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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Houston Engineering Technology Center

Houston Engineering Technology Center

High Pressure High Temperature Study

As offshore oil and gas exploration and development advances in relation to both deeper water depth and deeper wells, the operating environment can present challenges, especially in terms of temperatures and pressures encountered.  High pressure has been defined as greater than 15,000 psi and high temperature has been defined as greater than 350 F degrees in the Code of Federal Regulations at 30 C.F.R. § 250.804.

Industry now designs equipment for high pressure and or high temperature service using the methodologies described in the American Petroleum Institute’s ( API ) Technical Report 17TR8, “HPHT Design Guidelines.” BSEE awarded a contract to Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to evaluate these guidelines. BSEE has received the final Argonne National Laboratory, “Evaluation of Pressure Rating Methods Recommended by API RP 17TR8.”  Complete project details can be located on the Technology Collaboration Page for project TCP-5016. BSEE commissioned a peer review of the evaluation.  The peer review was conducted according to BSEE’s Peer Review Plan; a link to the peer review and peer review responses is included below. 

ANL presented their draft “Evaluation of Pressure Rating Methods Recommended by API RP 17TR8” at an API Standards 17 Workshop in January of 2017.  At the same time, BSEE initiated a peer review of the draft evaluation.  BSEE also made a copy of ANL’s draft evaluation and presentation available on BSEE’s website and received correspondence from the American Petroleum Institute and other members of industry in response to the draft evaluation.  On behalf of BSEE, the contractor EnDyna conducted a peer review of ANL’s evaluation in May of 2017. ANL responded to the peer reviewer’s comments and provided their final evaluation and “Post-Test Characterization Following Pressure Burst Testing” to BSEE on May 24, 2018.

BSEE is continuing to seek clarification of the policy implications, if any, from this research, the ANL evaluation and post-test, the peer review and ANL’s responses, and the comments submitted by industry. We will continue to share additional information on this topic here as it becomes available.

 

I.  Argonne National Laboratory Study and Peer Review:

II. Director’s Letter:

III. Industry Correspondence:

IIII. Workshops