Central Louisiana, United States
Fast and Easy Fitting Installation
Location:
Central Louisiana, United States
Application:
Produced water gathering system
Project Scope:
Reduce installation time in second phase of project
Products:
3” and 4” Flexpipe 300
Year:
2007
PRODUCTION ONLINE FASTER
- Flexpipe’s fittings are installed quickly and easily, and unspooling the pipe is effortless. In less than 1 hour, an entire mile of Flexpipe linepipe can be unspooled, connected and placed in the ditch allowing end users to start producing the well almost immediately.
RELIABLE, CORROSION RESISTANT FITTING SYSTEM
- Flexpipe’s polyethylene liner and jacket are immune to corrosion.
- The fiber reinforcement layer is not encased in a thermosetting matrix and is therefore flexible, avoiding potential micro-cracking or over-straining of the matrix material.
- Electroless nickel-plating on all (interior and exterior) surfaces of the fitting protects the fitting from corrosion and erosion.
- Tens of thousands of fittings have been successfully installed and are currently in-service.
INSTALLATION AND SERVICE SUPPORT
- Flexpipe’s expert field technicians will train contractors to safely install pipe and fittings.
INCREASED SAFETY
- Flexpipe linepipe is a lighter, safer and easier pipeline to handle.
- Less crews and manpower along with less equipment and logistics makes Flexpipe products safer to work with.
- To date, Flexpipe has a 0 lost-time safety record in the field.
A large energy producer in the United States had been using a competing flexible composite pipeline technology for use in their produced water gathering systems in Central Louisiana.
After experiencing several delays during the first phase of the project due to the time it took to install the competitor’s fittings, (approximately two hours per fitting) and then waiting an additional 24 hours for the resin to cure before hydro-testing could begin, the facilities engineer chose to use Flexpipe for the remainder of the project.
Flexpipe’s reliable fitting system was installed more rapidly than its composite counterpart and allowed the company to have production online in far less time.
Flexpipe fittings are installed using specialized installation equipment that energizes the fitting. The energizing force creates a clamping pressure that holds the pipe in place and provides a seal between the thermoplastic liner and the fitting.
The process takes only 20 to 30 minutes. The facilities engineer responsible for this project commented that Flexpipe was the right choice, “Flexpipe is much easier to handle, and install, and allows us to start producing faster… which at the end of the day is the most important objective.”
