Paul J. Kleinen, Bredero Shaw, USA and Vlad Popovici, ShawCor, Canada, explore the practical and financial rewards that are offered by mobile coating technologies for offshore projects in this month’s cover story. T he development of the offshore oil and gas reserves of the North Sea and - in the future - of the Arctic, raises specific challenges for operators and contractors. Among the challenges that operators and contractors are facing in these regions are those related to developing the pipeline transportation infrastructure required to move hydrocarbons from offshore to onshore terminals or refining centres. Most of the world’s pipelines, including offshore risers, flow lines, and export lines are still built using steel pipe. As noted in one of the industry’s most comprehensive pipeline construction best practice handbooks published by the International Pipe Line & Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA), pipeline integrity for more than the nominal 25 - 35 years of service is an important aspect in any pipeline’s design, construction and operation. Pipelines should not fail during their service life because such failures could lead to human, environmental, and economic costs. As the public’s perception of pipeline failures is (generally) much worse than the actual human and economic failure costs, a lot of resources have been dedicated to protecting the pipes against any potential causes that could lead to pipeline failure. 1 The pipeline industry has, therefore, developed various types of external coatings with one or multiple functional roles, such as: anti-corrosion protection, mechanical protection, thermal insulation and buoyancy control. Portable vs. fixed coating technologies The traditional model for coating steel pipe uses a fixed, specialised coating facility often located at a steel pipe mill. As new production regions are discovered and developed around the world, the traditional model is challenged, as the pipes have to be transported over longer distances to the project location. Thick and heavy coatings – mostly thermal insulation and concrete weight coatings - reduce the quantity of pipes that can be transported from the pipe mill to the project location in one trip and thus significantly increase the logistic costs of the project. As an example, in a project requiring 406 mm (16 in.) external diameter pipes to be coated with a 50 mm (2 in.) thermal insulation coating, 25% more pipes could be transported in one trip (if weight limits allow it) if the pipe joints are not coated. PORTABLE PIPE COATING COVER STORY Reprinted from OILFIELD TECHNOLOGY August 2012
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Reprinted from OILFIELD TECHNOLOGYAugust 2012
Paul J. Kleinen, Bredero Shaw, USA and Vlad Popovici, ShawCor, Canada, explore the practical and financial rewards that are offered by mobile coating
technologies for offshore projects in this month’s cover story.
The development of the offshore oil and gas reserves of the North Sea and - in the future - of the Arctic, raises specific challenges for operators and contractors. Among
the challenges that operators and contractors are facing in these regions are those related to developing the pipeline transportation infrastructure required to move hydrocarbons from offshore to onshore terminals or refining centres.
Most of the world’s pipelines, including offshore risers, flow lines, and export lines are still built using steel pipe. As noted in one of the industry’s most comprehensive pipeline construction best practice handbooks published by the International Pipe Line & Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA), pipeline integrity for more than the nominal 25 - 35 years of service is an important aspect in any pipeline’s design, construction and operation. Pipelines should not fail during their service life because such failures could lead to human, environmental, and economic costs. As the public’s perception of pipeline failures is (generally) much worse than the actual human and economic failure costs, a lot of resources have been dedicated to protecting the pipes against any potential
causes that could lead to pipeline failure.1 The pipeline industry has, therefore, developed various types of external coatings with one or multiple functional roles, such as: anti-corrosion protection, mechanical protection, thermal insulation and buoyancy control.
Portable vs. fixed coating technologiesThe traditional model for coating steel pipe uses a fixed, specialised coating facility often located at a steel pipe mill. As new production regions are discovered and developed around the world, the traditional model is challenged, as the pipes have to be transported over longer distances to the project location. Thick and heavy coatings – mostly thermal insulation and concrete weight coatings - reduce the quantity of pipes that can be transported from the pipe mill to the project location in one trip and thus significantly increase the logistic costs of the project. As an example, in a project requiring 406 mm (16 in.) external diameter pipes to be coated with a 50 mm (2 in.) thermal insulation coating, 25% more pipes could be transported in one trip (if weight limits allow it) if the pipe joints are not coated.
PORTABLE PIPE COATING
COVER STORY
Reprinted from OILFIELD TECHNOLOGY August 2012
Reprinted from OILFIELD TECHNOLOGYAugust 2012
Moreover, there is always a risk that the anti-corrosion or thermal insulation coating might get damaged during long haul transportation. These factors create an incentive for the project owner to coat the pipes as close to the offshore loading location – spoolbase or pipe storage yard – as possible. The industry has therefore been developing new coating technologies that, while maintaining the highest quality and HSE standards, would bring the coatings closer to the offshore loading location. These innovative mobile pipeline coating technologies are today challenging the traditional fixed coating facility model by reducing pipe transportation costs, simplifying pipeline project logistics, providing end-to-end pipeline systems, and increasing the local content of the project.
Mobilising concrete weight coatingsConcrete weight coatings have been developed and used during the last four decades to control the buoyancy of the offshore pipelines installed in shallow waters. These coatings were a prime candidate for mobile coating technology development designed to reduce pipe transportation costs.
Although the obvious solution to control buoyancy would be to increase the wall thickness of the steel pipe, concrete coatings provide the industry with a heavy but better priced substitute that also protects the pipe against impact and penetration damage. However, concrete is lighter than steel, so it takes more volume than steel at equivalent weight, which reduces the number of pipes that can be transported in one trip and increases the overall logistic costs of the project.
In order to avoid these additional logistic costs, the industry started to look for solutions to bring the concrete coating plant
closer to the project location. One of the main application processes for the concrete coatings is the compression coat process. In this side-wrap automated process, the pipe is rotated and conveyed by support wheels at controlled rates through the concrete applicator. The concrete mix, a reinforcing steel mesh and a PE outer wrap are simultaneously wrapped around the pipe at the required concrete thickness in one pass. The tensioned polyethylene outer wrap helps the complete curing of the concrete. The coated pipe is then moved to the storage area.2
Continuous improvement of this side wrap concrete coating process has led to the development of the first portable plant for concrete coatings. Today, the mobile concrete coating plant can be loaded in 8 - 12 standard 20 ft containers. Mobile coating plants can be up and running within two weeks of arrival on site. They can be configured to apply concrete weight coatings for offshore pipelines on a wide range of pipes from 168 to 1200 mm (6 to 48 in.) outside diameter. After being demobilised, every component of the plant is repaired and refurbished in a centre of excellence located in Texas. All equipment is cleaned and quality tested before being crated and moved to the next coating project by truck, train or vessel.
Using mobile concrete coating plants for new pipeline projects offers benefits for all parties. The pipeline operators get the same guaranteed coating quality anywhere in the world while avoiding significant additional logistic costs for pipe transportation and increasing the local content of the project. On the other hand, the communities where the concrete coating plants are mobilised benefit as local people are hired to operate the plants. Raw materials – cement, heavy aggregates and sand – are sourced locally, as well as the auxiliary rolling stock required for the concrete coating operations, such as: cranes, trucks, and front end loaders.
Mobile anti-corrosion protection and thermal insulation Brigden™ is a modular portable plant concept that is capable of applying a wide range of anti-corrosion and flow assurance pipe coatings using proven process technology while delivering the same quality and output as a fixed plant. The plant’s innovative design also includes automated end finishing using advanced robotics.
This mobile plant is a turnkey coating facility assembled from process modules delivered in specially designed shipping containers that are ISO certified. The plant can be assembled on site in approximately eight weeks. The basic layout can be customised via the addition of more modules to the baseline layout to expand the plant to accommodate double joints or large diameter pipe. While the standard plant configuration includes FBE and 3-layer anti-corrosion coatings, as well as extruded side wrap insulation coatings, additional modules can also be added to facilitate the application of any flow assurance and anti-corrosion pipe coating system. Plants can also be adapted to specific project needs such as small diameter pipe, internal coatings, and high production outputs.
Electrical power can be provided from utility grid sources or can even be self-generated on site as per each project’s requirements. Even the absence of an appropriate building structure is not a limitation as the modular design includes a complete steel frame fabric building capable of withstanding hurricane-force winds.
Figure 1. Concrete coating applied by a portable plant.
Figure 2. Brigden™ facility installed for a flow assurance coating project.
Reprinted from OILFIELD TECHNOLOGYAugust 2012
This type of portable coating facility is operated by a dedicated team of coating and engineering experts, trained in continuous improvement practices. The plant set-up and coating project execution are based on standard operating practices that are an integral part of the company-wide ShawCor Manufacturing System (SMS).
Electrical safety, operator safety, process safety, fire safety, and safety of the environment were paramount in the design. The plant includes a process wastewater pretreatment system and has been demonstrated to operate without generating hazardous waste. The most recent Brigden mobilisation for a flow assurance coating project in the Gulf of Mexico was incident and injury free.
The mobile plant has the same production capability as a fixed plant. It is capable of coating pipe with an outside diameter of 220 to 1066 mm (8 – 42 in.), lengths of 10.4 - 24.4 m (34 – 80 ft) and pipe weight up to 484 kg/m (325 lbs/ft). The plant comes
fully equipped with integrated facilities for raw materials storage, facility maintenance, and quality control and testing.
All phases of the coating operation, including surface preparation, pre-heat, coating application and final inspection can be conducted in an enclosed area of 1700 m2 (18 000 ft2). A total area of 1.2 ha. (2.8 acres) is needed to set-up the entire facility, excluding pipe storage requirements.3
Finally, a mobile plant can also help increase the local content of the project, as most of the personnel involved in a coating project can be hired locally, as well as some of the coating materials and related services and handling equipment – front loaders, trucks, etc.
End-to-end coating solutionsField joint coating consistence and quality are critical for the long term integrity of an offshore pipeline’s coating system.
The most important selection criteria for a field joint coating system are: excellent long term technical performance, perfect compatibility with the plant-applied line pipe coating, easy and consistent (same level of quality) application in any conditions and locations, and short application cycle time. Although the traditional approach was the manual application of these coatings, the selection criteria mentioned above have created incentives for specialised coating companies to automate the field coating processes as much as possible. O T
References1. International Pipe Line and Offshore Contractors Association (2011),
Onshore Pipelines – The Road to Success available at http://www.iploca.com/page/content/index.asp?MenuID=319&ID=820&Menu=1&Item=28.10.
2. Popovici, V. (2009), Protecting Pipelines with Concrete, in Concrete Engineering International, Volume 13, Number 4, Winter 2009.
3. Moscarello, R., Kleinen, P., Haberer, S. (2011), The Mobile Option, in Oilfield Technology, August 2011.
Figure 3. Mobile field joint coating equipment on a spoolbase in Norway.
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