PROCESS AND
PIPELINE SERVICES
hydratight.com
Company profile
Our services: Because we have the people, the products, the global network and
• Oil flushing the experience
Company
• Chemical cleaning Hydratight pioneered the establishment of a Joint Integrity Assurance offering that combines services such as
bolting, machining and flange data management to deliver leak-free start-up and operation at client facilities
• Nitrogen services through integrity management of bolted joints. Today, Hydratight has added Process and Pipeline Services to
the legacy Joint Integrity Assurance offering to deliver industry leading process and pipeline cleaning, testing,
• Air blowing verification, and integrity management services.
• Steam blowing The integrated services platform coupled with a thorough understanding of client’s facilities and their unmet
needs enables Hydratight to deliver safe and efficient plant start-ups, maintenance and shutdown programs
• Pipeline pigging every time, no matter how complex the process. This expertise, know how and problem solving ability puts
and testing Hydratight at the forefront of providing cleaning, testing, and integrity solutions for our clients in the
pre-commissioning and turnaround sector.
• Hydro-testing Health, Safety and Environment
Safety remains the number one priority. Care has to be taken at every stage. We adhere to the highest standards
• Hydro-milling of health, safety and environmental performance, and if we think improvement can be made, we’ll implement our
own guidelines. We conduct all of our operations in a manner that promotes safe working practices and avoids
• Fluid pumping undue risk to our employees, clients and the environment.
• Filtration Process and Pipeline Services
The Process and Pipeline Services described in this brochure offer a comprehensive range of offerings to
• Degassing and ensure the successful completion of a pre-commissioning project. In addition, Hydratight has standardised
decontamination these services to ensure the delivery of the same highest standards to our customers irrespective of their
global location.
• Engineering and
Hydratight’s commitment to superior and innovative service offerings is backed by our technical competency.
procedure writing By applying our experience and knowledge, we deliver innovative solutions tailored to our client’s facilities that
minimise the impact of pre-commissioning and shutdown events on facility operations and prevent unnecessary
delays and costs prior to start-up.
2 hydratight.com
Personnel
Hydratight’s high quality services depend on our people. From the initial stages we make sure we
become part of your business. We endeavour to understand your processes and deliver accurate
and thorough outcomes to problems.
Extensive training of all Hydratight field staff ensures that every pre-commissioning or shutdown
project will be executed safely, accurately and professionally. Hydratight is an industry leading
provider of training and competence assurance and actively participates in the development
of global standards pertaining to service execution. These include standards developed by the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Engineering Construction Industry
Training Board (ECITB). This expertise is shared with our clients through the knowledge and
capability of our personnel.
Hydratight ultimately improves safety, raises operational efficiency and increases uptime; no matter
what industry sector we’re serving, or where we are in the world.
hydratight.com 3
Oil flushing
Hydratight utilises in-house designed flushing skids (FS),
which are self-contained units that include an onboard pump,
heater, mixing tank, reverse flow manifold, and filtration
system to capture insoluble matter.
Flushing of hydraulic and lubrication oil systems is used to ensure that new rotating and
hydraulic equipment will start up and operate as designed, significantly reducing the
potential for premature failure.
Maintenance and downtime on equipment can be minimised by performing an effective
system cleaning during commissioning and following periodic maintenance and repair
services. Any facility that has a low tolerance for system failures will find this service to
be a pillar in their preventative maintenance program. Contaminants such as water, rust,
loose scale, weld slag, sand, dirt and oils are removed from the system with a proper
pre-operational cleaning.
FS-4000 Oil Flushing Unit
Applications within the energy industry for
lubrication and hydraulic oil flushing include:
• C
leaning of hydraulic control systems (e.g., systems controlling
large isolation valves on coker drums and jacking systems for
offshore equipment)
• R
otating equipment lubrication oil system cleaning (e.g. steam
turbines, compressors, large pumps, and gas turbine systems)
4 hydratight.com FS (4000L/min)
Chemical cleaning
Chemical cleaning covers a wide range of
services from new construction to ongoing Our chemical cleaning
maintenance activities. methods include:
New construction facilities are often subjected to a cleaning • The fill and soak method
process prior to start-up. Piping and vessels may contain a
• Fill and circulate method
variety of debris, scale, oxides and oil, which must be removed
if the plant is to run effectively. • Cascading cleaning method
• Two phase flow cleaning method
To continue to operate at peak efficiency, process systems,
vessels, and pipelines must be kept as clean as possible. • Slug flow cleaning method
Some of the normal by-products of operating processes create • Vapour phase method
deposits ranging from scales to sludge, precipitates and even
Before After metal deposits. These types of build-up foul the vessels and • Boiler boil outs
piping and can significantly reduce system efficiency, eventually • Foam cleaning method
causing plugging and failure of the unit. Applications of
chemical cleaning can be utilised to remove these contaminants • Nozzle cleaning method
and restore systems to optimum operating efficiency.
hydratight.com 5
Nitrogen services
Your first call nitrogen service provider.
Nitrogen, a naturally occurring inert gas, is one of the primary products of the oil and gas
industry, and can safely be used for a wide range of services including: oxygen and L.E.L.
freeing, drying, heating, accelerated cool downs on vessels, pipe freezing, pressure testing
and leak testing.
In addition to being inert, nitrogen has several ideal properties: it is non-reactive, non-toxic,
and non-corrosive. Application temperatures for nitrogen gas range from -150˚C to + 400˚C
at pressures starting from atmospheric up to 1034 bar (15,000 psi). Nitrogen services can
be delivered to the clients’ site in a variety of methods: as a cryogenic liquid, in compressed
dry gas bottles, or filtered from the atmosphere at site using a nitrogen membrane unit. Our
engineers will determine the best application method for you.
5000 Gallon Nitrogen Liquid Tanks
Applications within the energy industry
• Purging and displacement (L.E.L. and oxygen freeing)
• Hot nitrogen services and catalyst regeneration
• Nitrogen/helium and sonic leak detection
• Accelerated cool-downs
• Pneumatic testing
• Nitrogen membrane units
• Nitrogen drying and preservation
• Nitrogen freeze plug isolations (pipe freezing)
6 hydratight.com
Air blowing
Engineered air blowing is an efficient way to remove
construction debris, loose rust, liquids and other contaminants
from process piping.
Every air blow procedure is specifically engineered for the individual system being
cleaned. This approach provides numerous benefits for our clients, including time effective
execution by efficiently sequencing the blows, thorough cleaning guaranteed by achieving
an optimal cleaning force ratio of at least 1.5 (CFR > 1.5) and safe field execution through
following the best industry practices.
Compressed air can be used for system dehydrating and de-watering. Compressor
spreads can provide large volumes of -60˚C dew point air, which, combined with foam pigs
and brush pigs can clean and dry pipelines to a very high standard. This service can be
used in conjunction with air blowing.
Air Silencer
Volumiser
Applications within the energy industry
• Removal of construction debris and velocity cleaning
• P
re-heating, heating, and cooling of process vessels,
reactors and systems
• De-watering and drying
• Pigging and drying pipelines
• Pipeline pre-packing
• Pneumatic pressure testing
• Leak testing
• Pre-tensioning pipelines
hydratight.com 7
Steam blowing
For pre-commissioning, a continuous low-pressure
steam blow technique has become the standard practice
for cleaning most steam system circuits.
Pipe is fabricated under hot working conditions, which leads to a heavy oxide layer
forming on its surfaces. This layer is known as mill scale and must be removed
from critical systems before putting them into service.
Over time, enhancements have been made in plant start-up techniques to perform
engineered steam blows, which remove mill scale. During a steam blow, the
piping is blown with sufficient boiler pressure to ensure that enough dynamic
pressure will be experienced in the pipe to provide adequate cleaning. Typically,
boiler pressures used in steam blowing provide a dynamic pressure throughout
the piping that is at least 20% higher than would be experienced in normal
operating conditions (CFR ≥ 1.2).
Any potentially damaging particles will be blown out of the piping prior to plant
operation ensuring a flawless start-up.
Applications within the energy industry
• Removal of residual post-construction debris
• Unseating mill-scale magnetite layer deposits and welding slag through thermal pipe shocking
• P
urging high, medium and low pressure steam lines leading to end users, such as well pad injection
points, steam traps, etc.
• C
ommissioning of steam supply and distribution piping, including lines originating from traditional boiler
and OTSG systems
• C
leaning of critical system piping leading to crucial components, such as steam turbine generators on
co-generation units
• P
recautionary maintenance on older steam systems where contamination is suspected or major critical
repairs have been conducted
Steam Silencer
8 hydratight.com
Pigging and testing
Pigging is completed to increase efficiency and avoid
potential problems on existing pipelines, as well as
to remove new construction debris and assist during
hydrostatic testing.
Upon completion of pipeline construction, the line is required to be tested to
prove its integrity. This testing can be completed pneumatically with air or
nitrogen, alternatively it can be completed with fluids such as water or glycol.
Hydratight is not only capable of completing all forms of testing, but also has the
global experience to complete testing effectively. For every test to be completed,
we provide an engineered procedure to be executed, as well as engineering
support throughout.
Applications within the energy industry
• Pipeline pre-commissioning
• Pipeline maintenance
• Boiler maintenance
Loading a pipeline pig
• Line de-watering
• Line drying
• Product batching
hydratight.com 9
Upstream
Applications within the energy industry
• Well clean-outs • Fracturing applications
• Gas lift • Coil tubing operations
• Stuck drill pipe • Pressure testing
• Underbalanced drilling • Well displacement
• Nitrified fluid injection • Well injection testing
• Well integrity testing • Foamed cement operations
Nitrogen is used in many upstream services, the most common being
displacement/stimulation and hydrostatic column reduction.
Displacement/stimulation services range from well displacements to fracturing or acid stimulations.
While being used in fracturing services, nitrogen is typically used to assist in carrying the sand and
fluid into formation, as well as providing energy during flow back operations to remove the fluid from
the well. The same is true for nitrified acid or chemical treatments in which nitrogen is used to aid in
formation penetration, and to help spent acid or stimulation chemistry flow back to the surface.
In hydrostatic reduction services, nitrogen is used to lighten the column weight to prevent formation
damage, as can happen in under-balanced drilling, nitrified cementing, or freeing differentially stuck
drill pipes. It can also be used to assist in lifting produced fluids to the surface of the well.
10 hydratight.com Offshore Rated Nitrogen Pump
Hydro‑milling
Hydro-milling, also known as water jetting, retro-jetting or
hydro-jetting, is an efficient method of cleaning industrial
piping through the implementation of high pressure water
nozzles and jets.
Newly installed process piping typically contains amounts of foreign debris. These residual
deposits can potentially compromise system reliability and lead to premature system
degradation and catastrophic failure during plant operation. In order to help preserve the
long-term integrity of these process piping systems, hydro‑milling can be used to remove
all undesirable foreign contaminants and particulate matter.
Before After
Cleaning nozzle and protection hose setup
Benefits of hydro-milling
• Reduced commissioning durations (i.e., steam blows) on boiler feedwater and steam systems
• High degree of cleanliness on non-critical and critical systems
• Can be completed in a variety of conditions, including sub zero climates
• Removes both fine and large particles
• Lower water requirements compared to conventional water flushes
• Water recycling capability with minimal waste disposal requirements
Applications within the energy industry
• Boiler feedwater systems
• Steam systems
• Water systems
• Removal of internal pipe corrosion
hydratight.com
hydratight.com 11
11
Fluid pumping
Pumping and Filtration Spread
One of the basic equipment requirements in
all sectors of the energy industry is the use Applications within the energy industry
of pumping services to circulate or transport
• Tank hydrostatic testing
fluids into or through systems, vessels,
• Flushing of vessels and piping
pipelines or wells.
• Hydrostatic testing
Hydratight has extensive experience with fluid transport solutions.
• Standby services
Pumping services can be used to provide an efficient method
of removing debris from pipelines and new build facilities by • Startup fluid transfer
exceeding the cleaning force ratio and abrading debris and scale
from the internal surfaces of the vessel and pipe walls. The
debris-laden fluid can then be filtered and re-injected to remove
additional debris. Other applications include high pressure water
injection into under-pressured formations to enhance oil recovery,
water disposal and injecting large volumes of water into pipelines,
process units, or storage vessels for hydrostatic testing.
Hydrostatic Testing
12 hydratight.com
Filtration
Hydratight provides a large range of fluid filtration services,
from ensuring large particulate is filtered out of testing water
to providing reverse osmosis filtration for boiler feed water.
Bag filtration is an economical filtration method consisting of three components:
a pressure vessel, micron-rated filter bags and a filter bag retainer basket. Filter
bags vary from 1 micron absolute to 100 micron nominal, depending on client
request specification. The filter bags are highly efficient at 99% for absolute filter
bags and above 80% for nominal bags. If required, we can perform laboratory
analysis to ensure particulate filtration results meet specific cleanliness standards
(ISO 4406 or NAS 1638).
Our reverse osmosis skid provides a high quality water purification solution. It is
commonly used in plants for de-mineralising water for boiler feed water applications.
We provide boiler feed quality water before a permanent treatment plant is operational,
which helps to kick start the operation of the plant’s water treatment facilities.
Hydratight’s coalescing filters are specifically designed for removal of emulsified
water from hydrocarbons. Mechanical coalescers employ filter media to make
droplets coalesce. This technology is ideal for separating hydrocarbons from water
and vice versa.
Replacing Filters
Applications within the energy industry
• Providing filtration for cooling water systems start-up and circulation
• Meeting requirements for product cleanliness
• Maintaining cleanliness of water for testing
• De-mineralising water for boiler feed water applications
• Oil removal from produced water
Filtration Spread
hydratight.com 13
Degassing and decontamination
L.E.L. Reduction Performance Degassing and decontamination is a single step process
designed for fast and efficient—and therefore economical—
process plant cleaning.
Using an enhanced steaming technique in which chemicals are injected into the steam flow,
we are able to clean large process vessels, reactors, exchangers and interconnecting piping.
Degassing and decontamination is most often used for post-operational cleaning to remove
H2S, benzene, L.E.L.s, pyrophoric iron, mercaptans and ammonia.
% L.E.L.
Specially designed chemicals can provide a safe environment for vessel maintenance.
This process reduces both the amount of waste and human exposure to dangerous substances
during cleaning and maintenance work.
Steam phase (degassing) cleaning requires a preparatory injection of plant steam into the
vessels to bring the system temperature up to a sufficient level (~90°C) in order to increase
the effect of the chemistry and ensure that the maximum amount of organic material will be
removed. The higher temperature helps loosen any of the system contaminants and expedite
their removal. The chemistry, mixed with the steam, travels upward through the vessels
Spray Cycles before condensing and cascading down the vessel walls. In order to confirm proper chemical
distribution, the chemistry should be exiting from both the top of the vessel with the steam, and
from the bottom of the vessel as condensate.
Applications within the energy industry The precise steam flow rates and combined chemical injection rates that are required are
determined during the detailed engineering and procedure generation process. Steam phase
• Large process vessels cleaning can target the removal of L.E.L.s, H2S, iron sulphide, ammonia and mercaptans.
• Reactors
• Exchangers
• Interconnecting piping
Gas filter—before and after decontamination
14 hydratight.com
We provide expertise in numerous areas of
engineering and procedure writing, including:
• Pre-commissioning cleaning
• Commissioning cleaning and testing
• Unit shutdown cleaning and inerting
• Hydrotest limits and drains/vents
• Piping turnover systems scope demarcation
• Reinstatement sequencing
Engineering
We believe that each of our clients face their own
unique set of challenges and that their needs can be
best met by providing innovative engineering solutions
to these challenges.
Hydratight engineers are knowledgeable and respected specialists within the
industry. We have engineered and managed numerous projects around the
world. Our engineers join the owner’s team at the front end to define the
pre-commissioning scope and responsibility matrix and then develop
procedures and packages for field execution. This can be extended to the
construction contractor either in the bid or construction phase.
Our engineers can work with your planners to gain a better understanding
of the project’s scope and to help improve scheduling.
hydratight.com 15
Our global network means that you can rely Email us at: [email protected]
on the right people, products, and services Or find your local representative at:
wherever you are in the world. hydratight.com/contact
Hydratight provides support
through service centres ( ) and
authorised representatives ( )
HT_BR_021_0616_UK
