API Recommended Practice 17V

Recommended Practice for Analysis, Design, Installation,

and Testing of Safety Systems for Subsea Applications
FIRST EDITION | FEBRUARY 2015 | 63 PAGES | $140.00 | PRODUCT NO. G17V01

This RP presents recommendations for designing, The intention is to design subsea safety systems to meet the
installing, and testing a process safety system for subsea requirements of IEC 61511; this document supplements
applications. The basic concepts of subsea safety systems these requirements.
are discussed and protection methods and requirements
Procedures for testing common safety devices are presented
of the system are outlined.
with recommendations for test data, test frequency, and
For the purposes of this RP, ‘subsea system’ includes all acceptable test tolerances.
process components from the wellhead (and surface
Instrumentation logic circuits are not discussed since these
controlled subsurface safety valve [SCSSV]) to upstream
should be left to the discretion of the designer as long as the
of the boarding shutdown valve. For gas injection, water
recommended safety functions are accomplished. Rotating
injection, and gas lift systems, the shutdown valve is
machinery is considered in this RP as a unitized process
within the scope of API 17V. This also includes the
component as it interfaces with the subsea safety system.
chemical injection system.
When rotating machinery (such as a pump or compressor) is
Subsea systems within the scope of this document installed as a unit consisting of several process components,
include: each component may be analyzed as prescribed in this RP.
⎯ subsea trees (production and injection), flowlines,
and SCSSVs; For ordering information:
⎯ chemical injection lines; Online: www.api.org/pubs
⎯ manifolds;
⎯ subsea separation; Phone: 1-800-854-7179
⎯ subsea boosting; (Toll-free in the U.S. and Canada)
⎯ subsea compression;
⎯ flowlines; (+1) 303-397-7056
⎯ gas lift; (Local and International)
⎯ high integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS);
⎯ subsea isolation valves; Fax: (+1) 303-397-2740
⎯ risers;
⎯ hydraulic power unit. API members receive a 30% discount where applicable.
The safety system includes valves and flow control devices in
the production system. The safety system also includes
sensors installed in the production system to detect
abnormal conditions and allow corrective action to be taken
(whether manual or automatic).

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Contents

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1 Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Organization of Technical Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3 Government Codes, Rules, and Regulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 Normative References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 Terms, Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.1 Safety Device Symbols and Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.2 Terms and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.3 Acronyms and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4 Introduction to Safety Analysis and System Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.1 Purpose and Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.2 Safety Flow Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.3 Safety System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.4 Premises for Basic Analysis and Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
5 Protection Concepts and Safety Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.2 Protection Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5.3 Safety Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.4 Analysis and Design Procedure Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Annex A (normative) Process Component Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Annex B (normative) Support Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Annex C (normative) Testing and Reporting Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Figures
1 API RP 17V Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 Safety Flow Chart–Subsea Production Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
A.1 Recommended Safety Devices for Typical Trees and Flowline Segment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
A.2 Recommended Safety Devices for a Typical Subsea Water Injection Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
A.3 Recommended Safety Devices for a Typical Subsea Gas Injection Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
A.4 Recommended Safety and Subsea Isolation Devices for a Typical Downhole Chemical Injection
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
A.5 Recommended Safety and Subsea Isolation Devices for a Typical Chemical Injection System
Above Production Master Valve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
A.6 Production Manifold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
A.7 Recommended Safety Devices for a Typical Subsea Separator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
A.8 Recommended Safety Devices for a Typical Subsea Boosting Pump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
A.9 Recommended Safety Devices for a Typical Subsea Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
A.10 Recommended Safety Devices and Subsea Isolation for Gas Lifting a Manifold via an External Gas
Lift Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

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A.11 Recommended Safety Devices and Subsea Isolation for Gas Lifting a Subsea Flowline or Riser via
an External Gas Lift Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
A.12 Recommended Safety Devices for Gas Lifting a Subsea Well through the Casing String via an
External Gas Lift Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
A.13 Recommended Safety Devices for Gas Lifting a Riser via Coil Tubing Contained within the Riser . . . . 49

Tables
A.1 SAT–Production Trees and Flowline Segment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
A.2 SAC–Production Trees and Flowline Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
A.3 SAT–Injection Trees and Flowlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
A.4 SAC–Injection Trees and Flowlines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
A.5 SAT–Chemical Injection Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A.6 SAC–Chemical Injection Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A.7 SAT–Manifold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
A.8 SAC–Manifold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
A.9 SAT–Subsea Separators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
A.10 SAC–Subsea Separators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
A.1 SAT–Subsea Boosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
A.12 SAC–Subsea Boosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
A.13 SAT–Compressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
A.14 SAC–Compressors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
A.15 SAT–Gas Lift of Subsea Flowlines, Risers, and Manifolds via an External Gas Lift Line or Umbilical. . 44
A.16 SAC–Gas Lift of Subsea Flowlines, Risers, and Manifolds via an External Gas Lift Line or Umbilical . 45
A.17 SAT–Gas Lift of Subsea Well(s) through the Casing String via an External Gas Lift Line . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
A.18 SAC–Gas Lift of Subsea Well(s) through the Casing String via an External Gas Lift Line. . . . . . . . . . . . 47
A.19 SAT–Gas Lift of Risers via a Gas Lift Line Contained within the Riser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
A.20 SAC–Gas Lift of Risers via a Gas Lift Line Contained within the Riser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
A.21 SAT–HIPPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
A.22 SAC–HIPPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
A.23 SAT–SSIV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
A.24 SAC–SSIV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
C.1 Safety Device Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

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