Offshore staff
ABERDEEN, UK – Swagelining’s LinerBridge, an all-polymer lining connector that removes the need for costly corrosion resistant alloy (CRA) welding, has gained DNV GL technology certification.
Equinor (ex-Statoil) has also approved the technology for use in water injection applications worldwide following a successful recent qualification program.
After undergoing simulated reeling, hydrostatic testing and accelerated age testing, the liner system, including the LinerBridge connector, is said to have maintained its integrity and corrosion barrier.
Swagelining claims that the system creates a robust and fully integrated polymer barrier within the pipeline, and that its cost-effectiveness could lead to a step-change in the mitigation of internal corrosion for pipelines and risers.
According to the company’s technical development manager Allan Feeney, “Polymer lining systems have been used to prevent internal corrosion since the 1990s. However, the technology’s potential remained largely untapped due to the need for the costly and complex-to-weld CRA connectors to join the lengths of polymer lined pipe…
“LinerBridge contains no CRA materials and instead the connector is manufactured from the same polymer material as the liner. This reduces connector procurement costs and scheduling and allows for standard carbon steel welding procedures to be used for pipeline tie-ins.
“The connector is qualified for onshore and offshore applications, including towed pipeline bundles and reel-lay. When used in reel-lay, we believe [it] enables EPCI cost reductions up to 35% over traditional fully CRA-lined pipelines.”
05/18/2018
