Nanotechnology moved into the oil and gas marketplace the same way it moved into other industries, by using molecular manipulation to supply fit-for-purpose solutions to specific oilpatch situations.

Stuart Burchill and his wife had an industrial coating business, but that was a little too tame

A technician applies Nansulate to a length of Sipetrol pipe at a platform on Magellan field in southern Chile. (Photo courtesy of Industrial Nanotech)
for the innovation-oriented pair. They used that innovative spirit to give their coating business, Industrial Nanotech Inc., a competitive edge with the help of Sandia Laboratories and nanotechnology. Their worldwide patent covers a family of nano-composites that sticks like glue.

Normally, corrosion-
protection coatings must survive 8 days in a concentrated General Motors accelerated corrosion test. The company’s Nansulate survived the 8 days and continued to survive until the test laboratory called the testing off at 24 days.

Chile’s Sipetrol needed insulation for pipes on its AM3 offshore platform. Specifically, it needed to keep temperatures at 139°F (60°C) in a 66-ft- (20-m-) long pipe that transferred oil from vertical separators to the pumps that moved the oil to shore at the company’s Magellan field in extreme southern Chile.

The company divided the pipe in three sections and sprayed it with Nanoprimer at the ends and Nansulate without primer in the center section. At the heat source end, the average coating thickness was more than 16 mils. The center section was 12 to 14 mils thick and the last section was 16 mils thick.

Testing technicians measured the temperature at seven points along the pipe, and the greatest variation in temperature was 3°F (1.5°C).

Pipelines are a major market for the company since insulating wraps can sometimes promote corrosion in the covered pipe, Burchill said.

The ability to customize the coating is a big plus. For example, Burchill said, a UK company wanted an anticorrosive coating that was clear so technicians could visually inspect the pipe. It got the coating it wanted.

The glued-on paint also requires less maintenance than traditional anti-corrosion materials and traditional insulation wraps.

Petrobras liked the idea of the nano-composite because it reduced environmental risk, Burchill said, but it didn’t fit the Brazilian company’s specific needs. It wanted an insulating, anti-corrosive pipe coating that worked underground in humid environments. “We re-invented it to match the needs,” he said.

The resulting combination was a paint-on thermal insulation that also protected pipe from corrosion and could stand up to the extreme environmental conditions of an underground pipeline. When Burchill went to Petrobras, he didn’t understand how complicated it would be to match the Brazilian company’s requirements. “They really helped. Their biggest fear is a pipeline failure,” he said.

The best use for the nanotechnology is in severe service environments. He said, “In oil and gas, it’s really good on pipelines. We don’t know enough (about oil and gas company pipeline protection requirements). If they present their needs, we can tell them if we can meet them. We take the risk in development. We give them products far beyond the capabilities they expected. We’ve beta tested it around the world in different places and applications.”

Normal Nansulate wasn’t designed for continuous use underwater or for use in conditions in which chemicals can degrade the coating, he said. An Aqua version took care of the underwater restriction; other modifications can handle specific chemical exposure conditions.
The company tested Nansulate Aqua in the laboratory carrying liquids at 390°F (200°C) through freezing water, but it hasn’t yet been tested in the field. “Nansulate was designed for that. We think it can give pipe-in-pipe a run,” he added, particularly from a cost point of view, since 20 miles (32 km) of pipe-in-pipe insulated pipeline requires 40 miles (64 km) of pipe.

Nanotechnology coated pipe also can be repaired underwater. It also can handle riser that flexes in currents. It stands up in temperature conditions between 400° and -40°F (204° and -40°C).

It’s hard to believe painted-on materials can provide an adequate insulation, but the secret is in the molecular engineering. Nanometer insulation uses the tiny size of connections between particles in the conduction path to restrict temperature transfer. The solids in the insulation also consist of very small particles linked in a three-dimensional network with a lot of dead ends. That maze inhibits temperature flow.

“We start molecule by molecule to build what we need. We can create things never created before,” Burchill said.

Comments