Pipeline Isolation for ExxonMobil in Italy Delivers Enhanced Safety and Reduced Costs
Posted on
1/20/2010
NIVELLES
, Belgium – January 20, 2010 – T.D. Williamson SA, a leading supplier of pipeline services and equipment, announced that it has performed its first STOPPLE® Train intervention operation on a pipeline in Europe. The operation took place in Italy at the SARPOM Refinery (Raffineria S.A.R.P.O.M.), which is owned by ExxonMobil and ERG Petroli. The refinery is located on the border of the Piedmont and Lombardy regions in the heart of the Po Valley.
In preparation for scheduled line maintenance, T.D. Williamson (TDW) was retained in March 2009 by ExxonMobil to provide STOPPLE intervention services to ensure that a key hydrogen sulphur line could be cut, plugged and safely isolated without shutting it down. The only other alternative would have been to shut the line and production unit down, resulting in a complete halt in production, which was deemed unacceptable.
Pipeline Securely Isolated in Just One Day
Using equipment from the company’s base in Nivelles, Belgium, a team of TDW technicians from Italy, Belgium and the United States commenced work on the intervention operation at 9:30 a.m.on November 18, 2009. TDW used a standard 660 tapping machine to hot tap the line, and one six-inch simple position STOPPLE Train double-block and bleed plugging system to plug the line. The operation was successfully completed at 16:30 on November 19, 2009, in just one day.
Isolation Creates Safe Working Environment for Scheduled Maintenance
As a result of TDW’s experience and careful preparation, the line was isolated, creating a secure environment in which critical maintenance and servicing could be carried out. The fact that the line was isolated with a minimum amount of equipment and required only one fitting also meant that costs associated with welding and fittings were significantly reduced.
“We are extremely pleased that TDW’s first ever STOPPLE Train intervention operation in Europe went so smoothly, and that ExxonMobil benefitted in terms of enhanced safety and reduced costs,” said Rutger Schouten, General Manager, Europe & Caspian Region for T.D. Williamson SA. “The success of this STOPPLE Train intervention operation in Italy bodes well for us as we forge ahead with plans to provide this specialist service to pipeline, refinery and petrochemical plant operators throughout Europe,” he added.
Building upon its impressive track record in the United States—where TDW has carried out many STOPPLE Train intervention operations for nearly every major operator—the company is poised to expand this service throughout Europe. Currently, TDW is in active negotiations with operators in the region to carry out a number of STOPPLE Train intervention operations in 2010.
About STOPPLE Train
The STOPPLE Train plugging system is a double-block and bleed design that makes it possible to insert two plugging heads through a single fitting. The void between the two plugging heads can be bled down to provide a “zero energy” zone. The sealing element on the secondary plugging head provides double block features at pressures ranging from 0 psi to 1000 psi.
As a result of using the STOPPLE Train system, TDW’s customers reap the benefits of enhanced safety and reduced costs normally associated with fitting, welding, inspection services, scaffolding and crane rental, excavation services, and fewer “hot work” permits.
Over time, the STOPPLE Train system has been used successfully for customers seeking to carry out routine maintenance and emergency repair work on pressurized piping systems located subsea, in remote onshore environments, and in refineries and processing plants.
About T.D. Williamson SA
T.D. Williamson SA is a subsidiary of T.D. Williamson, Inc., the world leader in pipeline equipment and services. The company delivers safe integrity solutions for onshore and offshore applications. Experts provide hot tapping and plugging, pipeline cleaning, geometry and MFL inspection, pigging and non-tethered plugging, and pig technology services for any pressurized pipeline system in the world.
® Registered trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc.
Note to editors:
An image depicting a cutaway of the STOPPLE Train system and photos taken during the operation onsite at the SARPOM Refinery in Italy may be obtained by contacting Sharon Roe below
For further information, contact:
Rutger Schouten, General Manager, Europe & Caspian Region, T.D. Williamson SA, Nivelles, Belgium
Phone: +31 62 63 86 866, E-mail: rutger.schouten@tdwilliamson.com
Anne Valentin, Marketing & Communications, T.D. Williamson SA, Nivelles, Belgium
Phone: +32 (67) 28 36 91, E-mail: anne.valentin@tdwilliamson.com
Sharon Roe, Spinnaker Communications, St Andrews, Scotland
Phone: +44 (0)1334 473 754, Email: Sharon.roe@tesco.net