From Rubber & Plastics News
Wyandotte, Michigan - How deep can a polyurethane be used in offshore oil projects? How does close to two miles down sound?
That's the new record set for the use of a subsea insulated flowline, in a Gulf of Mexico deepwater oil project-9 627 feet below the surface, to be precise. Perma-Pipe Oil and Gas installed the pipeline for Bayou Cos., using BASF-supplied Elastoshore polyurethane technology. The project is part of the Perdido Development, operated by Shell.
Perma-Pipe applied its Auto-Therm GSPU "wet" insulation onto fusion bonded epoxy-coated pipe to more than 15 miles of insulated flowline pipe.
BASF claims that its polyurethane material gives a coating with excellent temperature and hydrolysis resistance with very low water absorption.
Karl Gust, BASF technical market manager, said the firm supplies 100-percent mercury-free formulations for GSPU technology worldwide, which aids the environment and helps sustainability in the offshore market.
According to BASF, this new project means its Elastoshore PU material has now been used in more than 100 miles of flowline insulation in the Gulf of Mexico. The material is sourced in North America, keeping logistics' costs low, and BASF's Polyurethane Specialties division was able to work closely with Perma-Pipe to develop customized products for its process.
Hank Reuser, vice president of sales and marketing for Bayou Flow Technologies/Perma-Pipe Oil and Gas said flowline coating jobs of this magnitude require a strong supply chain from the chemical manufacturer. He said BASF was able to offer good technical support and meet a demanding delivery schedule.
BASF also was able to offer customized products so that Perma-Pipe could insulate pipe of various lengths and diameters with minimal process adjustments. Perma-Pipe can insulate pipe to double-jointed 80-foot lengths rather than the conventional 40 feet, which can cut costs on field-joint applications, the company said.
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