Within weeks of taking delivery of its first Atlas Copco portable air compressor for a pipeline project in Pakistan, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has placed an order for a second Atlas Copco XAMS 286 compressor to meet increased demand for blasting and pigging procedures.
SSGC is Pakistan’s leading integrated gas company for transmission lines and low-pressure distribution systems. Its transmission systems, which extend from Sui in Balochistan to Karachi in Sindh Province, include almost 3,000km of high-pressure 12-42-inch diameter pipeline.
SSGC’s distribution services cover 650 towns in both provinces, and are operated through regional offices. The gas company, through a distribution network of almost 23,000km, serves more than 1.7 million industrial, commercial and domestic consumers.
Ordered through local Atlas Copco agent VPL, the XAMS 286 provides a free air delivery of 288 l/s at 8.6 bar.
Site engineer Muhammad Noor said that although it is still early, SSGC has been very impressed with the compressor’s operation and performance. “So much so that we have ordered a second unit to meet the air demand for increased blasting and pigging duties,” he said.
The new XAMS 286 has been used principally for sandblasting the new pipes, removing rust, dust and moisture to ensure a clean surface for rust priming.
Using silicone sand at a pressure of up to 100psi at 6 bar pressure, blasting will ensure extended life of the 1-2 inch diameter pipes. Once primed, the pipes are insulated and used in towns for the domestic connections. On longer pipes ranging from 16-42-inch diameter, the Atlas Copco Compressor is used for grit blasting using 3-4 micron iron pellets.
Ready coated, the blasting is undertaken to remove the coating surface ready for arc welding pipe lengths together. The pipes are generally each 12.2m long and when completed will be used for high pressure 14,000 psi gas transmission.
SSGC is also using the compressor for ‘air pigging’ over completed lengths of 1-2km pipeline.
The pipe segment is filled with water. Air at a pressure 1.5 times higher than the actual gas pressure requirement is then passed into the pipeline to check for leaks in a hydrostatic test.
The process is repeated over extended segments of up to 15km lengths.
Air pigging using special wire inside the pipeline at high pressure also ensures a clean dry surface.
“With so many applications for the air compressors we certainly need the second newly ordered unit to meet air critical completion schedules,” said Noor.
The pipeline is installed at a trench depth of 3m. The high-pressure pipelines feature a thickness of 1-2 inches and pipes with a diameter below 12 inches are for use in the town’s distribution networks.
From time to time, when not being used for cleaning duties, the compressor will be used to provide air power for pneumatic breakers and pneumatic drilling. For jack hammer duties an increased pressure of 7 bar is preferred.
Follow us on
