Re-lined pipe technique for wear mitigation in slurry transport pipeline

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus, including a pigging tool, that comprises a spraying mechanism configured to move along an inner surface of a pipeline, including a slurry transport pipeline in a minable oilsands facility or plant, and to spray a coating on the inner surface of the pipeline; and a curing source, including an ultraviolet (UV) light source, a microwave source or an RF source, configured to cure the coating sprayed on the inner surface of the pipeline in situ as the spray mechanism moves along the inner surface of the pipeline.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims benefit to provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 548,492, filed 18 Oct. 2011 (WFVA / CiDRA Nos. 712-2.362 / CCS-0066), which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of Invention[0003]This invention relates to a technique for wear mitigation in a pipeline; and more particularly to a method and apparatus for re-lining a slurry transport pipeline for wear mitigation.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]To overcome the significant wear that can occur in pipelines carrying slurry materials, particularly as in the mineable oil sands industry, many producers are adopting ‘lined’ carbon steel pipes in the most aggressive slurries, for example coarse tailings These steel pipes are lined with materials such as urethane with other elastomers. For example, one known lined pipe, such as Iracore International's Irathane® lined pipe, combines a thin layer of rubber against the i...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a coating that is very resistant to wear and tear. This means that the coating can withstand a lot of use and still remain effective.

Problems solved by technology

While these materials provide good resistance to abrasion, and have projected lifetimes of 10 years, ultrasonic non-destructive examination (NDE) approaches to detecting the lining wear (wall thickness) may be compromised, and in some cases are not possible, due to the poor impedance discrimination between the steel and various liners (as compared to pipes having just steel).

Consequently, monitoring the wear rates and status of a lined pipe is both a challenge and a risk to the producer, as catastrophic failure can occur, e.g., if the liner wears to the point of reaching the carbon steel pipe, or if the liner is damaged and tears away from the outer steel pipe, exposing it directly to the abrasive slurry.

This type of failure can result in loss of containment which could have environmental and safety implications as well as introducing high opportunity costs due to lost production

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