PIPELINE INDUSTRIES

Our range of services to the Pipeline Industry in Southern Africa have been designed to provide safe and cost effective solutions throughout the their lifecycle. Our services are used by operators, owners and contractors during construction, commissioning, maintenance and re-certification through to final abandonment of these assets.

Our services include:

• Nitrogen purging for pre-commissioning & de-commissioning
• Nitrogen displacement (pigging) of hydrocarbon products
• Pigging for cleaning, using nitrogen, air, line product, water & chemicals
• Pre-commissioning services, including testing, cleaning, drying, gauging and nitrogen purging.
• Drying using super-dry air, nitrogen, vacuum & chemicals (Methanol/Glycol)
• Inspection, Intelligent Pigging, Caliper surveys & Data Logging

Brief overview

Nitrogen purging and/or pigging for pre-commissioning & de-commissioning

Nitrogen is often required to displace pig or purge product pipelines containing hazardous gases or liquids for de-commissiong or re-commissioning operations. Our mobile nitrogen equipment is purpose built for this type of operation and our personnel have many years of experience in pipeline pigging & purging.

 Pigging & Cleaning

Many pipelines will experience flow problems over their lifetime, due to restrictions. There are numerous causes, but most can be remedied by using utility and specially designed pigs to remove the debris/deposit. We specialise in the development of solutions to solve these flow problems whether it is on-line or off-line cleaning on both gas and liquid pipelines.

Pipeline Testing (and Pre-commissioning)

• Our experience in integrated pre-commissioning services includes:
• Pre-engineering
• Flooding
• Cleaning
• Pigging
• Gauging
• Testing
• Drying
• Preservation
• Inerting (nitrogen purging)

We have extensive experience in testing of pipelines to most internationally recognised specifications. Following construction of a system or pipeline, including testing, we also carry out cleaning of the lines, drying to specified dewpoint, gauging, pigging, nitrogen purging and preservation. We have a full range of equipment to carry out these functions, including, fill & test pumps, water treatment pumps & tanks , fully certified test cabins with mechanical & electronic instrumentation, super dry air drying equipment & compressors, nitrogen pumps/vaporisers & preservation chemicals and a full range of PER (SANS 347) certified pig traps.

Pipeline De-commissioning or change of duty

When pipelines have reached the end of their useful life, it is usual to decommission them and make safe. This can be an expensive operation which entails a combination of pigging to remove residual product (using nitrogen if flammable), cleaning to remove VOC’s, especially if the reason id change of duty. Depending on the final duty the lines are either cement filled or inerted to prevent further deterioration.

Pipeline De-commissioning or change of duty

When pipelines have reached the end of their useful life, it is usual to decommission them and make safe. This can be an expensive operation which entails a combination of pigging to remove residual product (using nitrogen if flammable), cleaning to remove VOC’s, especially if the reason id change of duty. Depending on the final duty the lines are either cement filled or inerted to prevent further deterioration.

In-Line Inspection (ILI)-Intelligent Pigging

We have specialised in Intelligent Pigging of “Non-Piggable” pipelines since 2001. Our ILI pigs use Ultrasonic Technology (UT) and give ultra-high definition results on internal & external corrosion/metal loss in accordance with POF (Pipeline Operators Forum).

LNG Plant

Refinery and Petrochemical

We have been servicing the Refinery & Petrochemical Industries in South Africa since our inception in South Africa in 1996. Many of the services we introduced to the local market had been developed and perfected over many years by our parent company in Europe.

Our services include:

• Hydrostatic Pressure Testing of Process Plant & Vessels
• Pneumatic pressure testing of process plant & vessels
• Nitrogen purging for shutdowns
• High volume nitrogen purging for major turnarounds
• Nitrogen/Helium leak detection of plants, vessels & heat exchangers
• Helium Leak Detection of high integrity equipment
• De-coking of furnaces / fired heaters using our pigging method
• Inspection of furnace tubes & reactors using intelligent pigging method
• Intelligent pigging of pipelines
• Reactor cooling by controlled circulation of cold or liquid nitrogen
• Pipeline pigging and cleaning with nitrogen to remove hydrocarbons
• Pipeline pigging with air, chemicals, water, product etc
• Drying of process plants with nitrogen and/or super dry air
• Hot nitrogen for drying and de-commissioning of plants (e.g. HF alky plants)
• Standby liquid nitrogen supply (road tanker and ISO tanks)
• Pipe freezing for repairs & modification of process lines
• Composite pipe wrapping for repairs to pipework

Pre-Engineering Services

Offshore Oil and Gas Industry

We have extensive experience in the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry both in South Africa, the North Sea, Angola and Nigeria.

Our “Topsides” services for Platforms, FPSO’s & FLNG’s include:

• Nitrogen purging
• Hydrostatic & Pneumatic Pressure Testing
• Test pack preparation & Pre-engineering
• Nitrogen/helium leak detection
• Flange management
• Hot oil flushing

Our subsea & well services include:

• Pre-commissioning Testing of subsea equipment: PLEM’s, PLET’s etc
• Subsea pipeline testing, pigging & product displacement
• Well completion/cleanout and gas lifting with nitrogen
• UT Intelligent pigging of flow lines

Girassol Offshore

Offshore Glasdowrcp

Offshore Rosa

Tank Farm services

Tank Farms, designed and built for the storage of import and export of liquid petroleum products typically comprise of storage tanks, piping systems, pumps, jetties, loading/offloading lines and mooring lines/bouys (SBM’s).

Our range of services for tank farm operators includes:

• Intelligent pigging/inspection of flow lines, subsea lines etc
• Tank contents “sludge” profiling
• Tank floor inspection (on-line)
• Tank cleaning (on-line)

Brief overview

Intelligent pigging of flow lines which are typically classed as “non-piggable” or extremely difficult to pig using conventional Intelligent ILI) Pigs. Our ILI pigs are specially designed to inspect these types of lines.

Storage Tank Contents Profiling – Tank sludge profiling using an acoustic sensor capable of scanning tank contents with the greatest precision. Our survey system measures the tank sludge volume and we can determine the best strategy to de-sludge and inspect your tank.

On-line Tank Floor Inspection – Our ATEX Approved robotic tank bottom inspection system is in accordance with API 653 standards while your tank remains online

On-line Tank Cleaning – Our tank cleaning service is carried out on-line with no man entry requirements. The service uses remotely operated washing cannons that can be fitted through the man doors on the tank roof or if the tank is drained, through the side man doors.

Tank Farm Services

LNG plants

We have a complete Pre-Commissioning and Commissioning services package for LNG projects and can assist at every stage before and during the pre-commissioning phase of the project.

We have more than 20 years of experience in all the different services required for LNG projects and can deliver a complete integrated service package:

Chemical cleaning

• Chemical cleaning
• Decontamination
• Air blowing (continuous or cycle)
• Pigging
• Pneumatic testing
• Hydrostatic testing
• Helium leak testing
• Bolt Torque and Tensioning (including complete flange management)
• Drying of pipelines and vessels (with 100% oil free air, nitrogen or vacuum)
• Cooldown with nitrogen
• Hot oil flushing
• Water “weight” test of storage tanks
• Temporary fuel gas supply

In 2007 our parent company was awarded the complete Pre-Commissioning Package for the LNG

Zeebrugge Terminal, by Saipem.

Duration: more than one year.

Again In 2008 they were awarded the compete pre-commissioning package at

Adriatic LNG, locations in Algeciras (Spain) and Porto Viro (Italy) by Aker Solutions.

Duration of our work: 1.5 years.

We also completed the Cooldown of the loading arms in the calculated time frame.

Our South African crew were an integral part of the project, both  at the project & planning phase through to supervising many of the pre-commissioning activities carried out on the sites at Zeebrugge and Italy.

LNG Plant

Utility Industries

Our services to the Utility Industries in South Africa include:

• Hydrostatic Pressure Testing of Process Plant & Vessels
• Pneumatic Pressure Testing of Process Plant & Vessels
• Nitrogen/Helium Leak Detection of high integrity systems
• Nitrogen purging & inerting
• Inspection of process lines (intelligent pigging)
• Pipeline pigging and cleaning with nitrogen
• Pipeline pigging to remove deposits, improve flow etc
• Drying of process plants with nitrogen and/or super dry air
• Intelligent pigging of process lines to detect metal loss