SPE 120570

Safety in Offshore Frac Hose Rig Hookups

Chris Arceneaux, SPE, BJ Services, and Kim DeKerlegand, SMI Companies

Copyright 2009, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2009 SPE Americas E&P Environmental & Safety Conference held in San Antonio, Texas, USA, 2325 March 2009.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to
reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.

Abstract
Large volume sand control and reservoir stimulation methods in the offshore market require connecting a heavy, lowyielding flexible hose from the service company stimulation vessel to the drilling rig or platform (Henceforth referred to as
"rig"). From there it is typically connected to rigid high pressure treating line routed to a manifold. The use of a flexible hose
anchoring point pre-installed on the rig greatly reduces exposure to accidents by eliminating dangerous chaining up methods
to secure the hose to the rig. This device may remain on the rig for future pumping events.
The use of a flexible hose rig-anchoring point provides an engineered solution to reduced human, hands-on interaction when
securing the treatment hose to the rig prior to a sand control or stimulation pumping event. Pinch points for hand and foot
interactions are eliminated.
Placing workers in precarious situations on the outboard of the rig's handrail, high above the water surface is prevented by
use of a "drop-in and lock-in" landing plate that supports the flexible hose and its connection flange in a vertical position.
This process saves time by eliminating repositioning measures when having to secure the flexible hose to some fixed object
on the outboard side of the rig such as handrail posts or mooring cleats using chains.
Introduction
As offshore well treatment options evolved from small volume, low rate acid stimulations and gravel packs to formation
fracturing treatments, the size and scope of equipment requirements grew as well. For years, portable skid mounted pumps
and blenders were delivered to location, spotted on the pipe deck and connected to the treatment point with rigid high
pressure treatment lines.1 That process is still in use today for smaller-scale treatments. Its much more common for the
operator to contract specialized stimulation vessels capable of pumping hundreds of thousands of pounds of manufactured
proppant for frac treatments in excess of 10,000 psi.4,5
Lower pressured treatments may exceed 50 barrels per minute.2 The latest generation of stimulation vessels must remain on
location without mooring to the rig for longer than twelve hours in order to rig up, test lines, and perform numerous treatment
evaluation routines before pumping the actual treatment. Dynamic positioning systems on the vessels use satellite global
positioning and rotating thrusters on the boat all tied together by computers to control the position of the vessel during the
treatment.
Although Chicksan swivels can be made up on rigid, high pressure treatment lines, the constant movement of the boat in
even moderate sea conditions would make it impossible to perform a treatment safely or efficiently. Multi-layered high
pressure flexible hoses were designed and built for the application described above. (For the purpose of this paper the flexible
high pressure hose, frequently called coflex hose in the field, will be referred to as the frac hose.)1 Frac hoses are constructed
with multiple non-bonded layers of thermoplastic linings resistant to acids and solvents, steel armor sheaths, cross wound
synthetic fibers and steel wire shrouded with a stainless steel outer wrap. Stimulation vessels most often employ three or four
inch internal-diameter hose.2 The industry has begun to incorporate five inch internal diameter. frac hoses on some vessels,
primarily in deepwater applications. Due to the specialized multi-layered construction, the outside diameter of the frac hose
can exceed seven inches and weigh as much as 60.6 pounds per foot empty. The end fittings of the hose include handling
collars and integral connectors.

SPE 120570

Discussion
Without the application of a dedicated frac hose anchoring system on the rig, valuable rig, vessel and crane time is used to
locate a suitable location on the outboard side of the rig to secure the frac hose with chains. This process requires service
crews to don life jackets, safety harnesses and work on the outboard side of the handrails in non-standing positions to drape
chains around a fitting not designed for the application and tie off the chain using a half hitch. These fittings include rope
mooring bits, crane boom cradles and rig piping, none of which are The spool is rotated forward or in reverse by a hydraulic
system. (Some frac vessels designed for high pressure / high rate treatment projects may contain two separate treatment
lines.)
The handling plate is pre-slung with lifting cables shackled to the plate. A lifting ring joins the opposite ends of the slings. As
with most pre-slung rental equipment in use in deep water drilling locations, the slings should be inspected and certified on a
regular basis. It should be noted that at the end of each treatment, when the flex hose is lowered to the boat, the lifting ring is
positioned within reach of the service personnel on the rear boat. This ensures that these individuals can safely connect the
cranes cable hook to the ring without having to climb onto the spool.
In communication with the rig crane operator, service personnel on the boat place the lifting ring onto the hook and step away
as the crane lifts designed or installed for this application. The hang off point may be 60 to 100 feet above the surface of the
water depending on rig placement and design.
Once in place, personnel may again subject themselves to unsafe positions to make up the rigid treating iron to the frac hose
integral connection if the end fitting is secured too far away from the handrail. If the hose shifts too far out of reach after
tension is released from the rig crane, the process must be repeated. This entire rigging up process could take more than an
hour, when the crane could be making other lifts. At the end of the job, when crews are tired and weather conditions may
have worsened, personnel are required to reverse the process, exposing themselves to outboard side of the rig.
If a potentially dangerous procedure cannot be totally eliminated as in the case of working on the outboard side a handrail in
an offshore environment, solutions to reduce the danger have been engineered. This paper focuses on one hardware solution
without any moving parts that secures the frac hose, saves time, and most importantly, has the potential to save lives and
prevent life-altering injuries. The system discussed here is consistent with each stimulation vessel operating in the US Gulf of
Mexico.
A typical frac hose anchoring system basically consists of two parts. First, the installation of an I beam frame on the rig,
about four feet wide and of suitable length, welded down on the rig to support the weight of the frac hose. One portion of it
extends over the sideboard of the rig or platform by about 18 inches. The extended portion must have a clear vertical path to
the water surface. When mounted at edge of a rig, the installer will need to incorporate the I beam frame with any spill
containment perimeter rim. The operator or the drilling contractor has the option to consider other installation methods or
designs, such a dual frac hose hang-offs or placement of a portable anchor frame.
And second, the universal landing plate portion of the assembly is mated to the handling collar on the end fitting of the frac
hose where it can not slip or shift. A landing plate is attached to most if not all the frac hoses on vessels operating in the Gulf
of Mexico. It is fabricated with holes that mate with corresponding pins on the anchor frame. The pins are aligned is such a
way that the landing plate section will safely land on the anchor station. This permits ready access to the end fitting for
rigging up and rigging down the rigid treating iron using hammer unions.
A large mechanical spool situated at the stern of the vessel contains the hose. the end fitting to the rig. The flexible treating
line is unwound from its spool as an operator controls the hydraulics on the spool to prevent the line from coming off the
spool too rapidly. The latest generation of stimulation vessels employ a Hydraulic Remote-Controlled Quick Disconnect to
the hose where it is connected to the spool.1 Should the vessel need to quickly evacuate the location, crews on the boat can
activate the quick release, letting the frac hose spool off the boat as it motors away. The total dead weight of the disconnected
hose may be too heavy for chains tied to a point on the side of the rig. Should the chains fail and the cable fall to the sea
floor, the operator would be responsible for its recovery from under the rig, a dangerous and expensive operation.
Spanning the distance from the boat to the rig, the treatment line will weigh in excess of 11,000 lbs (5,970 kg). It may be
greater than 800 lbs heavier when filled with treating fluid. Service personnel on the rig, wearing safety harnesses, should be
able to guide the landing plate with tag lines to land or mate with the welded anchor point on the side of the rig from an
easily accessible point within view of the crane operator or at least guided in place by two-way radios. The hose could have
some measure of twist as it is lifted to the rig. The optimal landing plate should swivel sufficiently in either direction in order
to line up and land squarely across the pins.
At this point, safety chains shackled to the landing plate can be used to secure the hose to a fixed point on the rig, but not to
suspend the hose while pumping the treatment. Service crews inspect the end fitting and connect it with non-flexible high

SPE 120570

pressure treatment line, frequently referred to treatment iron or as Chiksan iron with a hammer union.3 Well treatment
personnel report that the frac hose anchor hang-off process can be accomplished in 20 minutes or less.
Once all lines have been connected and tied into a manifold, it is pressure tested. Test pressures can approach 15,000 psi.5 As
the frac hose is filled with water to pressure test the connections, the added weight may cause the hose to shift in place if its
tied off at the rig with only chains, making it unsafe to continue with the well treatment.
Frequently, more than one frac hose anchor point is installed on deepwater rigs to accommodate the most reasonable frac
vessel position to favor prevailing winds and currents.
Summary
Some of the benefits include: The direct saving of human life and preventing serious injury during offshore stimulation
projects can be achieved with the installation of a simple low cost frame welded to the edge of the rig or platform. Once paid
for, it can remain on the rig for subsequent well treatments, an attractive feature for the drilling rig contractor.
The pin arrangement on the frame is consistent with the universal design of the landing plate placed on frac hoses in the Gulf
of Mexico by each the major service companies. Frames designed for the application of larger five inch frac hoses can still be
used with smaller diameter hoses by dropping in an adapter.
Installing a designated anchor frame on the rig well ahead of treatment allows the drilling rig contractor to be more involved
in the location of the fitting that is suitable for high visibility, safe and easy access.4
More than one anchor frame can be installed on multiple sides of the rig to facilitate vessel placement as dictated by weather,
currents and crane access.4,5
Rig time and critical crane time is reduced by employing a straightforward simple drop-in and lock-in rig up process.
Chicksan is a federal registered trademark of FMC Technologies.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank BJ Services Co. and SMI Companies for permission to print this paper. We hope that the
presentation of data within will be useful to promoting safety in offshore oil and gas exploration areas around the world.
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