Flotation Systems
Oil States Industries has been supplying products and services for sealing and flotation to the offshore, fixed-structure market for over 50 years. As a pioneer in this market, Oil States originally designed and patented many of these products.
These include high-pressure diaphragms for flotation, weld-in, removable, J-tube and mud barrier along with various cutting and removal devices to ensure proper deployment. Oil States also supplies a full line of plugs for customer-required specifications. These include leg or pile plugs, pull-out style and pump-out plugs.
High-Pressure Flotation Diaphragms
Key Features
- Provide buoyancy for jacket leg and skirt pile sleeves during installation.
- High-pressure, high-strength nylon-reinforced rubber; tested to 1.5 times hydrostatic pressure from water depth.
- Quickly pierced by the pile or ruptured with an integral cutting tool.
- Diaphragm sizes available to 144″ O.D.
- Available as dual-diaphragm design or for extreme-pressure situations.
Applications
- Provide buoyancy during jacket installation on legs, sleeves
- Buoyancy tanks
- Sealing J-Tubes
- Pile flotation
Services
- Engineering design
- Elastomer compounding
- Fabrication
- Testing
- Technical installation assistance
Internal Welded Style Diaphragms
Key Features
- Full pressure rated.
- Supplied as complete assembly.
- Added redundancy.
- Controlled pre-flooding of legs.
Applications
- Sealing during jacket installation
Services
- Engineering design
- Elastomer compounding
- Fabrication
- Testing
- Installation technical assistance
Removable Diaphragms
Key Features
- Fully removed to clear leg access.
- Internal placement at any elevation.
- Accommodate legs and piles.
Applications
- Retrieval process after installation
- Clear leg for drilled piles
- Minimize grout-connection loss
Services
- Engineering design
- Elastomer compounding
- Fabrication
- Testing
- Installation technical assistance
J-Tube Diaphragms
Key Features
- Provide buoyancy during installation; high strength, high pressure.
- Accept installation of pull-in cables and diaphragm cutters.
- Easy to install.
- Provide clean, sealed J-Tube prior to riser pull-in. Long-term integrity for future expansion.
- Utilize guide cones for efficient operations.
Applications
- Sealing J-Tubes and riser tubes during jacket installation
- Long-term protection of J-Tube integrity for future development
Services
- Engineering design
- Elastomer compounding
- Fabrication
- Testing
- Installation technical assistance
Mud-Barrier Diaphragms
Key Features
- High-strength, nylon-reinforced rubber.
- Keep mudline soil debris from prematurely entering the sleeve prior to piercing by the pile.
- Easily pierced by the piling.
- Reduced cost over high-pressure diaphragms.
Applications
- Jacket installation – fixed platform
- Jacket legs and sleeves
- Non-buoyant, grouted legs and sleeves
Services
- Engineering design
- Elastomer compounding
- Fabrication
- Testing
- Installation technical assistance
Diaphragm Cutting and Removal Devices
Key Features
- Buoyancy tank flooding applications.
- Installed and tested at the factory.
- Quickly and efficiently cuts the diaphragm to reduce piercing loads by the pile.
- Equipped with eye nuts for easy attachment of removal cables.
Applications
- Flooding of buoyancy tanks
- Reducing pile penetration forces
Services
- Engineering design
- Elastomer compounding
- Fabrication
- Testing
- Installation technical assistance
Leg and Pile Plugs
Key Features
- Designed for any diameter leg, sleeve or pile.
- Fully removable and retrievable.
- High-pressure rating with integral flooding system.
- Suitable for use on towed piles.
- Uses inflatable packer for seal.
Applications
- Maintain buoyancy in jacket legs, skirt sleeves and piles
- Used on buoyancy-towed piles
- De-watering and salvage applications
Services
- Engineering design
- Elastomer compounding
- Fabrication
- Testing
- Technical installation assistance
Pull-Out and Pump-Out Plugs
Key Features
- Provide buoyancy for spar hulls and buoyant tanks.
- High-differential pressure applications.
- Easily removed; leave no remnants.
- Standard sizes to 48″; larger upon request.
- Reliable, simple sealing system.
Applications
- Buoyancy tanks
- Spar hull flooding
Services
- Engineering design
- Elastomer compounding
- Fabrication
- Testing
- Installation technical assistance