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10 PiPelines international digest | deCeMBer 2010

 By Steven Barnes, Managing Director, Swagelining Ltd

Swagelining technology is a trenchless rehabilitation solution that provides an effective method of overcoming theproblem of pipe failures in inaccessible or inconvenient areas. The system is suitable for inserting liners in pipelinesup to 60 in diameter for structural and non-structural applications.

O

riginally developed by British Gas and United Utilities in

the 1980s, Swagelining technology was initially designed as

a trenchless technology rehabilitation solution, providing

an efective method o overcoming the problem o ailing pipe ininaccessible or inconvenient areas, such as beneath busy main

streets. This technology was urther developed in the 1990s or the

protection o new pipelines in the subsea industry by the WeldLink, a

new connection system or use in high pressure, carbon steel, water

injection applications.

In November 2009, Glasgow-based Swagelining Ltd acquired

the intellectual property rights to the established Swagelining

technology. With the belie that the technology was yet to realise

its promise despite its acknowledged track record, Swagelining

Ltd wanted to push the boundaries o the technology to extend its

benets rom niche application to wider use in the pipeline industry

on a global scale.Swagelining Ltd’s team o experienced pipeline proessionals

has invested more than $US3.1 million to help accomplish its aim o 

introducing polymer lining technology into the pipeline mainstream.

Providing a highly-efective solution or the prevention and

control o internal corrosion and erosion in pipelines while

delivering substantial cost, eciency, and environmental

benets, the company’s Integrated Lining System is showingprospects or changing the way pipelines are constructed,

operated, and rehabilitated.

How does it work?The Swagelining system is suitable or inserting liners in

pipelines up to 60 inches in diameter or structural and non-

structural applications. It works by installing a tight-tting

polymer liner into new or existing pipelines; the liner is designed

and manuactured with an external diameter that is slightly

larger than the internal diameter o the pipe to be lined. The aim

is to maximise pulling lengths, which in turn leads to reduced

numbers o connections and excavations. Single pull lengths o up to 1 km have been achieved.

The Swagelining technique uses a ‘naturally reverting’ recovery

system ater installation. The liner is installed into a host pipe

The Republic of Congo Pipeline – the longest Swagelining project to date.

Realising the potential of lining 

pipes with polymer 

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by pulling it through a reduction die using a winch, which

temporarily reduces its diameter and allows easy installation.

Once pulled completely through the pipe, the pulling orce is

removed and the liner returns to its original diameter, pressing

tightly against the inner wall o the host pipe. The tight-tting

polymer liner results in a ow capacity close to that o the original

pipeline.The small ootprint o the component parts o Swagelining

equipment also allows the technology to be considered or

projects where working space is at a premium such as busy urban

locations.

Ater closely examining the way the industry considers the use

o polymer lining in various sectors, the team at Swagelining Ltd

ocused on the development o a complete system or polymer

lining. Convinced that the wider use o the technology was being

restrained by the inability to address a wide range o technical

challenges in a co-ordinated manner, the company has developed

the concept o the Integrated Lining System. This concept brings

together liner design, material selection, project management,

insertion technology, supply o connectors and terminations, and venting technology.

The company uses a sotware prediction package to tailor lining

system designs or its clients. The sotware enables the optimum

liner size to be selected to achieve maximum pull length whilst

not compromising on the pipeline volume capacity.

The Integrated Lining System can now be applied to a number

o sectors, including gas, potable water, sewage, water injection,

crude oil, mining slurry, cement and chemicals.The company

considers local involvement to be as important as its global

technology, and the Swagelining Ltd Partnership Plan enables

pipeline owners and operators, designers, and contractors to

engage the technology in the most appropriate way to realiselocal benets o employment and skills’ development.

Swagelining Ltd is also a leader in connector technology.

With a variety o connectors available or a range o applications

and industries, the company ofers anged or ully welded

connectors, such as the WeldLink or welded steel applications.

This proven system was designed to complement Swagelining

and has seen service to 340 bar to date with uture testing over

400 bar scheduled.

 A solution to venting challengesThe venting o permeated annular gas has been recognised

or some time as a challenge when the technology is used or

hydrocarbon systems. To overcome this, the company has

incorporated its LinerVent technology into the Integrated Lining

System. This annular venting technology allows sae venting o 

any build-up o annular gas back into the pipeline. There is no

requirement or venting o toxic or environmentally harmul gas

outside the pipeline system.

The value of polymer linersA recent independent report by industry expert Atkins Boreas,

one o the UK’s largest engineering and design consultancies,

has concluded that subsea pipelines lined using Swageliningtechnology with inormed material selection and applied venting

solutions could save operators tens o millions o pounds in

CAPEX alone.

The study ound that Swagelining a polyvinylidene uoride

(PVDF) liner results in a 25 per cent saving against operators’

main alternative, super duplex. This equates to a signicant

US$7.6 million in a test case based on a 10km, 10 inch diameter

stretch o pipeline. Comparisons between a PVDF-lined system

and a metallurgically-bonded CRA/carbon steel system estimated

even greater savings, approaching 50 per cent.

The report also highlighted that in lower temperature pipelines

where a polyethylene (PE) liner can be used, a 60 per cent savingcan be made over the cost o super duplex, representing a urther

substantial saving o US$11.1 million or a 10 km pipeline.

For water-injection applications, the report also concluded

Compression ring insertion.

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that polymer liners present opportunities or increased return

on investment. The improved hydraulic perormance o lined

pipe means more water can be injected, thereore increasing the

amount o oil recovered in a given period o time.

Past and present projectsSwagelining Ltd has recently completed what is believed to

be the longest Swagelining project undertaken to date. Four

Swagelining partner companies co-operated to complete a new

24 inch diameter pipeline designed to transport seawater to

oil wells located 55 km inland rom the Atlantic coast in the

Republic o Congo. Working closely with the main contractor,

the Swagelining site operation was closely aligned with the main

construction spread operation. The liner system was designed

and constructed using Swagelining techniques and connectors

that were built to meet a challenging technical specication and

production schedule.

Swagelining Ltd has received substantial interest rom the oil

and gas sector. Among recent contract wins is a major contract

to apply its polymer lining system and connectors to the water

injection riser on the BP block 31 project ofshore Angola. The

Block 31 contract has been awarded by Pipeline Technique Ltd,

which has been commissioned by Heerema Marine Contractors.

Through a project specic license provided by Swagelining Ltd,Heerema is delivering the complementary WeldLink connectors

to the project to enable the lined sections within the riser to be

ully welded and the polymer liner anchored and sealed. Using its

own proprietary technology Swagelining Ltd is providing overall

project management, including engineering and qualication

testing, polymer material specication and procurement, site

abrication and liner insertion or this project.

A major pipeline operator has also recently commissioned the

company to undertake an in-depth easibility study to consider

the technology or application in systems that are changing

operating conditions rom sweet service to transporting multi-

phase product.

Weldlink tie in.