Trelleborg Elastopipe™ ensures fire protecttion on Maersk FPSO

Trelleborg Offshore has installed its Elastopipe™ corrosion-free fire safety deluge system, to replace the existing carbon steel pipework on seven modules, on Maersk’s Ngujima-Yin, a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. The system was installed in under three months, without disrupting the vessel’s oil and gas production schedule.

Christian Eilersen, Director FPSO Projects, Maersk, commented:“Trelleborg provided the complete survey, design, engineering, supply and installation package, as well as removing the old installation.

“It was important that operation of the FPSO was not affected in any way, and that safety was considered of paramount importance. Trelleborg ensured not only a quick and effective, but also safe installation.”

The existing carbon steel seawater deluge system on the seven-module FPSO vessel, located in the Vincent Field off Western Australia, had corroded over the two-years since its installation. The system required constant maintenance, cleaning and testing, and a replacement was required to reduce the long-term cost of ensuring essential fire protection.

The challenge with the installation was to replace the existing fire protection throughout the FPSO modules, without affecting the safety of the vessel as it continued output. The system required 1,687 metres/ 5,535 feet of pipe work, from 25 mm/ 1 inch to 200 mm/ 8 inch diameters, and associated fittings and accessories.

Hans-Leo Hals, Elastopipe Product Group Manager, Trelleborg, commented: “Because Elastopipe™ is a synthetic rubber-based flexible piping system, it is installed without any welding or other hot work, such as high speed cutting, which could comprise the safety of the vessel.

“We installed a temporary Elastopipe™ deluge system for each module, removed the existing steel pipes, then completed the permanent Elastopipe™ pipework and fixings and moved the temporary deluge on to the next module. This method ensured that full fire protection was retained throughout the project.

“In addition, the flexibility and light weight of Elastopipe™ allow very rapid installation, compared to a rigid pipe system; it can be swiftly configured to confined spaces. The first two modules were completed in just a month, in contrast to the estimated 15 months to install a comparable copper-nickel installation.”

With proven advantages over metal and polymer rigid pipework, Trelleborg’s Elastopipe™ offers a 30-year minimum maintenance life for fire deluge and sprinkler systems. Thanks to its corrosion-free performance, system testing frequency can be reduced with confidence while maintaining full 24/7 availability.

Elastopipe™ is highly resistant to impact and jet fire (1400°C/ 2552°F for one hour), and its light weight, flexibility, ease of cutting and fitting ensure installation is rapid and simple.

Compared with alternative pipe work materials, which need replacing at regular intervals over a platform or vessel lifetime, with frequent testing and maintenance, Elastopipe™ deluge and sprinkler fire safety systems offer very low total life costs.