TPI April 2011

focus

proprietary technologySwageliningLimited is providing overall project management, including engineering and qualification testing, polymer material specification and procurement, site fabrication and liner insertion for this project. With the increase in interest generated so far, the technology is today being considered for a number of projects worldwide, ranging from major trunk lines for water, water injection, slurry pipelines and hydrocarbons. A major pipeline operator has also recently commissioned Swagelining Limited to undertake an in- depth feasibility study to consider the technology for application in systems that are changing operating conditions from sweet service to transporting multi phase product. Swagelining polymer liners look set to become an important technology in the way the pipeline industry lowers its corrosion prevention costs in new pipelines or rehabilitates its existing pipelines at a fraction of the cost of a new build systems.

greater savings approaching 50 per cent. It alsohighlightedthat in lower temperature pipelines where a polyethylene (PE) liner can be used, a 60 per cent saving can be made over the cost of super duplex, representing a further substantial saving of £7.6mn (US$11.1mn) for a 10km pipeline. For water injection applications, the report also concluded that polymer liners present opportunities for increase return on investment. The improved hydraulic performance of lined pipe means more water can be injected, and therefore oil recovered is increased in a given period of time. A further bonus to the operator of using lined pipe in water injection applications is that the pipe is more energy efficient than corroded carbon steel. The energy saved can be spent on pumping more water and enhancing recovery. In the study increases of 4 per cent in the amount of water injected were indicated from power savings alone or a reduction in operating costs equivalent to £1.2mn per annum. The full report is available from Swagelining Limited, on request. CURRENT PROJECTS The company reports the recent completion of what is believed to be the longest Swagelining project undertaken to date. Four Swagelining partner companies cooperated to complete a new 24" pipeline designed to transport seawater to oil wells located 55km inland from the Atlantic coast in the Republic of Congo for enhanced oil recovery. Working closely with the main contractor, the Swagelining site operation was closely aligned to the main construction spread operation. The liner system was designed and constructed using Swagelining techniques and connectors that were built to meet a challenging technical specification and production schedule. Swagelining Ltd has received substantial interest from the oil and gas sector. Among recent contract wins is a major contract to apply its polymer lining system and connectors to the water injection riser on the BP block 31 project offshore Angola. The Block 31 contract has been awarded by Pipeline Technique Ltd, which has been commissioned by Heerema Marine Contractors. Through a project specific license provided by Swagelining Limited, Heerema is delivering the complementary WeldLink connectors to the project to enable the lined sections within the riser to be fully welded and the polymer liner anchored and sealed. Using its own

injection, crude oil, mining slurry, cement and chemicals. As many of these projects are in areas where employment is scarce, the company considers local involvement to be as important as its global technology.

polymer liners increase return on investment ” “

The company uses a bespoke designed software prediction package as a foundation that supports lining system designs to be tailored for clients. The software enables the optimum liner size to be selected to achieve maximum pull length whilst not compromising on the pipeline volume capacity. The venting of permeated annular gas has for some time been recognised as a challenge for hydrocarbon systems. To overcome this, the company has incorporated its LinerVent™ technology into the Integrated Lining System. This annular venting technology enables the polymer lining of hydrocarbon pipelines, allowing safe venting of any build up of annular gas which may have occurred, back into the pipeline. There is no requirement for venting of toxic or environmentally harmful gas outside the pipeline system. With a range of connectors available for a range of applications and industries, Swagelining Limited manages its connector technology into two groups: flanged or fully welded connectors. Among these is the WeldLink ® for welded steel applications. This proven systemwas designed to complement Swagelining and has seen service to 340 bar to date, with future testing over 400 bar scheduled. A recent independent report by industry experts Atkins Boreas, one of the UK’s largest engineering and design consultancies, concluded that subsea pipelines lined using Swagelining technology with informed material selection and applied venting solutions could save operators tens of millions of pounds in CAPEX alone. The study found that Swagelining a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) liner results in a 25 per cent saving against operators’ main alternative, super duplex. This equates to a significant £5.2mn (US$7.6mn) in a test case based on a 10km x 10" diameter stretch of pipeline. Comparisons between a PVDF lined system and a metallurgically bonded CRA/carbon steel system estimated even

Compression ring insertion

In November 2009, Glasgow- based Swagelining Limited acquired the intellectual property rights to the established Swagelining™ technology. With the belief that the technology was yet to realise its promise despite its acknowledged track record, Swagelining Limited wanted to push the boundaries of the technology to extend its benefits from niche application to wider use in the pipeline industry globally. COMPANY FACTS

Swagelining Limited Website : www.swagelining.com

Contact Dave Whittle, Business Development Director Tel: +44 141 404 8012 Email: david.whittle@swagelining.com

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