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developmentsproducts &
26 Tube Products International October 2010
Trelleborg Offshore has installed
its Elastopipe™ corrosion-free fire
safety deluge system, to replace the
existing carbon steel pipework on
seven modules, on Maersk’s Ngujima-
Yin, a floating production storage and
offloading (FPSO) vessel. The system
was installed in under three months,
without disrupting the vessel’s oil and
gas production schedule.
The Maersk Ngujima-Yin commenced
operations at Woodside’s Vincent field,
offshore Western Australia, in 2008. With
a daily production capacity of 120,000
barrels of oil and 100 million standard
cubic feet of gas, the Ngujima-Yin is the
largest FPSO in Australian waters and
the largest FPSO in the Maersk fleet.
Christian Eilersen, director FPSO
projects, Maersk, commented,
“Trelleborg provided the complete
survey, design, engineering, supply and
installation package, as well as removing
the old installation. It was important
that operation of the FPSO was not
affected in any way, and that safety was
considered of paramount importance.
Trelleborg ensured not only a quick and
effective, but also safe installation.”
The existing carbon steel seawater
deluge system on the seven-module
FPSO vessel had corroded over the two
years since its installation. The system
Elastopipe ensures fire
protection on Maersk FPSO
required constant maintenance, cleaning
and testing, and a replacement was
required to reduce the long-term cost of
ensuring essential fire protection.
The challenge with the installation was
to replace the existing fire protection
throughout the FPSO modules, without
affecting the safety of the vessel
as it continued output. The system
required 1,687m (5,535ft) of pipe work,
in diameters from 25 to 200 mm (1"
to 8"), and associated fittings and
accessories.
Hans-Leo Hals, Elastopipe product
group manager, Trelleborg, commented,
“Because Elastopipe is a synthetic
rubber-based flexible piping system,
it is installed without any welding or
other hot work, such as high speed
cutting, which could comprise the
safety of the vessel. We installed a
temporary Elastopipe deluge system for
each module, removed the existing steel
pipes, then completed the permanent
Elastopipe pipework and fixings and
moved the temporary deluge on to
the next module. This method ensured
that full fire protection was retained
throughout the project. In addition, the
flexibility and light weight of Elastopipe
allow very rapid installation, compared
to a rigid pipe system; it can be swiftly
configured to confined spaces. The first
two modules were completed in just a
month, in contrast to the estimated 15
months to install a comparable copper-
nickel installation.”
Elastopipe offers a 30-year minimum
maintenance life for fire deluge and
sprinkler systems, and because of its
corrosion-free performance, system
testing frequency can be reduced while
maintaining full availability. Elastopipe
is highly resistant to impact and jet fire
(1,400˚C/2,552°F for one hour), and its
light weight, flexibility, ease of cutting
and fitting ensure installation is rapid
and simple.
Using advanced polymer material
technology, Trelleborg Offshore provides
high integrity solutions for harsh and
demanding offshore environments. As
partoftheTrelleborgEngineeredSystems
Business Area of Trelleborg Group,
Trelleborg Offshore specialises in the
development and production of polymer
and syntactic foam based seismic,
marine, buoyancy, cable protection and
thermal insulation products, as well as
rubber-based passive and active fire
protection solutions for the offshore
industry.
Within its portfolio are long-established
brands including CRP, OCP, Viking and
Emerson & Cuming.
Trelleborg Offshore Norway AS –
Norway
Trelleborg Elastopipe during full-scale test
Stainless
products
from China
Hongyue Metal Co Ltd specialises in the
production of stainless steel tube, coil
and sheet, including grade 201, 202,
301, 304, 304L, 316, 316L, 409, 410
and 430.
The company’s products are exported
to North America, eastern Europe,
southeast Asia, the Middle East and
western Europe.
Hongyue Metal Co Ltd – China