Full scale testing|Trelleborg Offshore

Our experience, coupled with the fact that all of our testing is designed and conducted in-house, demonstrates the wide-ranging capabilities of our Engineers, who can advise on the future development of our products to improve their effectiveness, usability, and cost.

Hydrostatic pressure testing

Hydrostatic pressure testing is the only effective way to simulate conditions in deep-water environments and enable accurate product testing. It is the final opportunity for product assurance under hydrostatic conditions before delivery of the finished product for offshore installation. The primary hydrostatic tests that we conduct for many of our products are instrumented buoyancy loss over time at the service depth, and resistance to hydrostatic crush pressures. Our current suite of hydrostatic pressure vessels for full-scale testing is capable of 10,000 psi (equivalent to a seawater depth of approximately 7 kilometers), with additional temperature control to simulate service conditions.

Our ability to run this critical testing operation in-house, reduces the risk and costs associated with product qualification, providing peace of mind to our customers.

Physical and simulation testing

Full-scale physical testing simulates the application that a product is designed for and validates the design is fit for purpose. Trelleborg use a variety of mechanical tests to qualify computer models, and to proof load the products up to service loads. We test that the products can be installed safely and correctly, that they will remain in position despite expected service or installation loads, and that they will continue to do the job for which they are intended for their entire service life and beyond.

Testing can include:

Buoyancy up-thrust
Compression and shear load
Tensile proof loads
Static bend loads
Simulated S-Lay/ J-Lay
Fit-up and assembly
Slippage and capacity
Diaphragm closure pressure
Dropped object and impact
Creep and relaxation

The majority of our testing is carried out on-site, providing risk reduction and cost benefits. A range of 3rd party partners support us with designing and carrying out new full-scale testing for more unusual products and requirements.

Fire testing

Many structures and control systems located in areas with an increased fire risk are protected by passive fire protection (PFP) systems. In demanding offshore environments, jet fires represent a major fire risk in installations with pressurized hydrocarbons. Our facilities located in Krokstadelva, Norway, house our in-house jet fire testing rig, and high heat flux testing rig, allowing us to continually develop and test our range of passive fire protection materials, in a controlled, repeatable environment.

Jet fire testing

A jet fire may occur when combustible liquids (oil, gas) leak from a damaged pipeline, forming a fluid pit or reservoir which ignites. The extent of the fire can vary significantly depending on different conditions including surrounding environment, type of fuel, pressure, and volume.

ISO22899 (previously OTI95634) defines the test set up required for testing the resistance of passive fire protection materials to jet fire. ISO22899 describes a set-up with a pressurized gas release of 0.3kg/s giving a severe combination of erosive forces and heat. This can be highly destructive to some PFP systems, resulting in potential failure of the system. The test setup is sufficient when giving an indication of the performance of a wide range of PFP materials and systems, with the heat flux achieved limited to 250 kW/m².

Products covered in this standard are:

Tubulars
Panels
Structural steel
Pipe and cable penetrations

We can also offer the performing of the tests with third party witnesses if required.

Extended jet fire and high heat flux (HHF) testing

It is now recognized that the higher heat flux and temperatures of jet fires, requires the need for new extended jet fire and HHF testing standards to be created. HHF testing, often performed sequentially with HC fire testing, currently has no standardized test protocols or programs, and it is often left to individual suppliers to demonstrate HHF material or system compliance.

Our test center in Norway has created a large-scale bespoke HHF testing rig to assess PFP materials in higher temperatures and heat fluxes. A larger than normal chamber measuring 3 x 3 x 2.7 meters with pressurized gas input to the same standard as stated in ISO22899, has been constructed. For the HHF test, air is added to the chamber to increase the temperature, creating a high heat flux environment of 350kW/m2 with a temperature of approximately +1300 °C. For comparison, our standard jet fire test chamber built and operated in accordance to ISO22899 measures 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.5 meters.

This test method achieves:

Higher temperatures (approx. +1350^OC)
Higher heat flux (350kW/m² on average)
Possibility to test larger test specimen
Test furnace measures 3 x 3 x 2.7 meter inside

Hydrocarbon testing

Hydrocarbon (HC) fires or pool fires are fires fueled by hydrocarbon compounds (oil and gas). This type of fire is characterized by a flame temperature reaching about 1100°C within approximately 10 minutes and continuing at this stage for a total of 120 minutes with a calculated heat flux of approximately 150kW/m2. Materials and products are tested for their reaction to this type of fire in accordance to NS-EN 1363-2:1999 fire resistance tests. Our hydrocarbon test furnace measures 1 x 1.5 x 0.8 meter inside.