25% of Production Capacity Regained After Rehabilitating Water Injection Line

The Challenge

When an 18-inch water injection line at NAM’s oil treatment facility serving the Schoonebeek field in the Netherlands began leaking, it was decommissioned, causing an entire oil recovery and processing program to be suspended. Because this incident reduced NAM’s overall capacity to treat produced oil from the field by 25%, amounting to approximately 15,000 BOPD per day, it was imperative to regain use of this injection line. Material testing on the failed line revealed that sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the produced water had caused microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Subsequently, a smart pig run was conducted to measure the remaining wall thickness of the pipe, revealing thousands of defects across the pipeline’s entire length. 

For NAM, the prospect of replacing the pipeline with conventional steel pipe was daunting. Digging up the damaged line, removing it, and laying a new 29.83-mi (48-km) carbon-steel line across farmland communities would certainly require a prolonged operation. Undertaking the project would also depend on securing land permits, which was highly unlikely due to the invasive nature of the operation. And even if circumstances enabled a new steel pipeline to be installed, once the line began delivering SRB- entrained produced water, it too would be subject to MIC. 

The Solution

FlexSteel recommended leaving the existing 18-inch line in place as a carrier pipe and conducting a pipe-in-pipe rehabilitation using its 8-inch line pipe. The pipe’s thermoplastic inner liner, together with the necessary fittings and connectors, would provide a pipeline system that would virtually eliminate MIC-related failures. In addition, FlexSteel pipe’s inherent pressure-retaining capability would not be dependent on the structural integrity of the carrier pipe. Finally, FlexSteel’s high-tensile strength would enable 6,561.68 ft (2,000 m) of the line pipe to be conveyed through the carrier pipe in a single pull, which would substantially reduce the number of bell-holes along the right-of-way. 

After months of testing, NAM concluded that the advantages FlexSteel could provide made it the best option for their rehabilitation application. 

The Result

During installation, certified FlexSteel supervisors provided general guidance and project management to ensure the pipeline was installed safely and efficiently. Once installed, onsite technicians pressure tested the pipeline to confirm the integrity of the pipe’s outer wall. 

As a result of FlexSteel’s pipe-in-pipe installation, NAM realized several key benefits: 

  • Regained 25% of oil processing capacity. 

  • Avoided permanent shut-down of a failed steel pipeline system. 

  • Gained a rehabilitated 29.83-mi pipeline with minimal impact on the local community and environment. 

  • Reduced installation time by selecting a pipe technology that was installed at an average rate of 26.25 ft (8 m) per minute despite multiple bends in the carrier pipe. 

  • Commissioned a water injection pipeline system substantially more resistant to MIC.