pump | 3 × Bingham 1-stage centrifugal pumps | 3 × Bingham 1-stage centrifugal pumps |
| Generators | 3 × Bergen 640kVA diesel sets | 3 × Bergen 640kVA diesel sets |
| Pigging equipment | Yes | Yes |
| Accommodation | 2 storey, 24 beds 2 × double, 5 × four bed cabins | 3 storey, 31 beds 1 × single, 9 × double, 3 × four bed |
| Crew | 10 | |
| Firewater pumps | Yes | Yes |
| Helideck | Super Puma | Super Puma |
| Utilities | Telemetry, lube oil, chemicals, instrument and plant air, steam, potable water, cranes and lifting equipment | 2 × B-E MK 60 Cranes |
| Shutdown | November 1981 | 1977 |
| Occupation ceased | 1983 | 1983 |
| Pipeline bypass | 1994 | 1994 |
| Topsides removed | 2009 | 2009 |
| Jacket removed | 2010 | 2010 |
UK fields and Norpipe
The following fields and installations export oil into the Norpipe pipeline.
| Field | Installation | Production to | Length | Diameter, inches | Year commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ekofisk | Platform 2/4 J | Teesside terminal | 354 km | 34 | 1975 |
| Judy | Platform | Norpipe UK Tee via Northern Wye and Southern Wye | 24 | 1997 | |
| Joanne | Subsea | Judy | 5.5 km | 2 x 12-inch | 2002 |
| Jasmine | Platform | Judy | 6 miles | 16 | 2013 |
| Jade | Platform | Judy | 17.3 km | 16 | 2002 |
| Stella | Semi-submersible FPF-1 | Southern Wye / Tanker | 44 km | 10 | 2016 |
| Harrier | Subsea | Stella FPF-1 | 7 km | 2018 | |
| Fulmar | Platform | Southern Wye | 15.5 km | 24 | 1997 Fulmar had formerly used offshore tanker loading |
| Auk | Platform | Fulmar | 12 km | 8 | 1975 |
| Auk North | Subsea | Fulmar | 10.7 km | 8 | 2011 |
| Gannet | Platform | Fulmar | 107 km | 16 | 1992 |
| Clyde | Platform | Fulmar | 11 km | 16 | 1986 |
| Orion | Subsea | Clyde | 16.3 km | 10 | 1999 |
| Flyndre | Subsea | Clyde | 20 km | 8 | 2017 |
Throughput
The annual oil production from 1998 (in 1000 tonnes) was:
The total oil throughput of the terminal up to the end of 2021 was 104.585 million tonnes.
Natural gas pipeline
The 440-kilometre (270 mi) long Norpipe natural gas pipeline runs from Ekofisk to a receiving terminal at Emden in Germany. The diameter of pipeline is 36 inches (910 mm) and it has capacity of 16 billion cubic metres (570 billion cubic feet) of natural gas per year. The natural gas pipeline was commissioned in 1977 and will be in use until 2028. The start-up investment was 26.4 billion Norwegian krone. The pipeline is owned by Gassled and operated by Gassco. The technical service provider is ConocoPhillips.
On 30 September 1995, a German cargo ship Reint collided with the Norpipe H7-platform in the German continental shelf. Only minimal damages to the platform, and no injuries to people were caused. The H7 platform has been off-the-service since 1999, and in 2007 a bypass pipe laid around the platform.