Author: a.manzo

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A BREAKTRHOUGH NANOTECHNOLOGY FOR PIPELINE FLOW ASSURANCE

Launched in 2018, Oceanit’s DragX surface treatment for pipeline integrity utilizes omniphobic nanotechnology to create a durable and low-friction internal pipe surface. The treated pipe wall is both waterand oil-repellent and creates an extremely low surface-energy substrate to combat corrosion and deposition, providing flow assurance. In March, Oceanit hosted more than 60 pipeline and energy experts at the DragX launch event at Oceanit’s energy office in Houston, Texas. Attendees included representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, and National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), as well as subject matter experts from many major private-sector energy and pipeline firms. Pipeline operators have already embraced the numerous benefits from using factory-applied, flow-efficiency coatings for pipelines. These benefits include increased flow efficiency and throughput, reduced pressure drop, reduced power use for pumping, mitigation of corrosion, reduction in adhesion of depositing compounds such as debris and paraffin, and lowered costs of cleaning and maintenance. In the field, however, flow efficiency coatings like epoxy or liners which can be applied in-situ to address flow problems have proven at best to be inefficient and extremely costly and at worst, impossible to implement. Oceanit Laboratories Inc., based in Honolulu, Hawai’i, developed the DragX nanocomposite surface treatment system to be applied in-situ using traditional pigging techniques. It is far cheaper than previous solutions, requires minimal pipe surface preparation, cures within hours of application, and is effective even on heavily corroded and de-rated pipes.

REVOLUTIONIZING IN-SITU PIPELINE REHABILITATION

User-friendly characteristics along with the functional benefits of DragX make it a breakthrough in reducing service disruption and preserving pipeline integrity for existing lines. “We started work on ‘nano’ surface treatments a few years ago with the U.S. Navy, initially looking at shipyard applications,” Oceanit’s CEO & President, Patrick Sullivan explains. Nano-material development at Oceanit started after being inspired at an international nanotechnology conference attended by some of the world’s most celebrated nanotechnologists. From there, Oceanit began developing functional nano-treatments that could functionalize the surface of metallic substrates on a nanoscale level. At just 2mil thickness (50 μm), DragX creates a passivating layer that mitigates corrosion as well as repelling deposition and adhesion of debris along pipe walls. It is easily applicable on long distances of pipe and is scalable to any pipe diameter. Traditional pigging techniques are used to apply DragX. After minor surface prep of the pipe wall, the two-part nano-material is mixed and readied for application.

A long pot life (72+ hours) combined with a curing time of under two hours per coat makes DragX far more applicator-friendly than any other solution on the market. Epoxy coating materials tend to suffer from short workable lifespans and often can take days or weeks to fully cure. The ability to cure quickly even at low temperatures means that DragX makes a serious economic argument in relation to down-time and man-hours. Pipeline applications completed by Oceanit and applicator partners have often taken just 1-2 days to complete. “This concept [of lining pipelines with coatings] was first considered in the 1950s to counter the adverse effects on pipeline capacity, operation, and pumping costs caused by the rough internal surface of steel pipes and the buildup of deposits and corrosion products,” Sullivan says. “However, economics and the fact that additional process steps were required essentially prevented this approach from being widely accepted.” DragX has been shown to be effective in oil and hydrocarbon pipelines, water pipes, and waste water lines in several applications since the March 2018 launch. For the oil and gas sector in particular, DragX has demonstrated that it can reduce or even eliminate the need for costly inhibitors and/or chemical injections that provide flow assurance. The huge costs associated with those additives alone can mean significant cost savings for pipeline operators adopting DragX. While overcoming the numerous shortcomings of previous in-situ solutions, DragX has shown that it can improve efficiency, greatly extend maintenance intervals, and greatly reduce operation costs. DragX is a revolutionary leap forward for in-situ pipeline rehabilitation and integrity.

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