Ronalane Pipeline near Hayes, Alberta

Meeting the Cyclic Demand

Location:

Ronalane Pipeline near Hayes, Alberta

Application:

Water Injection

Installation Method:

Trenched

Products:

3” 600 ANSI Flexcord

Length:

1,500 meters (4,900 feet)

Operating Parameters:

10,000 psi

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INNOVATIVE PRODUCT LEADER

  • Flexcord is available in 3” and 4” internal diameters, has a maximum allowable operating pressure of 1,500 psi, and a maximum allowable operating temperature of 55°C/131°F.
  • Flexcord’s structural integrity is provided by the inner layer of helically wound, galvanized steel cords. This provides better corrosion resistance than the bare steel used in other composite technology, eliminating the need for inspections and expensive chemical inhibitor programs.

CYCLIC CAPABILITIES OF FLEXCORD

  • 20-year service life for Flexcord in cyclic applications.
  • 150 psi peak-to-peak pulsations (example: triplex pump) combined with up to 10 cycles per day of 0 to 1,500 psi.
  • Compatible with pump jacks up to 500 psi.
  • Burst pressures typically 5,000 psi to 5,500 psi.

PRODUCTION ONLINE FASTER

  • In today’s world of impulsive commodity pricing, the requirements to get wells online in a timely fashion warrants spoolable technology.
  • Operators with a backlog of wells which have been drilled but not tied-in can get their wells tied-in faster at a lower cost with Flexcord.

INSTALLATION SERVICE AND SUPPORT

  • Like all Flexpipe products, Flexcord helps clients lower the cost of pipeline projects, reduce the environmental impact caused by pipelining, and increase production rates through quick installation of new lines or rehabilitation of corroded steel lines.
  • Flexpipe’s team of expert field technicians provide support services for the installation of all Flexpipe products, including training courses, project coordination services, equipment rentals, and onsite support services.

In early August 2010, Calgarybased Trafina Energy realized the increased production and high water cut in their Ronalane field warranted an increase in their water injection capabilities.

The junior oil and gas company intended to put a 1,400 meter (4,500 foot) fiberglass line back into service for water injection, but after the fiberglass pressure test failed they instead made the decision to replace the line with Flexcord. Flexpipe’s Flexcord pipe is a composite pipeline system primarily designed for pipeline applications with severe pressure cycling. The key difference between Flexcord and Flexpipe’s marquis product, Flexpipe Linepipe, is Flexcord’s middle layer, which is constructed from galvanized steel cords instead of glass fibers.

“Some of the options were to go to steel or fiberglass, but you get into corrosion issues with steel, and fiberglass is fragile,” says Trafina Energy Vice President of Engineering, Ben VanRootselaar.

“Flexcord addresses all of those concerns. Internal and external corrosion is not an issue, and handling is quite easy because it comes on reels.”

For companies who have not yet tried Flexcord, “it’s a product worth investigation,” VanRootselaar says. “Going forward, we are going to keep Flexcord in mind for any application where we need a 1500 psi pressure rating and have pulsation issues.”

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