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com
Case Studies of Clock
Spring Repairs in Malaysia
Traditional methods of repairing defects within pipelines usually entail a key
ingredient - either a reduction or stop in production. This part of the repair
process incurs a huge amount of direct and indirect cost, time, planning (if
fortunate) and manpower. This article seeks to address various case studies of
using an alternative pipeline repair option composite repairs which in many
cases will allow the repair to be completed with the pipeline remaining in
operation and avoiding the time and cost implications of a system shutdown.
Technology
Technology
I
n recent years, numerous successes have been
achieved in improving the management and integ-
rity of pipe systems in refineries and offshore plat-
forms through the use of composite repairs.
Clock Spring was the first such composite system
to receive worldwide acceptance and has now over
20 years of in-service use and experience.
Composi t e r epai r
techniques are now
widely adopted and
have generated such
interest that guidance
documents have been
prepared by bodies
such as ASME and ISO
to support the appro-
priate design and use
of the composite re-
pair concept.
With many compos-
i t e r epai r pr oduct s
now avai l abl e i t i s
important the repair
technology chosen by
the operator meets the
engi neer i ng gui de-
lines, operating codes
and expected lifetime
parameters for the specific operation and repair
type. The difference between each type/category
of composite repair must be understood in order
for the operator to have a defined temporary or
permanent repair without jeopardising the integ-
rity of the operators asset and operation.
What is a
Composite Repair?
Composi t e repai rs
can generally be di-
vided into categories
shown below:
Clock Spring
Composite Repairs
Clock Spring com-
posite reinforcement
sleeves are designed to
reinstate the pressure
carrying capabilities of
all grades of API line
pipe back to the MAOP
for defects of up to 80%
metal loss, within these
parameters typically
there is not a maximum
upper pressure limit.
JULY-SEPT 2012 29
The Clock Spring composite sleeve materials derive
their strength from continuous strand E-glass fibres
aligned in a polyester resin matrix. Each sleeve is
manufactured in bespoke facilities under a recog-
nised and controlled quality assurance system.
This system gained regulatory approval and ac-
ceptance after an extensive 10 year R+D program
conducted under the auspices of the independent
Gas Research Institute in the U.S. to give proven
long term performance of the repairs. A 50 year life
for the repair was demonstrated to be realistic and
has been accepted by regulators for repairs on
high pressure transmission pipelines.
Application examples can be are shown in fig-
ures 1-4.
Contour
Contour is a hand applied wet lay up system used
for various complex geometries typically found
within pipework systems. Contour is a combination
of a high strength fibre glass fabric wetted on site
with a chemically resistant epoxy resin. These two
components are combined at site and hand applied
onto the substrate before the resin has cured.
The repair of pipework using wet applied com-
posite repairs is typically determined by an engineer-
ing assessment in accordance with current ASME
1
and ISO
2
design guidelines.
The following case studies detail various ap-
plications of Clock Spring composite repair solu-
tions in Malaysia.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
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Case 1
Offshore Malaysia
Splash Zone
Clock Spring Reinforcement Sleeve
A high pressure 8 riser had experienced extensive
corrosion with wall loss up to 82%, all located in the
splash zone area. The existing coating and neoprene
had failed allowing the seawater to interact with the
risers substrate causing severe corrosion. See figure 5.
An assessment on the suitability of Clock Spring was
made and found to be an acceptable repair.
The repair covering a total length of 6 metres of the 8
HP riser took a total accumulated time of 8 hours,
spanning 2 days.
The main challenge for the repair was to keep the
installers above the sea level. Repairs were therefore
installed during low tide utilising an underwater curing
adhesive which allowed the repairs to continue to cure
following the material installation and whilst the re-
pairs were submerged. See figures 5 to 10.
B31 Assessment Deepest Defect
Defect Depth (mm) 8.1
Defect Length (mm) ~250 mm
Wall Loss % 82%
Pristine Yield Pressure of the Pipe (Bar) 343.36
Failure Pressure of the Reinforced Pipe (Bar) 421.2
Reinforced Failure to pristine yield ratio 1.06
Suitability of Clock Spring Repair
Figure 5. The actual condition of the riser before work starts
Figure 6. The riser being grit blasted
Figure 7. Clock Spring being coiled onto the riser with the sea tide
fast rising
Figure 8. The tide rising fast barely minutes after installation
JULY-SEPT 2012 31
Case 2
Offshore Riser Repair
Cellar Deck
Contour System
An 8 high pressure riser had extensive corrosion
from the hanger support area to the cellar deck level
which entailed a total length of 7 metres. This involved
complex geometries such as bends.
Contour was chosen to repair this riser section.
With favourable weather conditions the installa-
tion activity was completed in one day by a Clock
Spring trained and certified contractor. See figures
11 to 19.
Figure 10. The Clock Spring repaired riser
Figure 9. A close up look at the Clock Spring installations
Figure 11. Before: Condition of the risers bend
Figure 12. Before: Close up view of the defects
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Figure 14. During: Impregnate
the fibres with epoxy resin
Figure 13. Before: Localised corrosions along the pipe
Figure 15. During: Wrapping the pipe with Contour
Figure 16. During: Putting on the final layers
Figure 17. After: The pipe after wrapped with Contour
Figure 18. After: The risers bend after wrapped with Contour
JULY-SEPT 2012 33
Case 3
Onshore Malaysia
Pipe Support
Pipe Support Sleeve
An onshore petro-chemical refinery experienced vari-
ous degrees of crevice and galvanic corrosion at their
pipe support areas. A total of 654 locations were iden-
tified to need repair and the operator was determined to
have a permanent repair solution.
A composite Pipe Support Sleeve was identified by
the operator as a suitable and proven solution.
The pipes in question ranged from 2 to 18 in diam-
eter. Each repair was installed within 15 minutes with a
full cure achieved within one hour.During the installa-
tion, the pipelines were live. Upon reaching full cure,
the repaired area was painted and reinstated back onto
the original support position. See figures 20 to 23.
Figure 19. After: The end of the Contour is protected with shrink sleeve.
Figure 20. Pipe Support: The pipe is lifted to allow
access for surface preparation
Figure 21. Pipe Support: The cleaned
pipe (ST3) is wiped with acetone
Figure 23. Pipe Support:
After curing, the pipe is rested back
onto the concrete support
Figure 22. Pipe Support: The Pipe Support sleeve installation is
allowed to cure for 2 hours
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Case 4
Onshore Refinery Repair
Girth Weld Corrosion
Clock Spring Girth Weld Kit
An 8 polypropylene line had suffered girth weld
corrosion with wall loss up to 50%. The defect is
located at 6 metres above ground on a module in the
refinery. Clock Spring was used to restore the pipe-
line back to its original design pressure.
The pipeline production was not stopped and only
2 personnel were needed to install the repair in less
than half a day.
The diagram below shows the stages of installa-
tion for a girth weld repair utilising the bridging
technique.
See figures 24 to 32 for the actual installation.
Figure 24. A typical girth weld corrosion
Figure 25. The girth weld after
surface preparation via ST3
Figure 27. Preparing the adhesives
Figure 26. Clock Spring
Girth Weld Repair kit
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Conclusion
Repairs to corrosion defects on pipelines and pipe
work can now be undertaken with confidence using a
range of composite repair solutions.
Repairs and protection of straights, elbows, bends,
tees, nozzles and other components has been com-
pleted with Clock Spring allowing for significant costs
savings as shutdowns are avoided.
Eliminating the need for any hot work, specialised
installation or heavy lifting equipment composite repair
solutions can provide significant health and safety
benefits when compared to traditional repair tech-
niques. Added to this are the benefits of the potential to
keep the system in operation and elimination of pro-
duction re-scheduling and planning.
The wide variety of composite repair architectures
now available has also expanded the use of the technol-
Figure 28. Apply high compressive strength (>8000psi) filler
which acts as load transfer agent
Figure 29. Installing the foundation coil
Figure 30. Tightening the foundation coil
Figure 31. The gap between 2 coils is filled with filler
Figure 32. A full sized Clock Spring
is then applied onto the two
foundation coils.
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ogy into a much wider theatre of operation to include
repairs to complex geometries, high temperature sys-
tems, shallow water repairs etc.
As such although composites are not the correct
repair choice for all situations as the above case
studies show a much wider area of repair applica-
tions can now be considered providing the operator
with a number of repair options which can be better
tailored to meet the overall need and environments
within which they are working.
References
1
ISO 24817 Composite Repairs for Pipework
Qualification and Design, Installation, Testing
and Inspection, December 2006.
2
ASME PCC-2 Repairs of Pressure Equipment and
Piping
This publication thanks Mr. Darren
Looi for providing this paper. He is
Clock Springs Asia Pacific Repre-
sentative. He has been involved in
the oil and gas industry for 10 years,
specifically in the pipeline industry. The past 10
years involvements are mainly in the in-line in-
spection (ILI) and composite pipeline repair. He is
a certified trainer for Clock Spring L. P. training
numerous operators and contractors alike in the
Asia Pacific region and sharing the knowledge.
PP