PU-coated pipe laid off Malaysian coast

Citation

(1999), "PU-coated pipe laid off Malaysian coast", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 46 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.1999.12846eab.001

PU-coated pipe laid off Malaysian coast

Methods

PU-coated pipe laid off Malaysian coast

Keywords Hyperlast, Pipelines, Coatings

Hyperlast Limited, of Derbyshire in the UK, supplied Hyperlas® syntactic 512 polyurethane thermal insulation material for Phase I of the Benchamas gas-oil project in the Gulf of Thailand in the South China Sea.

Bredero Price (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd carried out the coating work for its client, operator Thaipo (a subsidiary of Houston-based Pogo Producing Company). It covered 20,000m of 406mm outer diameter pipe and 4,000m of 220mm-diameter pipe. The job called for an FBE corrosion coat followed by a 40mm thickness of polyurethane thermal insulation on the larger pipe and 25mm on the smaller pipe. The operating temperature was up to 90°C.

Hyperlast Syntactic thermal insulation was reportedly selected for this section on the basis of the outstanding performance of the material. Pipe-laying contractor, Nippon Steel Corporation, carried out its work in mid-1998 by lay barge with design engineering by OGI Pte Ltd (Singapore) (Plate 1).

Plate 1 "Hyperlast" syntactic thermal insulation was selected for Phase 1 of the Benchamas gas-oil project in the Gulf of Thailand in the South China Sea

The maximum depth of the pipe on these sections was 75 metres. In view of the shallowness of cover, one feature of the work concerned protection against potential physical damage to the coating. This was achieved by the use of concrete to protect the insulation. As a result, rather than the usual smooth finish, the polyurethane coating was applied with an intentional grooved finish in order to improve adhesion of the final concrete weight coat.

Benchamas is a new field that lies 35 miles north of the Tantawan field, which came on stream in January 1997. Contracts have been let for a processing platform and three well-head platforms in the Benchamas field, which was expected to come on stream in mid-1999. Gas will be delivered to the Petroleum Authority of Thailand by an existing pipeline linking the Erewan field to Rayong on the Thai coast. Crude oil will be despatched by a floating storage and offloading vessel.

Details available from Hyperlast Limited. Tel: +44 (0)1663 746518; Fax: +44 (0)1663 446605; E-mail: help@hyperlast.co.uk