TPT September 2021

Business & market news

R&D investment offers greener solutions for oil and gas sector steel pipe decommissioning

Engineering company Decom has invested more than £700,000 to develop tools that provide greener, faster and safer solutions for decommissioning pipes in the energy sector. The company’s latest research and development investment has updated their Pipe Coating Removal (PCR) equipment, which cleans decommissioned or surplus pipelines of multiple coatings, so they can be repurposed for use on other projects. DecomEngineeringCEO, Sean Conway, said: “Our ongoing commitment to R&D has put us in a strong position to be at the forefront of decommissioning projects as the oil and gas majors accelerate their move to energy transition. “Mobility and portability mean we can deploy to anywhere in the world to play a dual-purpose role of safely dismantling, in the most efficient and environmentally friendly manner, infrastructure which is no longer fit for purpose. “Our PCR machines can then further reduce the carbon footprint and return value to the client, by cleaning and preparing steel pipelines so that they are suitable for use in other projects. For example, decommissioned pipelines can be used in piling and construction work, and in the last year our Dutch facility has processed and repurposed more than 20,000 tons of steel.” The Northern Ireland-based business has also upgraded its range of cold cutting saws which have been successfully deployed on international decommissioning projects as oil and gas operators replace or remove ageing infrastructure. The latest modifications to its single blade cutter will allow Decom Engineering to target a new revenue stream, assisting clients in recovering conductors from decommissioned oil and gas rigs. The company also believe there are opportunities for its patented saws to be deployed on offshore wind farm repair and maintenance projects as well as onshore pile cutting.

Nick McNally, Decom Engineering’s commercial director, added: “As an R&D led business, we continue to invest time and resources to provide green decommissioning solutions for the oil and gas sector which are safer, efficient and environmentally friendly. Our

technologies help recycle downgraded oil and gas pipes into a useable product instead of scrap steel greatly increasing its value.” Decom Engineering www.decomengineering.co.uk

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September 2021 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL