Double block and bleed isolation

by Angus Bowie STATS, Aberdeen, UK

Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management Conference

Marriott Westchase Hotel, Houston, USA
8-9 February, 2012

Organized by Clarion Technical Conferences and Tiratsoo Technical and supported by The Professional Institute of Pipeline Engineers

Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

DoubleBlockandBl leedIsolatio on Theterm mDoubleBlockandBleedismostl yusedtode efinealevelofisolationp providedbyvalvesin a pipeline or proce ess system. The term is s used to describe a sa afe method of isolation n from a pressurised or hazardous mediu um to facilit tate breaching of the pr ressure syste em for main ntenance and m modifications. This termin nology is als so utilised to o identify the e relative int tegrity of te emporary isolation nsystems. Howeve er,althoughDouble Bloc ckandBleed disauniver rsallyusedte ermtospecif fyalevelofisolation, i thedefin nitionofthetermisbyno n meansun iversal.Forexample: The UK Health and Safety S Execu utive guidanc ce document t, The Safe Is solation of P Plant and Equipment, m cons sisting of an arrangemen nt of two defines double block and bleed (DBB) as a n isolation method blockva alveswithableed b valvelo ocatedinbe etween.

Figure1:DoubleBloc kandBleedDiagramTwoValves

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Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

Testing and monito oring the eff fectiveness o of the Isolat tion is specified in this guidance document tates(ref.art ticle165): whichst Prove t the integrity y of all isolat tion points o of an isolatio on scheme before b proce eeding with intrusive work(un nlessyourris skassessmenthasindica atedthatthe euseofnonprovedisola ationisaccep ptable): each part of the isolatio on should b be proved se eparately, e.g. prove eac ch valve in a double blockandbleedscheme; s be proved to th e highest pressure which can be e expected within the each part should systemdurin ngtheworkactivity where possi ible, each pa art of the iso olation should be proved in the direc ction of theexpected e pressurediff ferential

S Isolation n and Reinstatement ofPlant specifiies Double Block B and BP Guidance on Practice for Safe s: Bleedas Double Blo ock and Bleed consists of the clos sure of two block valve es in series with an intermediate bleed valv ve. The integ grity of both valves sha all be tested d separately and the onbetweenperiodic p integ . bleedvalvewillthenbeleftinthecl osedpositio gritychecks. Most other operators have similar specificat tions, howev ver there isan acceptan nce on many that the an be left op pen to accom mmodate ac cceptable up pstream valv ve leak rates s. Some even specify bleed ca the size of the vent t to ensure that t the acce eptable leak k rate will no ot generate pressure in the void nthevalves. between The BP Guidance th hen goes on n to explain which type es of single body valves can be assessed to providethesamelev velofisolatio on.

Figure2:SingleDoub bleBlockand dBleedValve eDiagram

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Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

The accepted requirement for such valves s is that bot th upstream and downs stream barri iers hold einthecorre ectdirection n.Examples sofsuchvalv vesaresuitablyspecified ddoublewed dgegate, pressure parallel expanding gate, g double e seating ba all valves etc c. Double piston seal ba all valves where the vides the dow wnstream po ositive seal, should notnormally be used and if they are cavity pressure prov yrequirespe ecificTechnic calAuthority yapproval. tobeusedthenthey

Figure3:SplitGate eDoubleBlo ockandBleed dValve stalarminguse u ofthetermdouble blockandbleediswher reitisusedf forambientisolation Themos tooling. This is commonly used in the USA and Canada a with refere ence to tooliing which is inserted o provide an ambient pr ressure vapo our barrier fo or welding. T These tools are a often inside open pipes to then relocated to lo ocally pressure test the w welds. These e tools have two seals a against the pipe p wall, ure test capa ability to con nfirm leak tig ght sealing.This T pressure e test doesnot n prove which have a pressu the isola ation against t any upstream pressure e for either seal. s Althoug gh this is a p perfectly safe e level of isolation nfortheambientisolatio onandaccep ptablewhere etheupstreamventisc apableofpr reventing any pres ssure build up u and safely y removing h hydrocarbon ns which flash off the pip pe wall / con ndensate, it is a dif fferent type of isolationand describiing it as Do ouble block and bleed ca an offer confusion to the unin nitiated. The e bleed ref ferred to is t the capability to bleed the upstream m through th he tool in muchof ftheliterature. Before w we can look k at how temporary iso olation tools s can be ass sessed to pr rovide an eq quivalent Double e Block and Bleed B Isolatio on we need d to define a consistentdefinition w which covers the high end intent while accommodat a ting the pra acticalities of o pipeline systems in which valv ves have acceptab bleleakrate es.

Proceedingsofthe2012Pipeline P Piggingand a IntegrityMa nagementconfe erence.Copyright t2012byClario onTechnicalCon nferences, TiratsooTec chnical(adivisio onofGreatSouth hernPress)andth heauthor(s). Allrightsreserve ed.Thisdocumentmaynotberepr roducedinanyfo ormwithoutperm missionfromthec copyrightowners s.

Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

DoubleBlockandBleedDefinition The baseline definition for incumbent valves is two valves, tested and proven to full line pressure in adirectionconsistentwiththerequiredisolationwiththevoidbetweenthemventedandmonitored for pressure rise. Although this is idealistic other than on brand new plant, it does form a starting pointforassessment. Theintentofthislevelofisolationisthatnosinglefailurecaninvalidatetheisolation. Failure (or inadvertent operation) of the primary valve would only allow pressure to enter the bled zone between the valves. The second valve would prevent any hydrocarbons (or other pipelinepressure)fromaffectingtheworksite. Failure (or inadvertent operation) of the secondary valve would only open the ambient void totheworksiteofferingnodirectrisk. Theprimary valvewould preventany hydrocarbons(orother pipelinepressure)fromaffectingtheworksite. The requirement for the secondary valve to be tested to verify the isolation capacity is key to ensuringthatanybypassoftheprimaryvalveisretained. The requirement for the void between the valves to be vented to ambient is necessary to ensure thatanypressurebuildupfromapassingprimaryvalvewillbedetectedandthatitcanbeventedto a safe area, whist being retained by the secondary valve. Preventing any hydrocarbons or pressure fromaffectingtheworksite. Thisisasimpleconceptwhichiscomplicatedbytherealityofplantdesignandvalvewear.Theresult isthatmostofthetimetwoleaktightvalvesarenotavailable. As a result some practical compromise is usually required when incumbent pipeline valves are used to provide double block and bleed isolation. The first part of this is the definition of acceptable leak rates on valves. Most operators have an acceptable leak rate criteria based on pipe diameter, pressure, and hazardous nature of the fluid being isolated. Other factors such as available vent capacityandevenfirefightingcapacitycanalsobeusedwhenassessingwhatleakratecanbesafely accommodated. With this compromise, the secondary valve (downstream) is tested using pipeline pressure to validate it is sealing within the documented acceptable leak rate. The void between the valves is vented and locked in to measure the primary valve (upstream) leak rate. Once the leak rates are accepted as within allowable levels, the bleed is opened to flare to ensure no differential pressurebuildsacrossthedownstreamvalve. Where a single valve is to be used to offer equivalent isolation, the same rules should be applied. Where the valve design energises both the upstream and downstream seals with the upstream pressure, the valve can be considered for double block and bleed. However the single modes of failurerequiretobeassessedtoensurethatsufficientsafeguardsareputinplacetomitigateagainst thesefailuremodes. One of the main single failure points is that a single actuator function can remove both the primary and secondary seals at once, it is critical that inadvertent or accidental operation of the valve

Proceedingsofthe2012PipelinePiggingandIntegrityManagementconference.Copyright2012byClarionTechnicalConferences, TiratsooTechnical(adivisionofGreatSouthernPress)andtheauthor(s). Allrightsreserved.Thisdocumentmaynotbereproducedinanyformwithoutpermissionfromthecopyrightowners.

Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

actuator r must be pr revented from occurring g , preferable e by removin ng or locking g the actuator, while theisola ationisinpla ace. Another r potential si ingle point fa ailure is the ball or gate. . With a sing gle double bllock and bleed valve, there is normally a single s closur re, with a sea al on either side. Howev ver the pipe is a single sk kin and a ange is simila ar to a gatewhich w is bolt ted in place, so this canbe mitigated d against byensuring blind fla thevalvedesignisto othesamefactorofsafe etyasablind d. As most t pipeline val lve seats are e pressure as ssisted, it is important th hat the valve e integrity istested in the corr rect direction n, although we still see too often th he valve cavity being de pressurised to check boththe eseatsofaDBB D valveatthesametim me. TemporaryIsolation nTechniques s There are many oc ccasions whe ere the incu umbent valves in a piping system a are not suff ficient to provide the required isolation and a the prac cticality of venting the pipeline p pres ssure does not n make that opt tion desirabl le or in som me cases eve en viable. An n example of f this is ESD DV maintenance on a subseag gaspipelinewhere w theve entingofsev veralhundre edkilometres sof40pipe eisnotviable e. Even wh here the pipe eline can bevented to a ambient, flash off from condensate o or pipe boredeposits needtobekeptawa ayfromtheworksite. w Tempora ary pipeline isolation ha as been per rformed by a variety of methods to o various de egrees of integrity y for decade es. The earliest isolatio on techniques were cru ude with lim mited capab bility and integrity y. Examples include a mu ud pack, wh ich needed the t pipe ven nted in order r to install, could c not beeffec ctivelytested dandwouldnotresistan nysubstantia alpressureth hatcouldbu ildfromflash.

Figure4 4:MudPackIsolation The abi ility to reta ain pressure e behind te emporary iso olation devices was fir rst attained d by the development of hot t tap installe ed line stop tools which use lip seal technology deployed th hrough a penetration,utilisingthe ebranchtop providearea actionforthe emechanica alrestraint.These T are branchp tradition nally deploye ed in conjunction with a gas bag. The e gas bag isused as a se econdary bar rrier with ableed betweenthe elinestopto ooland theb bag topreve entanypress surebuildup p.Thishowe everdoes atetodoubleblockandbleedisolatiionsincethe egasbagcan ntresistthe epipelinepre essureso notequa couldno otbecountedasasecondarybarrier .

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Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

Figure5:Lin neStopToolwithGasBag g Two line e stop tools in series wit th a vent be etween would be required for a dou uble block and bleed leveliso olation In the m mid 1970s, pi iggable mechanical plug s first came on the mark ket which of ffered double barrier isolation n in asingle isolation too ol. This isolat tion tool des sign utilisesa compressio on packer an nd wedge shaped locks to pro ovide the hig gh pressure seal and ax xial restraint. These plug gs were hydraulically er and stuffi ng box assembly allowin ng the tool t to be pigged into the operated, with a hydraulic tethe pressurisedpipeprio ortosetting. The com mpression se eals in relaxe ed condition comprise a ring whose outside dia meter offers s passing clearanc ce on the pipe p bore an nd an inside e diameter which matc ches the ou utside diame eter of a cylindric cal support ring r on the plug body. W When axially y compresse ed by the hy ydraulic cylin nder, the static se eal volume ca auses the se eal to expand d in the only free directio on i.e. radiallly out to con ntact the pipewall.Oncethesealis restra ainedbythe pipe bore,itisfullyrest trainedsofu urtheractivat tionload can no l longer cause e seal deform mation. This s additional actuation a load generate es rubber pre essure in thepack kerwhichim mprovestheseal s onthep pipebore.Th hispackerdesignsealson nthepipebo ore,front andbackcompressio onfacesand dthecylindri calsupportring. r Secure p plug locating g is provided by an array y of lock segm ments which h grip the pip pe bore with h a tooth profilem machinedint tothelockse egment OD. Thelock seg gmentshave eaconicalin nterfacebetw ween the lock ID a conical lock bowl. In the unset lo ocation, the locks lock bowl inter rface is exte ended so pulling t the lock seg gments down n to the loc ck bowl ramp with the associated a r reduction in the lock segment t OD. This en nsures the lo ock segment ts are held ra adially clearof the pipe b ging. The bore for pigg axial compression of o the plug by the hydr raulic cylinde er causes th he lock segm ments to run n up the conical r ramp of the lock bowl and engage w with the pipe e bore. Once e the pipe b bore prevents further lock mo ovement, fur rther actuation load gen erates a con ntact pressure with the pipe bore to o engage theteeth.

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Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

Themajoradvancein i thistechnologywasfa ailsafefeatures: SelfEne ergisation

Fi igure6:Isola ationPlugSelfEnergisatio on The geo ometric conf figuration of this tool de esign takes advantage a of o the isolate ed pressure to assist withthe eplugactivat tion.Theisolatedpressu ureactsonth heplugpress sureheadpu ushingittow wardsthe locks (fix xed point restraint). This s load acts in n the sameorientation o as the hydrau ulic actuation system ported by th and is su upported by y the compre ession seal. T The compres ssion seal isin itself supp he lock & lock bow wl assembly and being fully f restrain ned generate es rubber pr ressure with the additional load. Theejec ctionloadthenpassesth hroughthesh hallowconic caltaperofthelockbow ltogenerate earadial loadtof furtherenerg gisethelock kteethintot thepipewall. Anaxialloadbalance eoverthese ealshowsap pressureinte ensificationon o thesealr ubberpressu ure: FpEjec ctionLoad=PipelinePre essurexCros ssSectionalArea A ofPipe FsSealLoad=Seal lRubberPressurexCros sSectionalArea A ofSetSe eal BalanceofforcesFp p=Fs Note:Th hisislookingat a sealpressur reintensificat tionanddoesnottakeacco ountofHydrau ulicactuation npressure SealRubber rPressure=PipelineP Pressurex CrossSec ctionalAreao ofPipe CrossSectionalAreaof fSetSeal

owsthatastheisolatedpipeline p pres ssureincreas ses,therubb berpressure inthesealincreases Thissho byafact tor>1.Thisfactor f isdefinedbythes sealboreinthesealdesig gnandisnor rmallyinthe eorderof 1.5. The taper angle of the lock bo owl also can n be geometrically desig gned to gen nerate a rad dial force intensificationinasimilarpropo ortion. The resu ult of this design featur re is that the e isolation will w be maintained by th he isolated pressure, p even wi ith a total failure f of th he hydraulic system, providing a minimum m diff fferential pre essure is maintain nedacrossth heplug.This smakesthis isolationsystemfailsafe e.

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Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

PassiveUnset In the ca ase on loss of o hydraulics s, in the early y days this could c be caused by a hyd draulic tethe er failure, the plug gs were des signed to pa assively uns set when th he pressure differential is removed d. As the pipelinepressurecannormallynot n beremov ved,thispassiveunsetisachievedby yraisingthepressure o beachie vedwhenth hepipelinein ntegrityisres inboardoftheplug,whichcanonly stored. The earliest configu urations of th his plug desiign provided d a single co ompression s seal and use ed a high sealing pigging disc as the seco ondary seal. . The void between b the e compressio on seal end and the pigging disc was ve ented and monitored m f for pressure buildup. However H thi s would no ot pass a ion of double block and bleed isolat tion as the secondary s se eal was not pressure modern interpretati ratedto othefullpipe elinepressur re.

F Figure 7:DiagramandPh hotoofEarly ySingleSealIsolationPlu g The seco ond generat tion of this plug p design added a sec cond compre ession seal b between the e primary seal and d the lock bo owl. The two compressio on seals areseparated s by y an annulus s ring whichis ported through the hydrau ulic tether to o offer a bl eed and mo onitor capab bility. Both t these seals are fully edbythepip pelinepressu ureaswellas sthehydraulicactivation n. energise

Figure8: DualSealTecnoPlug These to ools have be een furtherdeveloped d ov ver the years s includingbeing b split in to separatemodules to assist with bend d complianc ce during piigging. In th he late 90s s remote co ontrol system ms were ced to remo ove the limit tations of th he hydraulic c tethers. Th hese increase ed the rang ge of the introduc isolation n plugs whic ch had prev viously been n limited to pipe end activities. a Th hey also rem moved a pressure elimitationwhich w wasba asedonthes stuffingboxrestriction.

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Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

There are two plug designs currently on the market, one with two lock and seal modules, each similartotheoriginaldesign,andtheotherbasedonthedualsealandsinglelockarray.Wewilllook at how the two designs compare to the Double Block and Bleed Isolation definition later in this document. STATS has also taken the isolation plug self energised, fail safe, seal design to develop a hot tap installed isolation tool which can be installed through a single hot tap penetration and offer the advantagesofboththemechanicalisolationplugandlinestoptooling. Theothermechanismwhichisusedfortemporaryisolationistheuseoffreezeplugs,wherealiquid optimally water inside the pipe is frozen, normally by the application of liquid Nitrogen. The solidifying process would generate an ice plug which both seals and grips the pipe. This isolation technique is attractive as it does not require full bore access to the pipe bore for installation and recovery, but does have some challenges, particularly the loading on the pipe from both the ice expansion and the cryogenic effect on pipe. There is also the asphyxiation potential with the Nitrogenevaporationandthepotentialtotallossofisolationifthecoolingsystemiscompromised. DoubleBlockandBleedIsolationTooling Double Block and Bleed is a valve definition, so all temporary isolation techniques and devices require to be risk assessed to validate that they offer an equivalent isolation level in the required application. In order to assess the comparison of isolation provided, we need first to identify the requirements. Temporary isolation techniques offer different challenges to valves so cant be assessed in a directly equivalentmanner. Valves are designed to be installed in pipes for many years and a high number of operations betweenmaintenance.Asaresulttheyarenormallyprovidedwithacceptableleakrateshigherthan thoseofanewvalve.This,resultsinminimumbleedcapacitiesbeingspecifiedwhereanopenbleed is used. The wear, erosion and corrosion associated with old valves can cause many concerns, although valves in good condition should always at a minimum provide a secure mechanical restraint. Temporary isolation devices on the other hand are not permanently connected to the pipework and can be inspected and tested immediately before use and tend to be maintained after very few operations. The seals can be replaced for every deployment so offering a consistent level of seal integrity. The only limitation on this is pipe bore condition where the temporary isolation device seals against. All the high pressure isolation devices identified here do apply some local stresses to thepipeatthesetlocationwhichneedtobeassessed. Theabilityoftheisolationintegritytobemonitorediscriticalinthetemporaryisolationassessment. With valves, where an open bleed is used, the monitoring of the isolation is minimal, as a rise of pressurewouldindicatealossofcontrolovertheisolationratherthananindicationofdeterioration of either the primary barrier or vent capability. The high specification of the BP requirement above, withthebleedlockedinwillofferthefullmonitorbutmaynotbeviablewithvalveleakrates.
Proceedingsofthe2012PipelinePiggingandIntegrityManagementconference.Copyright2012byClarionTechnicalConferences, TiratsooTechnical(adivisionofGreatSouthernPress)andtheauthor(s). Allrightsreserved.Thisdocumentmaynotbereproducedinanyformwithoutpermissionfromthecopyrightowners.

Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

The independence of control systems to ensure no single operation could invalidate both barriers, which is a cause for concern in the single double block and bleed valve, must be addressed in the assessmentoftemporaryisolationdevices. Accidental operation, which causes restrictions in the use of ESDV valves in double block and bleed, is easier to control in temporary isolation systems since they tend to be independent of automated plantsystems,howeverneedstobecoveredinariskassessment. Whereassessingtheintegrityofanisolation,wethereforeneedtoassessthefollowing: Twoindependentbarriers Abilitytotestbothbarriersinthecorrectdirectiontoverifytheisolationintegrity Any single failure modes are understood and addressed. E.g. single bulkheads such as in doubleblockandbleedvalves Bleedlimitations Monitoringcapability Sealintegrity Restraintintegrity Exposuretosingleseal Stabilityofisolationunderunstableloadingfrompressurefluctuations Effectonthepipingsystem

TheseareallassessedinitiallyinaFMECAforthetoolingthenaHAZIDonthedeploymentforSTATS suppliedequipment. This paper will look at the STATS Tecno Plug and BISEP in detail then compare with alternative technology. TecnoPlug The current Tecno Plug is derived from the dual seal tethered isolation plug deployed by TecnomarineSystemssincethemid1980s.Thebasicconceptisfortwocompressionsealsmounted in series outboard of a taper lock array. There are several configurations from single to triple module with the multi module configurations being connected by structural ball joints. The basic loadingandoperationisthesameforallvarieties.

Proceedingsofthe2012PipelinePiggingandIntegrityManagementconference.Copyright2012byClarionTechnicalConferences, TiratsooTechnical(adivisionofGreatSouthernPress)andtheauthor(s). Allrightsreserved.Thisdocumentmaynotbereproducedinanyformwithoutpermissionfromthecopyrightowners.

Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

F Figure 9:Rem moteControllTecnoPlug inPiggingConfiguratio on designedtobesetin Themos stcompactplug p isthesin nglemodule edualsealTe ecnoPlug.Thisplugisd tight spaces, e.g. between two o valves or b between a pig trap valv ve and prod duction tee to allow aintained wh hile the valv e maintenan nce is progre essed. This p plug can how wever, be production to be ma round3Dben ndssocanalsobeusedf forlongdista ancepigging jobs. piggedr The sing gle module Tecno T Plughas two com mpression se eals in series, supported by an arrayor 6 or 8 lock seg gments array yed around a single loc ck bowl. The e advantage of arraying the conting gent lock segment ts in a single e array is tha at both seals are fully energised by th he differentiial across the e plug. In this con nfiguration, the t loading across the p plug from th he differentia al pressure w which energ gised the sealsandlocksdoes snotchangewithachang geinannuluspressure,unlike u thealt ternativedesignwith ngs. twoseparatelockrin The Tec cno Plug is s normally deployed d wit th a remote e control sys stem which comprises a control module pigged in with w the plug g that sets a nd monitors s the plug under instruc ctions communicated all with ELF communicat tions. The as ssessment of the isolatio on integrity needs to through the pipe wa oththeisolat tionplugand dcontrolsys stem. coverbo When deployed, the e isolation plug is hydrau ulically activ vated by the control mod dule. This ca auses the internallymountedhydrauliccyl linderinthe TecnoPlug tocontract tsosettingt thelocksand dsealsto createth rrier.Onceth heplugisco onfirmedasset, s thepress sureinboard d(portionof thepipe heinitialbar to be iso olated) is vented genera ating a press sure differential across th he plug mod dule. As the pressure differential is applie ed, the trapp ped fluid in t the annulus between the e seals is com mpressed du ue to the mpression. The other effect is that th he hydraulic pressure inthe actuatio on system dr rops. The seal com remainin ng hydraulic c set pressur re once the pipe is fully vented is lo ocked in by p pilot operate ed check valvesto oensureitis smaintained,evenwithllossofpowe erinthecont trolmodule.

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Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

Figur re10:Tecno oPlugSealVerificationCycle v the T Tecno Plug secondary barrier b is tes sted in situ to t above Once inboard pressure is fully vented the pipe eline pressur re in the correct orientat tion. This pro oves the inte egrity of the e secondary seal. The annulusisthenvent tedtothetailpressurea andlockedin n.Thisallows stheprimary ysealtobetested t to though the annulus will settle at a few f bar abo ove the small volume the full differential pressure. Alt (~3 litre es for a 30 ) plug combined with the low pressure (~5 bar/ ~70 ps si) does not t offer a substant tialrisk. The isolation is then n monitored d for an exte ended period prior to breaching b the e pipe integ grity. The standard dperiodis12hoursforahighpressu ureisolation. .
Proceedingsofthe2012Pipeline P Piggingand a IntegrityMa nagementconfe erence.Copyright t2012byClario onTechnicalCon nferences, TiratsooTec chnical(adivisio onofGreatSouth hernPress)andth heauthor(s). Allrightsreserve ed.Thisdocumentmaynotberepr roducedinanyfo ormwithoutperm missionfromthec copyrightowners s.

Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

This offers the closest monitoring to the valve scenario. Both barriers are proven insitu to full pipelinepressureandthevoidbetweenthesealsisbledtoambientandlockedinformonitoring.As the isolation plugs offer high integrity sealing, this annulus pressure is not anticipated to require venting during the isolation. However, if the annulus pressure did rise, then the loading on the seal would be unchanged and the system has already been tested to the secondary seal loading so does notgooutsidethetestedcondition. Once the isolation certificate is issued, the control system is put in watchdog mode which automatically monitors the Tecno Plug sensors and transmits changes to alert the operator. The plug will not accept any command which will change the status while in watchdog which locks the system from inadvertent operation. The hydraulic unset is also limited and high pressure isolations cantbeunsethydraulicallywithoutequalisingthepressurefirst. Singlefailure assessmentofthisplugistotheextent thattheoutboardmonitorisprotectedby a shuttlevalvetoprotectfromaleakingfitting. ComparingthistotheDoubleBlockandBleedCriteria: Both primary and secondary seal are capable and tested to the pipeline pressure in the correctdirectionduringthedeployment Annulus between the seals is vented and locked in minimising exposure from loss of secondarysealintegrity Effect of the loading on the pipe is well understood and engineered for the application. All plugsaretestedinequivalentpipetoHydrotestpressures Both seals and the locks are fully activated by the differential pressure and by hydraulic activationpressure.Twototallyindependentactuationsystems Controlsystemlockedfrominadvertentoperation Automatic monitor of outboard pressure, inboard pressure, annulus pressure, hydraulic set pressure, hydraulic unset pressure. These sensors would give advance notice of any change ofstatusinthesystem.Thereistheabilitytointerveneinacontrolledmannerifrequired

LookingattheFailureModes: The pressure head is a steel disc similar in design to a blind flange with the design to 1.5 times the isolationplugdesignpressure.AsthestandardTecnoPlugworkingpressureisinexcessof3000psi andmostdeploymentsarelessthan2000psi,thenthisoffersadditionalcontingency.Everyisolation tool is tested in similar pipe to the code hydrotest pressures prior to deployment. This compares to valvegateswhichonlyrequirea1.1timesMAOPtestpressure. The front compression seal is the primary barrier. This seal is held activated by both the differential pressure and hydraulic set pressure, both of which would require to be lost to invalidate the activation. Failure modes assessed are a leak developing and a catastrophic loss of seal. These are highly unlikely events, however the consequences need to be assessed. A leak past the primary seal would only restore the annulus pressure to the prevented plug status which had already been
Proceedingsofthe2012PipelinePiggingandIntegrityManagementconference.Copyright2012byClarionTechnicalConferences, TiratsooTechnical(adivisionofGreatSouthernPress)andtheauthor(s). Allrightsreserved.Thisdocumentmaynotbereproducedinanyformwithoutpermissionfromthecopyrightowners.

Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

tested. The secondary seal is proven as a full barrier. The Tecno Plug control system allows controlled venting of this pressure if required. A catastrophic failure of the primary seal could allow movement of the pressure head towards the taper locks. The Tecno Plug is therefore designed to accommodate this movement to the extent of the full loss on the primary seal rubber volume. However, additional to this defence, the seal would not extrude onto the pipeline pressure as the pipeline pressure is acting against it. Extrusion towards the secondary seal would be limited by the free volume around the annulus ring so a full seal loss is not possible. The plug design has however beendesignedtoaccommodatetotallossofthisseal. The annulus ring is a solid steel plate under compression which is supported across the surface with thecompressionsealsandisdesignedofsufficientthicknesstoretainrigidity. The rear compression seal is the secondary seal. This seal activation is maintained by both the differential across the plug and the hydraulic set pressure, whether there is pressure between the seals or not. The seal is tested as part of the Tecno Plug deployment and held during the isolation with minimal pressure locked in the annulus. This seal is assessed for two failure scenarios. Firstly a leak developing. A leak in this seal would be identified by the loss of the small pressure in the annulus.Thesmallvolumeandpressureminimisesthepotentialhazard.Thesecondhazardassessed is the catastrophic loss of the secondary seal. Like the primary seal the Tecno Plug stroke is designed to accommodate this movement. However like the primary seal, the seal movement is limited. For the seal to move forward into the annulus, the limited free annulus volume would prevent seal loss. If the seal moved backwards, the movement would be limited by the locks. Hence thecatastrophicsealfailurealsoprotectedagainstbythenatureofthedesign. The lock bowl is a solid steel ring designed to take the full test pressure in a similar manner to the annulusringandpressurehead. The taper lock segments have more than 100% contingency arrayed around the lock bowl. This ensuresthateccentricpipesurfacedegradation(e.g6oclockcorrosion)canbeaccommodated.The locks are fully engaged by both the hydraulic set pressure and the differential pressure across the plug in a similar manner to the seals. These locks are tested to the full pressure during the isolation plug deployment and the loading from the differential pressure is constant with pipeline pressure. The alternative of axially separating the contingency locks, placing a set between the seals, would resultintheloadingonthelockgripchangingiftheannulusbetweenthesealschangesofferingthe potential on an untested condition being generated during an isolation. STATS have assessed this riskasbeingmorehazardousthanasinglefullytestedandstablegrip. TecnoPlugshavebeenacceptedbymostmajoroperatorsoverthelast20years.

Proceedingsofthe2012PipelinePiggingandIntegrityManagementconference.Copyright2012byClarionTechnicalConferences, TiratsooTechnical(adivisionofGreatSouthernPress)andtheauthor(s). Allrightsreserved.Thisdocumentmaynotbereproducedinanyformwithoutpermissionfromthecopyrightowners.

Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

TecnoPlugExamp ples In2001Tecnomarinedeployeda40remote eplugforSta atoil,isolatin nga110bar gaspipeline e,800km allowaweld dedinESDVvalve v tobes strippedandmaintained.Thiswasth hefirstremo oteTecno longtoa Plug deployment and a was pre eceded by a 3 day HAZO OP to assess the risks. As s a result of this first mentStatoilisolated i 2further40exp portlinesthefollowingyear. y deploym

Figure11:Remote PlugBeingLoaded L intoPig P Trap Oneoft thechallenge esintheoiland a gaspipe elineindustry yistheprese enceofHydr rogenSulphideinthe pipeline medium. The T presenc ce of H2S iin the pipeline fluid greatly incre eases the risks. The uences of eve en a small le eak can prov ve fatal. STAT TS standardTecno T Plugs are design ned to be consequ NACE co omplaint, pro oviding the correct sealiing packer material m is us sed. STATS a are working in Qatar, where the sour content can be measured in n several pe er cent instea ad of ppm. H Here we use e a HNBR ecifically des signed for so our service a and have iso olated 38 and 36 pipe elines for tw wo of the seal spe major o operators. We W had to qualify the s eals for 9% hydrogen sulphate. s In this applica ation the minimisingofthepr roductretain nedbyasing glesealisanimportantfa actormaking gtheTecnoPlugan obviouschoice.

Figure12 2:38Tecno PlugafterSourGasDe eployment

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Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

BISEPBranchIns stalledSelfEnergised E Plu ug TheBISE EPistheDouble BlockandBleedli nestoptoolwhichhasbeen b develop pedby STATS.Ituses TecnoPlugsealsmounted m onasphericalh eadtoprovidethedualbarrierisolat tion.

Fig gure13:BISE EP EPoffersal llthedualse ealadvantage esofaTecno oPlugbutwithsomea additionalfea atures. TheBISE Thepressure ehead,prim marysealann nulusringandsecondarysealoperate einasimilar rmanner totheTecno oPlug. The BISEP is howeverinstalled thro t penetration so instea ad of the tap per locks, ough a hottap ed by two so olid clevis arms, a each of o which can n resist the full test the BISEP is restraine pressure. The BISEP also has a secondary leak tight pressure p hea ad mounted d to the rea ar of the secondaryse eal. The BISEP had permanent hydrau ulic connection through the launche er. This wou uld allow s ventingofanyprima ass. continuoussafe arysealbypa TheBISEPcanaccomm modateback pressuretotestthecom mpletedpipe ework. The BISEP can be utilis hot tap fittin sed in conjun nction with a Tecno Plug g to allow h ngs to be hehazardof weldingontolivelinesand a thelong termsecurit tyofsplit removedsoremovingth weldedfittin ngs.

STATS h have develop ped a system m, first used d to remove an 18 dead leg for BP P in the UK, where a mechanical hot tap clamp is used to provid de a cold wo ork branch. The clamp iis a dual sea al variety ssembly on the t pipe to be pressure e tested. A hot h tap mac chine and va alve then which allows the as generate esapenetrationinthepipe p forthed deploymentoftheBISEP. The BISE EP is then deployed to provide dou uble block and bleed isolation so fac cilitating the removal of the dead leg. Onc ce the deadleg is remov ved, a tempo orary launcher complete e with Tecno Plug is attached d and pressu ure tested ag gainst the ba ack of the BISEP. Thisnew n verified boundary al llows the BISEP to be remov ved leavingaccess a to dep ploy the Tecno Plug. Th he Tecno Plu ug is thendeployed d rdofthemec chanicalhottapclampan ovideDouble eblockandb bleedisolatio on. outboar ndsettopro Theclam mpandpipewithhottap ppenetratio ncanthenbe b removedunder theTe ecnoPlugisolation. i In the 18 applicatio on there was s a flange br reak immediately on the e 36 by 18 tee allowing g a quick manentsolu ution.ThisTe ecnoPlugw wasdesigned dwithamec chanicallock k andretentio onwhich andperm

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Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

allowed the plug to be abandon ned in the b ranch and blinded behin nd it. The len ngth of the plug was dtofillthebranch b soeff fectivelyrem movingthede eadleg. designed

Figur re14:BISEP Deployme entDuringTe esting

Figu ure15:BISEP PIsolatingP PipelineOnSitewithDeadLegCutA Away The whole operatio on was cond ducted unde er cold wor rk conditions with doub ble block an nd bleed nthroughout t. isolation BISEPa andTecnoPlugsealsareratedfor leaktightop peration.The epicturebelo owshowsaBISEP headwh heretheseal lswereseton o hottapsw warfandatta ainedaleaktight t seal.Th heswarfcanclearly beseenontheBISEP Pseals.

H TapSwar rf afterSuccessfulSetonHot Figure16:BISEPHeada

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Pip pelinepiggingandintegrityma anagementcon nference,Houst ton,February2 2012

The com mpetitive design with tw wo lock and seal module es required half the pip peline pressu ure to be trapped between the seals. Op perationally this makes testing bot th seals in s situ to full pressure impracti ical. The loa ading on eac ch module w will also cha ange as the pressure be etween the modules changes s,potentially ytoanuntest tedconditio n.

Figure17:CompetitionDe esignwithTw woLockandSealModule es The volu ume betwee en the modu ules at half the pipeline e pressure (O Orange in sk ketch) is sign nificantly largerth hantheTecn noPlugand disonlyisola atedfromthe eworksitebyasinglesea al.
ug&BISEP areTradeMarks M ofSTATS S(UK)Ltd TecnoPlu

Proceedingsofthe2012Pipeline P Piggingand a IntegrityMa nagementconfe erence.Copyright t2012byClario onTechnicalCon nferences, TiratsooTec chnical(adivisio onofGreatSouth hernPress)andth heauthor(s). Allrightsreserve ed.Thisdocumentmaynotberepr roducedinanyfo ormwithoutperm missionfromthec copyrightowners s.

Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

Isolationsystem
Dualvalveand bleed

Primarybarrier capability
Blockvalve potentialforminor leakrate dependanton valveservice history

Primaryseal test
Bleedbetween valvescanbeused forafullservice testattimeof isolation

Secondary Secondaryseal barriercapability test

Blockvalve potentialforminor leakrate dependanton valveservice history Pressurisingthe voidbetweenthe valvestopipeline pressurecan provesecondary valve

Bleed/monitor description
Bleedvalveand monitorbetween thevalvesoffers theopportunityto bleedthevoidto flareandlockin formonitoring. Alsooptionto openthebleedto flaretoprevent pressurebuildup. Bleedvalveand monitorofvalve cavityoffersthe opportunityto bleedthevoidto flareandlockin formonitoring. Alsooptionto openthebleedto flaretoprevent pressurebuildup. Bleedvalveand monitorofvalve cavityoffersthe opportunityto bleedthevoidto flareandlockin formonitoring. Alsooptionto openthebleedto flaretoprevent pressurebuildup.

Controlsystem isolation
Controlvalvesto isolated.Block valvestobelocked ortagged

Comments
High levelof isolationbut requires incumbentvalves inthesystemto beavailableand operatingwithin required acceptance criteria. Highlevelof isolationbut requires incumbentvalvein thesystemtobe availableand operatingwithin required acceptance criteria. Highlevelof isolationbut requires incumbentvalvein thesystemtobe availableand operatingwithin required acceptance criteria.

Singlesplitgate valve

Sealonoutboard slab.Actuationon thetaperofthe splitactivatesthe sealsonotreliant onpressure energisation

Bleedonvalve cavitycanbeused forafullservice testattimeof isolation

Floatingslabvalve withpistonsealon theoutboard

Pistoneffectseal ontheoutboard sideoftheslab providespressure energisedseal whilevalvecavityis vented.Spring activationofthe sealonlywherethe valvecavityisat pipelinepressure

Bleedonvalve cavitycanbeused forafullservice testattimeof isolation

Sealoninboard slab.Actuationon thetaperofthe splitactivatesthe sealsonotreliant onpressure energisation, howeverpressure actingonslab offersadditional energisation Sealoninboard slab.Pressure actingonslab offersmainseal energisation.Seal remainsenergised independentof thevalvecavity pressure

Pressurisingthe valvecavityto pipelinepressure canprove secondaryseal

Singlevalve actuationmustbe mechanically lockedorisolated fromtheactuator toprevent inadvertent operation

Pressurisingthe valvecavityto pipelinepressure canprove secondaryseal

Singlevalve actuationmustbe mechanically lockedorisolated fromtheactuator toprevent inadvertent operation

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Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

Ballvalvewithdual Pistoneffectseal pistoneffecton ontheoutboard inboardseal sideoftheball providespressure energisedseal whilevalvecavityis vented.Spring activationofthe sealonlywherethe valvecavityisat pipelinepressure Standardtrunion Pistoneffectseal ballvalve ontheoutboard sideoftheball providespressure energisedseal whilevalvecavityis vented.Spring activationofthe sealonlywherethe valvecavityisat pipelinepressure STATSslabgate Sealoninboard valvewithdual slab(outerof2 inboardseals concentricseals). Pressureactingon slaboffersmain sealenergisation. Sealremains energised independentofthe valvecavity pressure

Bleedonvalve cavitycanbeused forafullservice testattimeof isolation

Bleedonvalve cavitycanbeused forafullservice testattimeof isolation

Doublepiston usedonthe inboardsealto energisetheseal withthevalve cavitypressure. Pistonwillalso workinreverse withinboard pressureactivating theseal. Inboardseatis onlyenergisedby inboardpressure socanbeusedfor verificationif primaryseal,but notsecondary barrier

Pressurisingthe valvecavityto pipelinepressure canprove secondaryseal

Ventvalvecavity withpipeline pressureonboth sidesofthevalve.

Bleedvalveand monitorofvalve cavityoffersthe opportunityto bleedthevoidto flareandlockin formonitoring. Alsooptionto openthebleedto flaretoprevent pressurebuildup. Bleedvalveand monitorofvalve cavityoffersthe opportunityto bleedthevoidto flareandlockin formonitoring. Alsooptionto openthebleedto flaretoprevent pressurebuildup.
Smallvolumebetween thesealsoffersavery sensitivemonitor.This isatemporaryvalve usedforhottappingso sealsarechanged regularlyofferingleak tightsealing.Annulus canbepressurised eitherexternallyor withpipelinepressure. Abilitytobleedpassing sealislimiteddueto smallvolume.

Singlevalve actuationmustbe mechanically lockedorisolated fromtheactuator toprevent inadvertent operation

Highlevelof isolationbut requires incumbentvalvein thesystemtobe availableand operatingwithin required acceptance criteria. Providessingle provenblock isolation

Singlevalve actuationmustbe mechanically lockedorisolated fromtheactuator toprevent inadvertent operation

Bleedbetween thesealscanbe usedforafull servicetestat timeofisolation

Sealoninboard slab(innerof2 concentricseals). Pressureactingon slaboffersmain sealenergisation. Sealremains energised independentof thevalvecavity pressure

Pressurisingthe annulusvoid betweentheseals toorabovethe pipelinepressure offersfullseal verification

Differential pressureacross thevalve generatesfriction sufficientto preventvalve operation. Howeverisolation ofactuation systemis mandatory.

Notsuitablefor permanent installationdueto sensitivitytoseal damagewhich couldprevent isolationbeing achieved.

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Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

TecnoPlug configuration

Compressionseal maintainedbothby selfenergisation fromfullDPacross theplugand hydraulics

Bleedbetween thesealscanbe usedforafull servicetestat timeofisolation

Compressionseal maintainedboth byself energisationfrom fullDPacrossthe plugand hydraulics

Pipelinepressure trappedbysetting sequenceallows fullservicetestat timeofisolation

Smallvolumeheld justabove ambientand continuously monitored

Controlsystem actuationsystemis electronically lockedbythe watchdogfunction. Unsetsystemis loadlimitedto ensureDifferential pressurerequires tobelowtoallow unsetting. Notknownto STATS

Alternativeremote isolationplug configuration

Compressionseal withindependent lockring maintainedbothby selfenergisation fromhalfDPacross theplugand hydraulics

Bleedbetween thesealslimited tomaintainDP acrossthe secondarymodule canbeusedfora partialservicetest attimeof isolation.Fullseal testperformed priorto mobilisation

Compressionseal maintainedboth byself energisationfrom halfDPacrossthe plugand hydraulics

Sequentialsetting oftheplug modulescould allowfullservice testattimeof isolation

Significantvolume heldathalfthe pipelinepressure. Pressurelockedin andmonitoredfor fluctuation

Singlearrayof locksisfullytested totheisolated pressureand loadingisnot effectedbythe pressurevariation betweentheseals. Zeroenergyzone outboardof secondarysealin normaloperation Fluctuationsin pipelinepressure orbetweenseal annuluspressures canchangethe plugstatusduring isolation(post test)e.g.lowering ofpipeline pressurecould backpressure primaryseal.A lossofintegrityin secondaryseal wouldboth contaminatethe worksitewiththe trappedannulus contentsand applyanuntested loadtothe primarymodule.

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Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

BISEP

Compressionseal maintainedbothby selfenergisation fromfullDPacross theBISEPand hydraulics

Bleedbetween thesealscanbe usedforafull servicetestat timeofisolation

Compressionseal maintainedboth byself energisationfrom fullDPacrossthe BISEPand hydraulics

Pressurecanbe appliedtothe annulusbetween thesealshigher thanthepipeline pressureto performfulltest onthesecondary seal Bleedbetween thelipsealand thegasbag

Smallvolumeheld justabove ambientand continuously monitored.Also optiontoopenthe bleedtoflareto preventpressure buildup. Separatehottap providesbleedfor monitoring.Bleed canbeopenedto safelocationto preventpressure buildupbetween linestopandbag

LineStoptoolwith gasbag

Pressure competentLipseal leaktight~90%. Energisedby pipelinepressure

Bleedbetween thelipsealand thegasbag

Gasbag not pressure competent.

Weldtesttool

Mechanicallyor hydraulically actuated compressionseal notenergisedby pipelinepressure

Dualgasbag

Inflatedgasbag

Pressuretest betweenseals provesseal integrity.Tool axialrestraintis howeverlimited tocontactfriction andsolimited capability Pressuretest betweengasbags provesseal

Mechanicallyor hydraulically actuated compressionseal notenergisedby pipelinepressure

Inflatedgasbag

Pressuretest betweenseals provesseal integrity.Tool axialrestraintis howeverlimited tocontactfriction andsolimited capability Pressuretest betweengasbags provesseal

Bleedinthis normallyrefersto anopenbleed throughthetool whichisusedto preventpressure buildupoutboard ofthetool

Pressuremaintained betweenthegas bagswithinertfluid ensured hydrocarbon vapoursdonotpass.

Controlsystem actuationsystem Hydraulically locked.Unset systemisload limitedtoensure Differential pressurerequires tobelowtoallow unsetting. Isolatedpressure lockstoolinplace. Retractionsystem isnormallynot capableof recoverywithout pressure equalisation.Gas baginflation lockedin Mechanical/ hydrauliclockfor activation. Openventfor bleed

Dualclevisarms offerfull redundancyinthe axialrestraint. Zeroenergyzone outboardof secondarysealin normaloperation.

Singleproven isolation

Singleproven isolationfor ambient operation.

Lockinofgasbag pressure

Requiredambient isolationwith separateopen vent.

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Pipelinepiggingandintegritymanagementconference,Houston,February2012

Singlegasbag

Inflatedgasbag

None

None

None

none

Lockinofgasbag pressure Noisolationof controlsystem feasible.Failureof activecontrol systemwillresult infailureof isolationpossible catastrophic failure. Mudpackrequires tobemanually removeror displacedwith pipelinepressure. Nocontrolsystem tolock Gelplugsdesigned tomeltin production thereforeno controlsystem lockingrequired.

Freezeplug

Liquidplugfrozen insidethepipe. Requires continuouscooling tomaintain isolation

Pressuretest acrosstheplug

None

None

Candepressurise theinboardvoid forservice pressuretest.

Offerssingle unprovenambient isolation. Normallyusedin conjunctionwitha secondarysystem e.g.singlevalveto provideamore robustisolation.

Mudpack

Pipeendfilledwith mudtoprevent hydrocarbons reachingworksite

None

None

None

none

Singleuntested ambientseal.

Gelplug

Piggablegelslug providesambient barrier

None

Piggablegelslug providesambient barrier

None

None

Notsuitablefor warmclimates.

Proceedingsofthe2012PipelinePiggingandIntegrityManagementconference.Copyright2012byClarionTechnicalConferences,TiratsooTechnical(adivisionofGreatSouthernPress)andtheauthor(s). Allrightsreserved.Thisdocumentmaynotbereproducedinanyformwithoutpermissionfromthecopyrightowners.