Demand for subsea umbilical tubing in oil and gas is being driven by harsher deepwater conditions and a rising needs for safe, cost-efficient operations. Crucial for connecting subsea wellheads and infrastructure, Alleima’s new super-duplex SAFTM 3007 offers a safe, stronger, lighter, and more efficient alternative for SAFTM 2507, the industry standard we pioneered decades ago.
For more than 60 years, Alleima has served the oil and gas industry with advanced stainless steel and special alloy tube for control lines, OCTG tube, flowlines, hydraulics and other key applications.
Pioneers in duplex steel
As a pioneer in duplex materials, we revolutionized the industry in the mid-1990s with the introduction of SAFTM 2507 (UNS S32750), a high-alloy solution that replaced plastic thermocouple tubes. Renowned for its exceptional corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, SAF™ 2507 quickly became the industry standard.
160,000,000 meters delivered
Today, we are a market leader in stainless steel umbilical tubing, having supplied more than 160 million meters (525 million feet) to all major fabricators – equal to circling the world three times. In the process, we’ve teamed up closely with most all leading oil and gas companies in the offshore regions. Every order is produced in a highly controlled, integrated mill from a single melt.
Your subsea lifeline
Naturally, all subsea infrastructure is important, but umbilicals are especially critical in ensuring the reliability and safety of offshore oil and gas operations. Made with high-performance super-duplex stainless steel, these small-diameter tubes (encased in the yellow outer sheath) transport fluids, chemicals, and gases while enabling remote monitoring and control of underwater infrastructure.
Bundled with cables and fibers, they form a robust umbilical system – you might say “the lifeline” of subsea operations. Designed to endure extreme pressures, corrosive seawater, and deepwater stresses, these tubes ensure seamless operation of subsea equipment.
Two main types
- Dynamic umbilicals: Designed to withstand movement, swaying, and twisting in water, often connecting floating platforms or spars to the ocean floor.
- Static umbilicals: Installed in fixed positions on the ocean floor or onshore, providing stable connections for power, control, and communication.
Key challenges / benefits
- Corrosion resistance: Withstanding harsh seawater and high-chloride marine environments.
- Mechanical strength: Enduring stress from system pressure, long lengths, dynamic movement.
- Chemical compatibility: Injecting methanol, corrosion and scale inhibitors and other chemicals.
- Signal and power transmission: Safely housing fiber optics and electrical conductors, etc.
- Hydraulic fluid transmission: Delivering fluids under high pressure for subsea control systems.
- Weight and cost efficiency: Using stronger material with thinner walls for lighter, cost-efficient reel handling(and lower cost per meter)
- Fatigue resistance: Ensuring durability under repetitive loading and motion in dynamic environments.
- Thermal performance: Managing temperature variations to ensure consistent operation.
Fully integrated production
Alleima ensures the highest quality by manufacturing all products, including super-duplex tubing for subsea umbilicals, in a fully integrated process. Starting with a single melt of 80% recycled steel in Sandviken, Sweden, every step is carefully controlled up to the final tube.
Dedicated umbilical tube mill
Our state-of-the-art mill in Chumutov, Czech Republic, near Prague, is dedicated to umbilical tubing. Here we conduct extensive quality control, including both destructive and nondestructive testing, with X-ray inspection of every orbital weld. All tests are fully traceable and meticulously documented to provide our customers with complete confidence.
We’d love to hear from you!
If you have question, don’t hesitate to give our umbilical team a call or shoot us an email. We’d love to hear from you. You’ll find our main grades below.
Coiled tubing for cost-effective umbilical manufacturing
Alleima offers orbital-welded coiled tubing for cost-effective umbilical manufacturing. Our umbilical tubes are also offered in straight lengths, as long as 40 meters (131 feet), for a minimum requirement of orbital welds.
Umbilical tube materials
| SAF™ 2507 (UNS S32750) |
|---|
| A super-duplex stainless steel that combines high corrosion resistance and high mechanical strength. With excellent resistance to seawater and marine environments, it is particularly well-suited for applications exposed to high stress in aggressive chloride-rich environments. The resistance to sour environments is superior to SAF™ 2205 (UNS S31803/S32205). PRE value min. 42.5 (valid for tube and pipe). Read more about SAF 2507® |
| SAF™ 3007 (UNS S83072) |
|---|
| SAF™ 3007 is a super-duplex (austenitic-ferritic) stainless steel optimized for service in highly corrosive chloride environments where a high strength material is required. The new tube offers a safe, lighter, stronger and more efficient alternative to SAF™ 2507, the current industry standard. Read more about SAF™ 3007 |
Size range
| Inner diameter | Wall thickness (mm) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| in. | mm | min | max |
| 3/8 | 9.53 | 1.2 | 2 |
| 1/2 | 12.70 | 1 | 2.6 |
| 5/8 | 15.88 | 1 | 3 |
| 3/4 | 19.05 | 1.1 | 4 |
| 1 | 25.40 | 1.3 | 5 |
| 1¼ | 31.75 | 1.5 | 5 |
| 1½ | 38.10 | 2 | 5 |
| 1¾ | 44.45 | 2.5 | 5.5 1) |
| 2 |
50.80 | 2.7 | 6 1) |
1) Specific NDT acceptance criteria are applied for these dimensions
| Inner diameter | Wall thickness (mm) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| in. | mm | min | max |
| 1¾ | 44.45 | 2.50 | 8.00 |
| 2 | 50.80 | 2.80 | 8.00 |
| 2¼ | 57.15 | 3.20 | 9.00 |
| 2½ | 63.50 | 3.50 | 8.00 |
| 2¾ | 69.85 | 4.00 | 8.00 |
| 3 | 76.20 | 4.30 | 10.00 |
| 3¼ | 82.55 | 4.60 | 8.00 |
| 3½ | 88.90 | 4.90 | 12.00 |
| 3¾ | 95.25 | 5.30 | 9.00 |
| 4 | 101.60 | 5.50 | 14.00 |
| 4½ | 114.30 | 6.30 | 16.00 |
| 5 | 127.00 | 7.00 | 18.00 |