BSR clean its oil pipeline utilizing smart pig
An 8km crude oil pipeline (6.4 km underground and approximately 2 km on land) imports crude oil from the oil filling buoy (SPM) into the crude oil tank system at Dung Quat Refinery. After 12 years of operation from its first crude oil intake (late 2008), this pipeline is due for a mechanical integrity test.
The scope was to launch PIG for cleaning, detecting and assessing the corrosion as well as damage inside and outside of a 30 inches crude oil pipeline (762 mm), which completed in the 4th overhaul turnaround of the Dung Quat refinery (only 5 days maintenance time, from 17th to 22nd of August). There were 2 Phases:
Phase 1 – cleaning phase:
This phase initially required 4 PIG for a total of 4 runs. However, due to the pipe condition with a large internal scale deposit, the scope increase to 10 cleaning run to meet the next phase’s requirements.
Phase 2 – corrosion assessment test:
This was the important stage where an ergy shape smart PIG with 256 probes measuring device runs inside the pipeline to assess the corrosion and failure using ultrasonic technology (UT).
Le Nguyen Quoc Hai (engineer) added: The first scope of work was within 5 days constrain, so the screws worked day and night. There were nights that work end at 2 am. But then, there were 2 experts from Malaysia and Germany, assisting with BSR engineers in the test. So, the work finished on schedule.
After finishing the fieldwork, experts will analyze the collected data to consult BSR during the inspection, replacement, and operation of a crude oil pipeline.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, Deputy Manager of the Inspection Department, mentioned: Because BSR previously mainly processed sweet oil (Bach Ho oil and equivalent), the corrosion rate is low. Since BSR increases the percentage of oil imported with high sulfur content into processing units, the corrosion rate expects to be higher. So the time for the next inspection needs to be shortened.
