COFLEXIP & Services Inc. As with rigid pipe.  the pipeline can  be  protected  by  check  valves and a safety joint.  Three major oil companies are now' using Coflexip very     successfully     for     mudslide protection in the Gulf of Mexico. Case history A    major    oil    company    recently installed a Coflexip mudslide protector  in  South  Pass  Block  49 off Louisiana, a very bad mudslide area.    Slides  here  reach  as  far  as 30  feet  above  and  70  below  the normal  mudline  and  cover  a  wide area in the horizontal plane. In  this  installation.    1,000  feet of  Coflexip  10-inch  I.D.,  1.440-psi line     was     laid     out     in     an     "S" configuration,  spanning  a  distance of  200  feet  from  the  base  of  the jacket    to    the    end    of    the    rigid flowline. Coflexip    designed    a    special end   fitting   so   the   line   could   be pulled   through   the   platform's   16- inch  "1"  tube.    After  the  line  was pulled   through,   the   pulling   head was cut off of the end fitting and a standard  10-inch  ANSI  flange  was welded on. Flexible pipe for interplatform connections Quite often, high- pressure  lines  are  needed  above sea level between two platforms or other structures that require allowances for relative movement. There  are  two  common  solutions- ordinary  pipe  with  swivel  joints  or large-diameter loops of rigid pipe. Coflexip has a better solution. Flexible   jumper   lines   are   easily installed with a flange at each end. They   have   a   minimum   pressure drop, and virtually no maintenance because of greater fatigue resistance.          less     erosion,     and fewer places for leaks to develop. Oil companies are now employing   Coflexip   jumper   lines extensively  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. Because    of    the    flexible    pipe's unique   properties   it   has   proven less vulnerable to damage by wind and waves. New production economics The easy installation and recovery of     Coflexip     flowlines     open     up several profitable new alternatives. Temporary production systems for marginal fields Coflexip    flowlines    are    not    only easy    to    lay,    they    are    easy    to retrieve.    After  a  well  has  played out,  the  Coflexip  flowline  can  be reeled  back  onto  a  workboat  and used on another well. The cost of the line is distributed over several wells instead of just one. This way the net cost of a flowline system   is   reduced   even   further and  many  marginal  fields  become commercial. Early, production systems Coflexip flowlines require a fraction    of    the    installation    time needed  by  rigid  pipe.    They  can often go in earlier, too; sometimes months  earlier  because  they  can be   ordered   from   stock   and   laid year-round in short weather windows. This  makes  possible  rapid  partial production   in   a   field   that   would come  on  stream  at  a  later  date. Result: early cash flow. Other production applications Coflexip  flexible  pipe  is  also  used as     vent     and     flare     lines,     and pipeline     expansion     joints.          Its combination of flexibility, strength, easy installation, and low maintenance gives it an edge over rigid pipe in each of these applications. Coflexip flowlines have been used for temporary production systems in the Gulf of Mexico to provide early production and cash flow.