Naveen Uppu at API 2024

The releasable RetroClamp™

Deepwater’s Mechanical Engineering Supervisor, Naveen Uppu, delivered a presentation at the API Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit in San Antonio on the new releasable RetroClamp™ that’s designed to be removed, relocated or reused after it’s installed.

For those of you unable to attend the API Summit, here’s a very compressed summary of his presentation:

Until now, cathodic protection clamps were generally too difficult to remove once they were placed, and usually required a replacement clamp if repositioning was needed.

The new releasable clamp can be removed via ROV without diver intervention or destruction of the clamp. There are also pins that can be removed as a secondary method of release if the primary mechanism becomes unusable.

Two novel uses for the retrievable clamp so far include:

Cathodic protection of riser pipes being stored subsea while awaiting installation. The clamps are removed when the pipes are needed for installation;

Monitoring vibration on jumper pipes to calculate remaining fatigue life, with the monitors attached to releasable clamps for easier retrieval of data.

Thanks again to all those who attended the presentation during the summit, and we’re hoping to develop even more cathodic protection goodies to share with you next time!