N E W S R E L E A S E from FURMANITE ASIA PACIFIC
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Furmanite saddles up for flare line hot tap at PCS
A hot tap into a 48 inch flare line at the Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (PCS) has been successfully undertaken by Furmanite, the speciality services company geared to maximising asset uptime, using a specialist purpose-designed self-sealing saddle clamp.
An 18 inch hot tap was needed on the 48 inch flare line at PCS’s ethylene plant at the Singapore Petrochemical Complex on Jurong Island, to enable a new propylene plant to be tied in to the existing flare line on stream.
Known for its high level hot tapping expertise and with a strong track record of working with PCS, Furmanite Singapore was called in by Plant Engineering Construction (PEC) to undertake the specialist work, to enable the tie-in to take place without requiring plant shutdown (which would have been the only alternative) – representing valuable time and cost savings.
Various options were considered to undertake the hot tap into the flare line. No welding was permitted given the live environment, so the Grouted Tee (licensed worldwide by Furmanite International) was one possible option but was discounted due to the high design temperature requirements. A traditional full encirclement tee clamp was another option, but would have been very heavy, potentially requiring additional consideration to be given to accommodate the added weight.
Instead, with input and feedback from PCS, Furmanite designed, manufactured and installed a bespoke self-sealing hot tap saddle. Being significantly lighter than a traditional full enclosure fitting (less than half the weight), this allowed the hot tap to be performed without risk of deformation of the flare line. The design is also compact, with the seal being achieved close to the entry into the pipe, minimising the pressure envelope and enabling the overall size of the fitting to be reduced. Moreover, the smaller size and relative simplicity of the design enabled faster manufacture and lower cost than a full mechanical enclosure fitting.
Because no hotwork was needed to install the saddle the work could be completed on-line, despite the highly flammable flareline gas content. Moreover the saddle clamp, designed for temperatures of 180°C and pressures to 5 bar and with a seal seating pressure of 20 bar, also featured a double o-ring seal with testport in between, enabling the saddle and valve to be pressure-tested before the hot tapping work commenced. This enables the seal integrity to be proven before it is exposed to the line pressure and to be monitored easily on an on-going basis.
The fitting, particularly suitable where the branch to be installed is relatively small in relation to the main pipe diameter as in this case, was designed in accordance with ASME B31.3, and followed detailed Finite Element Analysis into the feasibility of the concept and effect of installation on the pipe.
A further challenge facing the Furmanite technicians was to recover the hot tap coupon successfully, which was made more difficult as the tapping was done in the vertical down position. Three retaining wires were used to ensure that this was successfully achieved.
Following prior installation and testing of the saddle and valve, the hot tap (including machine installation, leak testing, hot tap and machine removal) was successfully completed last month (November) in just one day.
“This project demonstrated the advantage of Furmanite’s global capabilities,” Furmanite Singapore general manager Adam Midgley commented. “The saddle clamp was designed drawing on the expertise at our UK office, the hot tapping machine and operator was provided by Furmanite Australia, and all engineering, procedures and labour were provided locally by Furmanite Singapore, who fully managed the project. This is typical of the service we’re able to offer – drawing on our global expertise and capabilities while providing a local service to help customers maximise asset uptime and keep their assets earning.”
PCS project manager for the new propylene plant Mr Wang Wei said: “After detailed review of the basic design concept proposed by Furmanite and incorporation of input from PCS regarding enhancing external force / moment bearing capability, PCS believes that Furmanite’s engineering design and hot tapping expertise enabled the necessary modifications to be undertaken with minimal disruption, while production continued uninterrupted, representing high value.”
PCS supplies high quality ethylene, propylene, acetylene and butadiene as well as utilities such as water, steam, and compressed air to the downstream companies in the Singapore Petrochemical Complex, which in turn produce high quality petrochemical products for customers in the Southeast Asia region and beyond.
For further press information contact:
Sarah Manwaring-White
Keep in Touch Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)1451 844 488
Email: sarah_mw@keepintouch.co.uk