API SC 17 Subcommittee on Subsea
Production Systems
API RP 17U
Recommended Practice for Wet and Dry Thermal
Insulation of Subsea Flowlines and Equipment
June 2012-Report
Report
As part of the subcommittee towards RP 17U, the
work realized includes the following:
 Previous Work Concluded (Wet Insulation)
 Review of current work (General/Wet Insulation)
 New work (Dry Insulation)
 Consolidating and combining sections of document
per API guidelines:



TOC updated
Selecting Normative References
Incorporating all releveant bibliographic references.
Participant Members
NAME
Mario Saba
Karl R Gust
P. Singh
E. Simonsen
Raj Saxena
Chin-Yuan Ma
Alejandro de Tello
Elizabeth Whitsitt
Matt Herst
Ivan Balk
Lars Artun
Wayne Grobbelaar
Rick Hill
Tony Hornby
Fernando Ulecia
Mike Gordon
Denis Melot
Aquiles Perez
COMPANY
Aspen Aerogel
BASF
Brederoshaw
Brederoshaw
Cabot
Cameron
Exxonmobil
FMC
FMC
GE Oil & Gas, VG
GE Oil & Gas, VG
Interpipe
Microallying
Permapipe
Socotherm Labarge
Subsea7
Total
UniversalPegasus
Previous Work


Previous work was to define the Scope and Table of
Contents of the RP
Receive comments and suggestions from group members
Scope:
This Recommended Practice (RP) provides guidance for the performance, qualification,
application, quality control, handling, and storage requirements of wet and dry thermal
insulation for subsea applications in the petroleum and gas industries. This guideline also
covers the inspection of the insulation, and the repair of insulation defects. The installation
method is not defined and may be either S-lay, J-lay or Reel-lay. This guideline is intended to
cover all three installation methods.

Annex A defines the following:
Minimum requirements for the manufacture and supply of wet insulation (insulations in direct
contact with sea water) .

Annex B defines the following:
Minimum requirements for the manufacture and supply of Dry insulation ( applied on Pipe in
Pipe systems)
Applicability of RP 17U

This Recommended Practice is applicable to
the following:







Flowlines and Risers
Christmas tree, valve block and piping
Manifold valves and pipework
Pipeline End Termination (PLET) piping
Jumpers (i.e. piping and bends)
Connectors and fittings
Valves and chokes
Contents
1. Introduction
1.1
Scope
1.2
Applicability
2. Normative References
3. Terms, Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations
3.1
Terms and Definitions
3.2
Acronyms and Abbreviations
4. General Requirements
4.1
Performance Requirements
4.2
Material Requirements
5. Application Process and Quality Control
6. Handling and Storage Requirements
7. Documentation
ANNEX A: Wet Insulation

A.1 Performance Qualification and Testing
Requirements for Wet Insulation Materials and
Systems

A.2 Inspection Requirements for Wet Insulation
Materials and Systems
ANNEX B: Dry Insulation

A.1 Performance Qualification and Testing
Requirements for Dry Insulation Materials and
Systems

A.2 Inspection Requirements for Dry Insulation
Materials and Systems
Current Work

Incorporating input from fabricators of wet and dry
insulation as well as installation contractors in order to
define the general requirements to be incorporated in the
recommended practice.

Based on May 2012 group meeting, updates to the draft
are being incorporated (as presented on TOC)

Including API formatting guidelines a Draft of the
recommended practice should be available on the next
session of SC17.