Clients & Applications
PIPEFREEZING
Client 1.
Off Shore Gas Platform Supply Pipe Connections
This picture shows a section of a newly installed 24" gas pipe. The pipe was filled with seawater and inhibitors, which was used to carry out the hydraulic pressure test.
Once the pressure testing was complete, the sections had to be welded together, the pipes were frozen in two places to enable the golden welds to be completed.
Both 24" freezes were carried out consecutively, of which one was maintained for 24hrs, and the other for a longer period of 72 hrs to enable more extensive engineering work to be completed.
Running alongside each of the 24" pipes was a 4" product return pipe and connections were also made to this.
Client 2.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturer
We were called in to discuss the options available to remove and terminate a redundant branch. The pipe formed a branch off a 12" fire service ring main serving a number of process plants, which for practical reasons could not be shut down. It was however viable for a short section of some 5 meters to be isolated, without any detrimental effect to the overall integrity of the system.
The clients' insurance company approved the procedure which was also supported by the local fire brigade, who had been informed. It was known that there was some leakage in the system, but it was considered to be very small and we could assume that any movement in the system was negligible. Pipefreezing was a preferred method and based on all the facts, this was the option chosen.
The main was frozen either side of the branch, which was drained and the redundant pipework removed, a blank was installed and the freezes allowed to thaw naturally.
