21 August 2013

STATS Group completes isolation project at Zeeburgge Onshore Gas Terminal

UK pipeline engineering specialist STATS Group has completed the isolation of a 40in pig trap valve at Zeeburgge Onshore Gas Terminal in Belgium on behalf of Interconnector UK.

STATS provided its double block isolation to facilitate the valve work and used the 40in tethered tecno plug to provide secondary isolation and to create a safe environment during the valve renovation work.

To minimise the impact on production, the company closed the pipeline landfall valve that is located 1km away from the pig trap valve, which provided the primary isolation against 80 Barg of gas pressure.

Before deploying the 40in tethered tecno plug past the pig trap vales and barred tee by using a hydraulic system through the umbilical, a factory acceptance test was conducted in a purpose-built test fixture.

After deploying the tecno plug, an annulus test was performed to find out the integrity of the primary and secondary seals, after which an isolation certificate was issued.

The valve was rigged away once the tecno plug provided the verified isolation.

Upon completion of valve maintenance, further umbilical management was performed to allow it to be repositioned.

STATS then confirmed the replacement and integrity of the valve, before un-setting and recovering the plug, and finally allowed the pipeline to be re-pressurised and normal operations to continue.

STATS Group isolation services manager Steven Byers said that the successful isolation work was carried out in a safe, efficient and professional manner throughout, allowing Interconnector to maintain its schedule and complete all necessary maintenance within the proposed shutdown window.

"This demonstrates the capabilities of our technology and we hope it will lead to similar projects as we expand our presence in the European onshore sector," Byers added.

Image: STATS Group used Tethered Tecno Plug to complete isolation project at Zeeburgge Onshore Gas Terminal in Belgium. Photo: courtesy of STATS Group.