Case study: Pipe repair on an offshore platform

Posted on by Simen Olsen

Case study by Perspect

Leakage of air-line

A leak occurred in a pipeline at a large offshore location in the North Sea, within the Benelux. This leak (in an ATEX↵ zone) has been remedied in accordance with the repair instructions drawn up by Perspect Benelux↵. The specialists of Perspect Benelux are experts in the field of leakage seals, especially within ATEX zones.

The medium of this pipe is very aggressive air. This resulted in increasing corrosion and limited leakage.

Rusted pipeline

The repair instructions

The repair advice for this leak consists of the following 7 steps:

  1. Roughen the whole (all around) with the ATEX Tools (A-0004, A-0107)

Creating the right surface profile

For the proper surface preparation, Perspect↵ used the rotating file A-0004 (Little Papa). The decision was made because the A-0004 has an average surface profile of 83 μm. This is precisely what was required for the Belzona↵ repair products.

  1. Degrease thoroughly with the Belzona 9111.↵
  2. Belzona 1111↵ Mixing.
  3. Apply the first coat of Belzona 1111 with a short-haired brush.
  4. Belzona 1111, with the Belzona 9341↵ reinforcement plate applied.
  5. Cover entirely with the Belzona 1111 to a completely even layer.
  6. Allow curing completely to full strength. At 20 degrees for 24 hours.

This repair is a complete cold solution and avoids welding and hot surface preparation. The leak-sealing team of Perspect works with the EX-certified Allmet Safety Tools. Creating the right surface profile within ATEX zones is possible thanks to the patented tools of Safety Tools Allmet.

For this leak repair, there was no need for any hot work permits, no-risk evaluations, no job delay, no need for habitats, no need for fireguards, no hot sparks, no release of isocyanates.