Hydratight Finishes High Quality Work at Cruden Bay (UK)

A Combination of fast working, high-quality design and service won joint integrity specialist Hydratight a crucial commission at a major BP pumping station in Aberdeen.

Hydratight was approached to design, build, test and install a custom-engineered 24in MORGRIP weldless connector in only 10 weeks. The highly-limited timeframe was to fit into a scheduled five-day shutdown at BP’s major Cruden Bay pumping station in August.

The shutdown was part of a shutdown of the Forties Pipeline System to allow for the removal of a piece of 13ft World War II unexploded ordnance from the seabed, 25 miles off Peterhead,” explained Hydratight project manager, David Tromans.

But the Hydratight team discovered a second major constraint when surveying the site: “The installation constraints within the Cruden Bay terminal were very restrictive, after visiting the site we realized we would need to optimize and re-engineer our design in order to reduce the overall length of the connector”

“The solution was to sleeve the inner wall of the pipe, increasing its strength: “It’s a technique we have used in a range of projects, where pipe wall thickness and tolerances have been significant factors. MORGRIP uses massive gripping forces, so the pipe must be able to bear the pressures involved.”

Laser scanning accurately surveyed the pipe’s inner walls to within 0.1mm and a local machine shop finished machining the sleeve, which was fitted during the MORGRIP installation.

“Once the pipe had been cut and the sleeve inserted, the actual installation of the MORGRIP was very simple” stated Hydratight project engineer Ali Naqvi. “The 24inch MORGRIP was a stab-on connector which despite its inherent weight, was installed, activated and tested within 6 hours.”

“This time frame was achievable because we supplied all the installation services and could streamline the interfaces.

“The quality, performance and functionality of the connector was excellent – as were the complete installation services that Hydratight provided during this critical project” said AMEC Mechanical Consultant Mike Ridyard.

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Source: Hydratight ,November 07 , 2011