1. June 2016
34 www.pipelineme.comPipeline Magazine
FEATURE: PIPELINE MAINTENANCE/SAFETY
often noticed too late. Finally, accurate
monitoring and identifying a feasible
solution is the key to success.
Dias touched on the main challenges the
firm has faced when working on pipeline
projects in the region.
“Getting people to embrace new
technology is always a challenge. Asset
owners need to understand that in
the current eco-system with pressure
on spend, we must turn to innovative
alternatives to help reduce cost without
compromising safety and quality. This is
where our equipment adds value,” he said.
two year period without
a single LTI,” he said.
SteelCorr offers
an alternative to
conventional abrasive
blasting and ultra-high
pressure hydro jetting
used during pipeline
maintenance.
He noted: “Activities
including but not
limited to; removal of
coating for NDT, surface
preparation for coating
maintenance, removal of
jammed bolts, removal
of supports and cutting
of live pipelines which
would normally involve
hot work and need
shutdown can now be
achieved conveniently
in-situ without stoppages.”
SteelCorr’s equipment offers unparalleled
benefits, according to Dias.
“The absence of sharp flying splinters,
3,000 RPM maximum, noise level below
85 dB and vibration level below 2.5 m/s2
ensure operator safety even for extended
operations. The file heads last 100 times
longer than conventional file heads, which
makes it very cost effective. And to top
it all, the equipment comes with a US$5
million worldwide insurance cover for
public liability, product liability and 3rd
party liability.”
Challenges
Coatings on pipelines need to be well
maintained through the lifetime of the
asset. A lack of preventive maintenance
will cause the steel to deteriorate and pose
structural integrity issues.Corrosion under
insulation is another major consideration
since deterioration often progresses
unabated under the insulation, and very
S
teelCorr specialises in coating
consultancy and paint inspection
and in 2015 it brought its unique
tools to the region.
“Our service offering includes freelance
paint inspectors, coating specification
design/review and failure investigation.
Additionally, we represent Safety Tools
Allmet of Norway who developed the
world’s only “ATEX Certified” non-sparking
‘Cold’ grinding and cutting tools. These are
the only equipment with DNV certification
for use in potentially explosive atmospheres
– Ex Zones 1 and 2 and enables surface
preparation for paint application, metal
removal and cutting of steel without hot
work,” Dias explained.
Statoil Norway funded the research and
development of these unique tools in 2000
and according to Dias they have been used
in hazardous and explosive environments
around the globe for over a decade without
any incident.
“We brought this technology to the
Middle East to enable asset owners to
perform safe, efficient and cost effective
maintenance. The proven track record of
the tools is documented by many major oil
and gas companies, allowing maintenance
managers to radically change their mind-set
on the approach to maintenance,” he added.
SteelCorr introduced these tools to
the Middle East and India in January
2015 and has since then added a number
of clients including Salalah Methanol,
Dubai Petroleum, Vopak, ONGC,
Reliance, British Gas India, Mideast Ship
Management and Adyard.
“A noteworthy project is the re-coating
of 17,000 m2 of live pipelines on the deck
of an operating FPSO Dhirubhai-1, owned
by Aker Floating Production. All surface
preparation on corroded areas was done
using our simple pneumatic hand carried
equipment and a surface equivalent to
Sa2.5 with a 40-70 micron profile was
achieved without collateral damage to the
vicinity. The project was completed over a
STEELCORR’COLDGRINDING/CUTTING
TECHNOLOGY NOW IN THE REGION
“We brought this
technology to the Middle
East to enable asset
owners to perform
safe, efficient and cost
effective maintenance”
Pipeline Magazine speaks to SteelCorr’s managing
director Leroy Dias about the unique nature of its
pipeline technology that it has brought to the region