BendLOK™

The BendLOK™ offers a secure and robust permanent mechanical connection between the bend stiffener and the vessel’s I-Tube or J-Tube.

Built on Balltec’s subsea mechanical mooring equipment, the BendLOK™ adaptable design is inherently flexible to interface with various risers, umbilicals and end terminations. The BendLOK™ has a fully automatic connection and disconnection system without the need for diver or ROV intervention.

Using many years of engineering knowledge and experience, Balltec has developed a riser pull-in tool to be used in conjunction with the BendLOK™ connector that allows automatic release without the requirement for shear pins, tension pins or hydraulics. The same riser pull-in tool can be simply adapted to function as an automatic BendLOK™ release system that securely retains the riser and male component during recovery.

Features and benefits of BendLOK™:

Automatic operation removes the need for any diver or ROV intervention on both connection and disconnection
Unique remote pull-in head, based on ball and taper, allows automatic release of riser during installation
Pull-in head can be adapted to automatically disconnect the BendLOK™ connector during recovery
The scalable design allows for easy adaptation to the various sizes of I-tubes and J-tubes found on turrets
Any load requirement or riser configuration can be accommodated with a scalable design
No riser clamps required during connection and disconnection due to the unique pull-in head securely retaining both riser and male connector
External visual confirmation via the locking sleeve and highly visible band instantly confirms, via ROV camera, the mechanical locking of the BendLOK™ connector
Custom built BendLOK™ tools can be manufactured to suit your project requirements and additional features can be engineered into the tools to ensure we have the right solution for any problem

Technical information:

Service Life:   Designs up to 42 years

Interface:   I-Tubes, J-Tubes, custom designed interfaces and existing infrastructure

Material:   The load bearing components of the BendLOK™ are machined from ASTM A694 F60 forgings. Balltec is in partnership with Ofar S.p.A, Italy for the forging of load bearing components

Applications:   Multi-core umbilicals, fibre optic cabling, production and injection risers, gas flowlines, export lines, power cables and hydraulic hoses

Operations:   Automatic operation removes the need for any diver or ROV on both connection and disconnection, unique remote pull-in head allows automatic release of riser during installation, external visual confirmation via the locking sleeve and highly visible band instantly confirms, via ROV camera, successful engagement

Class:   BendLOK™ tools are designed, manufactured and tested to client specific and class requirements including API 17L