ContraTherm® is a product range of subsea insulation developed by Advanced Insulation to meet the need for a resilient material capable of tolerating the high temperature and pressure extremes in harsh subsea environments involved in offshore oil and gas production.
Insulating subsea equipment reduces the cooling of reservoir fluids and maintains them above temperatures at which waxes and hydrates may form, thereby minimising the risk of diminished flow rates and blockages.
The ContraTherm® range is applied to a variety of highly complex, dynamic oilfield production equipment located at depths of up to 3,000m, including applications such as Christmas trees, tie-in spools, manifolds and pipeline end terminations that are often subject to temperatures of 180°C.
ContraTherm® C25 is a flexible insulation that is injection moulded to a dynamic structure that may be subject to flexure such as jumpers, tie-in spools and risers. The specifically formulated two-part silicone system is designed to meet stringent subsea requirements and has a design life of up to 30 years.
ContraTherm® C22 is supplied as a wet coating applied directly to the primed substrate in the field. Engineered components can be moulded to provide removable insulation solutions for certain applications.
For less dynamic structures, ContraTherm® C55 is utilised for subsea thermal insulation applications such as Christmas trees, manifolds, supported jumpers and pipeline end terminations. The system is constructed of a multi-layer syntactic phenolic composite and has been used in the offshore industry for more than 30 years.
ContraTherm® C55 is supplied either as a wet coating applied directly to the corrosion coated substrate in the field or as a pre-moulded engineered component. A combination of both methodologies may provide the best solution in certain applications.
Pre-moulded components come in a range of shapes and sizes from relatively simple moulded panels, blocks or half-shell C-sections up to the most complex connector cover arrangements such as ROV installed ‘doghouse’ mouldings.
The ContraTherm® range is widely recognised and has been utilised by all major oil and gas companies. Its high specification polymer insulation technology can be utilised by service fabrication yards globally, and has the capability to be applied by local application teams.
Advanced Insulation’ was awarded a 2017 Queen’s Award for Innovation of its ContraTherm® C25 syntactic silicone subsea insulation.
It acknowledges how Advanced Insulation has engineered a solution to meet a set of very challenging requirements, including the required flexibility, tolerant application, 30-year life span and temperature rating above 150°C. This was Advanced Insulation’s fourth Queen’s Award.
Please contact Advanced Insulation via the enquiries form on this page for more information.