Process Vessel Corrosion Protection for 3rd Largest Oilfield

The Rumaila oilfield is one of the largest oilfields in the world. Located in Southern Iraq near the Kuwaiti border, it spreads over a 1,800km2 area. In 2009, a $15bn service contract was signed for the development of the field. Group of asset owners have taken a leading role in developing Rumaila with the most advanced technologies of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) by water injection.

Oilfield location

Fast Facts

Discovered: 1953

Contains: 17 billion barrels of oil

Daily production: 1.3 million bpd

Current situation: Deals agreed to expand operations

Target production: 2.1 million bpd

EXPANSION: PHASE 1

In 2011, FEED work commenced on the Produced Water Re-Injection (PWRI) Project Phase 1. PWRI is an important strategy for deriving value from waste water and is implemented due to increasing discharge treatment costs and the tightening of environmental regulations.

PWRI includes the Integrated Processing Complex (IPC), a central processing facility for oil, gas, condensate and water separation as well as water treatment facilities. Due to the Rumaila field’s substantial size, there will be two water treatment facilities for re-injection, one in the North and one in the South.

EXPANSION: PHASE 1

New process vessels were required to deliver the IPC package, including: 10 desalters, 10 dehydrators and 20 degassers. They were manufactured in China with the design temperature of 100°C / 212°F and a pressure of 15Bar.

Produced from carbon steel, additional corrosion protection inside these vessels was a must. Inconel 625 cladding was first considered for protecting these newbuild process vessels as a familiar option. However, the client wanted to reduce capital investment cost without compromising on quality. They wanted a reliable process vessel corrosion protection solution, which could be delivered in any part of the world.

EXPERIENCE WITH BELZONA VESSEL LININGS

Between 1996 and 2014, over 830 newbuild process vessels around the world have been protected with a Belzona vessel lining.

Our largest single process vessel corrosion protection project to date consisted of protecting 143 pressure vessels operating at the oil and gas field off the north east coast of Qatar in the Persian Gulf. Click the button below to view a brochure outlining Belzona experience with Greenfield Oil and Gas Projects.

To supplement anecdotal evidence from the field, a European Engineering Design house once compared economic gain over the lifetime of the slug catcher. A traditional Inconel 625 cladding was compared to a Belzona process vessel corrosion protection lining. Assuming that cladded steel would remain maintenance-free over the lifetime of the asset, they factored in touch-up repairs for the Belzona-lined steel every five years. Adding up CAPEX and OPEX, the Belzona option turned out to be 3.5 times more cost-effective.

VESSEL LINING SOLUTION FOR RUMAILA

For these 40 newbuild vessels, Belzona lining was ultimately found to be the most cost-effective process vessels corrosion protection solution. Based on the temperatures, pressures, type of media and preferred application method (hand-applied), Belzona 1391T was chosen alongside inserts manufactured from Belzona 1111 (Super Metal) for small bore nozzle protection. More than 870 nozzle inserts were required.

PRODUCTS USED

Belzona 1391T

Belzona 1391T

Belzona 1391T is a 2-part ceramic filled epoxy coating which provides erosion and corrosion resistance to high temperature equipment operating under immersion up to 120°C (248°F). It offers excellent resistance to a wide range of aqueous solutions, hydrocarbons and process chemicals.

Belzona 1111

Belzona 1111

Used to prefabricate small bore nozzle inserts, it is a 2-part repair composite for metal repair and resurfacing based on solvent-free epoxy resin reinforced with silicon steel alloy.  This repair material will not corrode and resists a wide range of chemicals. It is easy to mix and apply without the need of specialist tools and can be machined using conventional tools.

APPLICATION METHOD

Process vessel shells were protected with a two-coat Belzona 1391T vessel lining system. Small bore nozzles were fully protected by bonding in preformed Belzona 1111 nozzle inserts. All vessels were coated at the fabricator yards in China before shipment and installation on site.

BELZONA VESSEL LINING: APPLICATION IN ACTION

APPLICATION FACTS

  • Using Belzona vessel lining instead of Inconel 625 cladding helped the client save 65% of their investment on this major project phase.
  • In total, 25 tonnes of Belzona 1391T were used.
  • The application was completed in accordance with Belzona International standards and fully inspected by Belzona-certified inspectors.

BELZONA-LINED DESALTER TRAVELING TO THE OILFIELD

MORE INFORMATION
Interested in how Belzona’s vessel lining can protect your process vessels?

Vie case studies.

Contact us for more information.

See other blog posts showcasing Belzona Know-How in action.


Subscribe to our blog

Contact Email  *
First Name *
County 
*Required Fields
Note: It is our responsibility to protect your privacy and we guarantee that your data will be completely confidential.

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Christopher

    Did they make complete area in a first coat?

Leave a Reply