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Evaluation of Underwater Adhesives and Friction Coatings for In Situ Attachment of Fiber Optic Sensor System for Subsea ApplicationsIntegrity and performance monitoring of subsea pipelines and structures provides critical information for managing offshore oil and gas production operation and preventing environmentally damaging and costly catastrophic failure. Currently pipeline monitoring devices require ground assembly and installation prior to the underwater deployment of the pipeline. A monitoring device that could be installed in situ on the operating underwater structures could enhance the productivity and improve the safety of current offshore operation. Through a Space Act Agreement (SAA) between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Astro Technology, Inc. (ATI), JSC provides technical expertise and testing facilities to support the development of fiber optic sensor technologies by ATI. This paper details the first collaboration effort between NASA JSC and ATI in evaluating underwater applicable adhesives and friction coatings for attaching fiber optic sensor system to subsea pipeline. A market survey was conducted to examine different commercial ]off ]the ]shelf (COTS) underwater adhesive systems and to select adhesive candidates for testing and evaluation. Four COTS epoxy based underwater adhesives were selected and evaluated. The adhesives were applied and cured in simulated seawater conditions and then evaluated for application characteristics and adhesive strength. The adhesive that demonstrated the best underwater application characteristics and highest adhesive strength were identified for further evaluation in developing an attachment system that could be deployed in the harsh subsea environment. Various friction coatings were also tested in this study to measure their shear strengths for a mechanical clamping design concept for attaching fiber optic sensor system. A COTS carbide alloy coating was found to increase the shear strength of metal to metal clamping interface by up to 46 percent. This study provides valuable data for assessing the feasibility of developing the next generation fiber optic senor system that could be retrofitted onto existing subsea pipeline structures.
Document ID
20120016971
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Tang, Henry H. (MEI Technologies, Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Le, Suy Q. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Orndoff, Evelyne S. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Smith, Frederick D. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Tapia, Alma S. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Brower, David V. (Astro Technology, Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
May 6, 2012
Subject Category
Mechanical Engineering
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-26999
Meeting Information
Meeting: 2013 Offshore Technology Conference
Location: Houston, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: May 6, 2013
End Date: May 9, 2013
Sponsors: Society of Petroleum Engineers
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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