TDW Offshore Services has completed a pipeline pressure isolation operation in Qatar using its SmartPlug tool that facilitated the safe repair of a valve on a primary export line for a major LNG supplier.
The 38-inch diameter pipeline runs from two wellheads in the offshore natural gas condensate field to the onshore LNG processing facility of a major supplier of LNG. The procedure required pressure isolation services and TDW used its SmartPlug tool to overcome the problem.
“The fact that the SmartPlug isolation modules performed well and the TDW team worked so effectively with the customer’s team meant that we were able to create a safe environment in which to replace the valve," said Enzo Dellesite, director, market dvelopment-offshore for TDW.
To isolate the pipeline section located upstream of the designated emergency shutdown (ESD) valve, TDW launched two 38-inch SmartPlug® isolation modules using an existing pig-receiving trap located onshore at the receiving end of the export pipeline.
Using its remotely-operated SmartTrack™ tracking and pressure-monitoring system, TDW monitored the location of each module as it travelled 600 meters along the pipeline route, as well as the pressure of the pipeline. One module was positioned upstream of the designated ESD valve, and the other downstream of the valve. TDW then set the modules and safely isolated the affected section so that the modifications on the ESD valve could be safely carried out.
