Utilizing Circular Economy and Additive Manufacturing to Minimize CO₂ Footprint

The subsea energy industry is under constant pressure, both internally and externally, to provide solutions that better serve the global environment. In recent years the necessity to decarbonize, at every level of the industry, has become one of the most debated concerns globally. The development of additive manufacturing technologies, and their integration into our standard operating practices, presents an opportunity to greatly accelerate our decarbonization efforts. The extent of this opportunity is so vast that we, as a global industry, cannot afford to ignore it.

This paper shall present a case wherein additive manufacturing technologies, namely Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and a circular economy mindset were used to manufacture a Tubing Hanger Protector, which is a standard component used in subsea production systems worldwide. The paper shall also cover the series of CO₂ footprint calculations that were conducted to underline the potential environmental benefits of adopting such a manufacturing philosophy.

Thorough CO₂ footprint calculations are presented for manufacturing with additive manufacturing and a circular economy mindset. These are then compared with CO₂ footprint calculations for ‘traditional’ manufacturing, wherein a forging is produced and then machined to create the final form of the component.

On comparing the CO₂ footprint calculations for both manufacturing methods, we see a vast difference in the results. A reduction of over eighty five percent is evident, in favor of the additively manufactured part.

Given the built in conservativism of the calculations, i.e. best case data for ‘traditional’ manufacturing and worst case data for additive manufacturing, it is likely that the CO₂ footprint reductions stated in this paper are even higher in reality. However, this case study is presented to highlight the opportunities of this type of manufacturing and to serve as a reference to others.