This RP provides guidelines for the design, materials selection, analysis, testing, manufacture, handling, transportation, installation and integrity management of flexible pipe ancillary equipment. It supplements API 17L1, which specifies minimum requirements for the design, material selection, manufacture, documentation, testing, marking and packaging of flexible pipe ancillary equipment.

This RP presents the current best practice for design and procurement of ancillary equipment, and gives guidance on the implementation of the specification for standard flexible pipe ancillary products. In addition, this RP presents guidelines on the qualification of prototype products.

The applicability relating to a specific item of ancillary equipment within this RP is stated at the beginning of the section dedicated to that item of ancillary equipment.

This RP applies to the following flexible pipe ancillary equipment:

• bend stiffeners;
• bend restrictors;
• bellmouths;
• buoyancy modules and ballast modules;
• subsea buoys;
• tethers for subsea buoys and tether clamps;
• riser and tether bases;
• clamping devices;
• piggy-back clamps;
• repair clamps;
• I/J-tube seals;
• pull-in heads/installation aids;
• connectors;
• load-transfer devices;
• mechanical protection;
• fire protection.

This document may be used for bonded flexible pipe ancillary equipment, though any requirements specific to these applications are not addressed.

Where relevant, the applicability of recommendations to umbilicals is indicated in the applicability section for the ancillary equipment in question.

This RP does not cover flexible pipe ancillary equipment beyond the connector, with the exception of riser bases and load-transfer devices. Therefore this document does not cover turret structures or I-tubes and J-tubes, for example. In addition, it does not cover flexible pipe storage devices, for example reels.

This RP is intended to cover ancillary equipment made from several material types, including metallic, polymer and composite materials. It may also refer to material types for particular ancillary components that are not commonly used for such components currently, but may be adopted in the future.

This RP applies to ancillary equipment used in association with the flexible pipe applications listed in Section 1 of API 17J:2008; API 17K:2005 and in API 17B.