The storage vessel is installed.To increase production at its Minas Oil Field in Province Riau, Indonesia, Chevron turned to global engineering firm Technip to construct a system that maximises oil recovery. The system injects a low-cost, 'surfactant' fluid into designated wells. As fluid from the 'injector' wells floods the underground reservoir, oil is pushed towards a 'producer' well where pressure is increased to more easily extract the remaining oil.
A by-product of this 'flooding' is a highly corrosive brine solution that is extracted along with the oil. Technip’s system separates and stores the brine in a special tank until it is ready for the next step in the process.
On-site manufacturing
Because of the high heat and corrosive nature of the brine, it was necessary to construct the storage tank from a high-performance material. PT Graha Adhi Jaya Abadi FRP Engineering & Manufacturing (GAJAFIBERGLASS) of Jakarta made the cylindrical vessel on-site using filament winding.
The operation required precise control of the resin temperature, prior to winding, to prevent ambient heat from initiating a resin cure.
The process started with the application of an anti-corrosion liner made up of a resin-saturated surfacing veil onto a horizontal, cylindrical mandrel. The liner was backed with a structural laminate of resin-impregnated continuous fibreglass that was applied as the mandrel rotated.
The finished tank is 25 ft (7.6 m) in diameter by 16 ft (4.9 m) high and has a capacity of 1400 barrels (167,000 litres).
The AOC Vipel epoxy vinyl ester resin was supplied by distributor Nuplex Composites.
“We verified that Vipel F080 epoxy vinyl ester was suitable for containing brine solution at temperatures up to 210°F (99°C), which is a critical requirement for the tank,” reports Gunawan Karim of GAJAFIBERGLASS.