Long or short insertion length, operating pressures up to 82 bar, a variety of liquids, with or without bends, the Primus Line flexible pipeline is suitable for almost any application.
Since its introduction to the Australasian market more than six years ago, Primus Line, which is made in Germany, has proven its value in numerous projects. The system’s characteristics make it perfectly suited for projects in sensitive or hardly accessible environments.
Primus Line flexible pipeline system offers solutions for customers in the fields of oil and gas and water in terms of both the trenchless rehabilitation of pressure pipes and temporary above-ground transport.
Reduced footprint in areas of cultural sensitivity
Rio Tinto, the world’s second largest mining company, is targeting a 50 per cent reduction in its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and is looking for solutions throughout its business to reduce its carbon footprint.
Rio flagged a section of a DN 550 mild steel cement-lined potable water pipe that supplies the remote mining town of Paraburdoo, Western Australia, as a considerable risk due to the pipe condition.
The 1km section of the pipeline runs through areas of cultural heritage sensitivity and crosses a creek. Instead of replacing the main by traditional dig and lay, Rio Tinto looked for a non-invasive, more eco-friendly approach.
Primus Line was the perfect fit for the project. By inserting the flexible aramid-reinforced pipe-in-pipe system into the existing main, the life expectancy of the asset will be extended by at least 50 years.
Only a small amount of equipment is needed to install the Primus Line technology. This is a decisive advantage for projects in remote regions like Rio Tinto’s, since the transport to the installation site is low.
The 1km flexible Primus Liner was delivered coiled on a single transport spool that can cover up to 4500 m depending on the diameter of the system.
Only one truck was required to transport the spool and the corresponding fittings on-site. It would take at least five trucks to transport the same amount of new steel pipes to a small mining town like Paraburdoo.
To gain access to the existing pipe, only one small pit on either end was necessary and that was created using a mini excavator. This also helped to ensure the areas of cultural heritage sensitivity remained untouched during the duration of the project.
In addition to a smaller physical footprint, the technology also helps reduce the carbon footprint.
According to the global management consulting firm McKinsey, diesel emissions in the mining sector contribute to 100 million tonnes of CO2 globally. By using the Primus Line technology, CO2 emissions on site, as well as the amount of earth movements, can be reduced by over 90 per cent compared to traditional dig and lay.
The system is also designed to be easy to install. Besides a pulling winch, only some specialist tools are required to install Primus Line in an existing pipeline.
That said, exact project planning remains a prerequisite because support services or subsequent deliveries would quickly lead to major project delays with a remote location like Paraburdoo.
The town of Paraburdoo sits on the edge of the desert, which means it sees temperatures in excess of 40°C on more than 70 days per year.
Compared to traditional methods, a trenchless approach reduces the installation time to a fraction and therefore the hours that the crews are exposed to the heat. The installation of the nearly 1km Primus Liner could be realised in a single pull within only one working day.
The Paraburdoo project is not the first in which Rio Tinto has used the AS/NZS 4020-certified Primus Line technology for drinking water.
In Cape Lambert, a WA port facility operated by Rio Tinto, Interflow already successfully rehabilitated over 2 km of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipeline using the Primus Line system.
Onshore and offshore applications in the South Pacific
A unique advantage compared to rigid rehabilitation systems is that Primus Line is a highly flexible pipeline after installation in the host pipe.
This feature means Primus Line can be pulled through construction bends of up to 45° as a standard, and up to 90° under certain conditions.
It is a self-supporting system that does not require attachments to its host pipe.
While the host pipe is needed to bear the soil loads, the Primus Line system itself absorbs all the internal pressure. After installation, an annulus will remain between the Primus Liner and the host pipe’s inner wall. The minimal annulus is 1mm in a straight pipe, and otherwise 8 mm.
These benefits make Primus Line valuable for rehabilitation projects in the oil and gas industry, particularly for onshore and offshore applications on distant islands.
Tanker discharge wharf pipelines in the Fiji Islands
One of the world’s largest international oil and gas companies owns a multi-buoy mooring facility in the Fiji Islands.
This facility is used to discharge fuels through a twin subsea pipeline and an above-ground wharf line into the shore bulk tanks. The two subsea lines for jet A-1 fuel, diesel and unleaded petrol are made of DN 250 carbon steel with epoxy coating, lying 13 m below sea surface on the ground.
The rehabilitation of these two lines with the Primus Line system could only be executed outside of cyclone season.
This project covered all works associated with the installation of two 750 m Primus Line systems for both subsea lines, including diving and marine support through a barge, the cleaning, and the insertion, in one pull per line.
The Primus Liners were inserted at the end manifold and pulled towards the designated onshore location. The connectors were assembled offshore on the barge and then lowered to the sea bottom.
Fuel pipeline in the Cook Islands
While the pipelines to be rehabilitated in Fiji were mainly under the sea, the carbon steel pipeline DN 150 suffering from corrosion in the Cook Islands runs along the docking edge of the wharf through a concrete gutter covered by steel plates.
Other parts of the pipeline run underground and are surrounded by concrete. Tankers use this pipeline to discharge diesel, unleaded petrol and jet A-1 fuel at a wharf, offloading to a terminal.
This pipeline cannot be shut down for more than 21 days since incoming vessels cannot be rescheduled. This means a total pipeline replacement was not an option for the client.
Primus Line proved to be the best alternative to minimise costs, avoid downtime and significantly extend the lifespan of the existing pipeline within the seven-day rehabilitation window offered in this location.
For more information visit www.primusline.com.
This article featured in the May edition of The Australian Pipeliner. Access the digital copy of the magazine here.
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