Spray system simplifies coating of Clair Ridge jacket components

Offshore staff

DUDLEY, UK -- Metallisation has supplied flamespray equipment to protect the new BP Clair Ridge platforms west of Shetland from corrosion.

There are seven storage tanks, two drill water tanks, and a base oil tank in thedrilling and production platform jacket, and four diesel tanks in the quarter utility jacket.  Both jackets were metal sprayed using arcspray equipment.

For the internal storage tanks, the specification was spraying with 200 – 300 micron thermal sprayed aluminum, while the drill water tanks were to be sealed with aluminum silicone, with the base oil and four diesel tanks left unsealed.

Due to the complexity and dimension of some jacket components, not all could be coated using arcspray equipment. Piping nozzles in diaphragms, pipe supports, and difficult to access areas were coated using Metallisation’s MK73 flamespray equipment. Main advantage of this system, the company claims, is the long supplies package that accompanies the equipment.

To metal spray the internal surfaces of the pipes with a dimension of only 3.5 m (11.5 ft). the operators had to crawl within the pipes. The 80-m (262-ft) long supplies package allowed them to leave the control panel and gas bottles outside, enabling them to reach the difficult-access areas safely and effectively.

7/30/2013