IPLOCA New Technologies Award
COVER PAGE
HYDRO TEST WATER - CHEMICAL TREATMENT USING FREE ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS
SCPX – 48’’ PIPELINE – BP PROJECT (AZERBAIJAN – GEORGIA)
March, 2023
Saipem Classification G
- eneral Use
BUSINESS PROFILE
Saipem is a leading company in the engineering, drilling and construction of
major projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors, both offshore and
onshore. Saipem is “one company” organized into five business lines - Asset
Based Services, Energy Carriers, Offshore Wind, Sustainable Infrastructures,
Robotics & Industrialized Solutions. The company has 9 fabrication yards and an
offshore fleet of 29 construction vessels (of which 26 owned and 3 owned by
third parties and managed by Saipem) and 13 drilling rigs, of which 9 owned.
Always oriented towards technological innovation, Saipem is now committed to
supporting its customers to accompany them on the energy transition path and
Net Zero with increasingly digital means, technologies and processes geared
towards environmental sustainability. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, it is
present in over 70 countries around the world and employs over 30,000 people
of 130 nationalities.
FINDINGS
Saipem Classification - General Use
IPLOCA New Technologies Award
In the BP Project - SCPX pipeline across the Caucasus regions (Azerbaijan and
Georgia), completed by the end of 2018, during the studies of the hydrostatic
testing activities, has been evaluated how to optimize the water sources, as per
the below considerations:
• 48’’ pipeline – 490 Km long.
• No. 29 Hydrostatic Test Sections – 550.347 CM (cubic meters) of net volume
360.647 CM to be utilized.
• If no bio chemicals No. 5 Massive Water Ponds of 75.000 CM of
capacity to be build, with impact of 662.500 KgCO2eq of air pollutants,
and 360.647 CM of water to be disposed.
To be able to perform safely the hydrostatic test of the pipeline, was necessary an
optimized quantity of water, quantified in 360.647 CM.
At the end of the activities, it was planned to be disposed this amount of water
into various large evaporation ponds, built along the pipeline corridor. The
dispose was mandatory because there were no chemical conditions to reuse the
water, due to the chemicals mostly available in the market, with toxic components
for the environment. If there had been no environmental free chemicals for water
treatment process, we would have been constrained to let the water evaporate,
means thousand cubic meters of water that would be wasted.
SOLUTIONS
To avoid wasting this massive quantity of water, and to build these big water
evaporation ponds (that would be big shame, also in terms of environmental
impact, especially in terms of CO2 emission, during construction), has been
utilized during testing activities of the pipelines, an environmental free chemical,
with the peculiarity that was totally biodegradable, without leaving any traces in
the surrounding environment.
The chemical utilized was OXYGEN SCAVENGER (HYCOR OX 67), and BIOCIDE
(HYCOR SB) made by the manufacturer INTECNA, that is an Italian company
considered as an excellence in this field.
Saipem Classification - General Use
IPLOCA New Technologies Award
OXYGEN SCAVENGER (HYCOR OX 67): In detail the reaction between Dissolved
Oxygen and Oxygen Scavenger is practically complete so its final residual
concentration in the treated water at the end of the hydro-testing procedure will
be less than 0,1 ppm of Sodium Bisulphite which is the active substance of HYCOR
OX 67 products.
Sodium Bisulphite reacts with Oxygen and forms Sodium Bisulphate.
Sodium Bisulphate transforms itself in Sodium Sulphate by the reaction:
NaHSO4 + NaHCO3 ----> Na2SO4 + H2O + CO2
Furthermore, using SODIUM, based Oxygen scavenger and not AMMONIUM
based Oxygen scavenger, the limit of Ammonia in water discharge shall be
observed.
BIOCIDE (HYCOR SB): Environmental fate studies in a river water–sediment system
demonstrated that glutaraldehyde preferred to remain in the water phase [ref].
Glutaraldehyde is quickly degraded under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
The pseudo-first-order half-life of catabolism, based on the loss of glutaraldehyde
from the water phase, was 10.6 h (hours) aerobically and 7.7 h (hours)
anaerobically.
At pH 9, about 30% of the glutaraldehyde degraded over the same period. The
major degradation product was identified as 3-formyl-6-hydroxy-2-cyclohexene-
1-propanal, a cyclized dimer of glutaraldehyde.
Under aerobic conditions, glutaraldehyde was first bio-transformed into the
intermediate glutaric acid, which then underwent further metabolism ultimately to
carbon dioxide. Metabolism of glutaraldehyde under anaerobic conditions did not
proceed ultimately to methane but terminated with the formation of 1,5-
pentanediol via 5-hydroxypentanal as an intermediate.
In conclusion, in AEROBIC CONDITIONS, due to the wide assessed low
environmental toxicity of Glutaraldehyde, and quick environmental
biodegradation tested in OECD standard 301 and 306, and due to many previous
experiences, the water discharged into surface water does not have remarkable
environmental impact both for dilution and for fast biodegradation.
Saipem Classification - General Use
IPLOCA New Technologies Award
Literature reference for OECD degradation: CHALLENGING TRADITIONAL BIODEGRADATION
TESTS: THE BIODEGRADATION OF GLUTARALDEHYDE. (Douglas McIlwaine, Ph.D. Biocides,
Research & Development the Dow Chemical Company171 River Road Bound Brook, NJ 08854).
ACHIEVEMENTS
Being nontoxic chemical for the flora and fauna, this technology applied, was
able to give second life to the water that is already become a precious resource,
based on the following:
a) Safe discharge into the environment, as rivers/water courses.
b) The water was available, mainly to help the social communities for
agriculture irrigation, or other uses, like soil compaction/earth work,
construction activities, etc.
Saipem has chosen products suitable for the purposes and a partner who can
condition the water both in the hydraulic test phase, and in any subsequent
reconditioning, especially helping who really need this important resource
that it’s really shamed to be wasted.
Our client BP was really satisfied about the great result achieved in terms of
environmental protection and cost saving.
Finally, the certainty of having no environmental impact is guaranteed by very
effective upstream and downstream control grids.
Note: CO2 Emission has been calculated based on the following data: 10.000 hours of
usage of construction equipment x 25litres/hour of fuel consumption x 2.650 g of CO2 per
Liter of diesel =662.500 kgCO2eq. (The CO2 emissions from literature for the diesel are
equal to 2.650 g per liter of diesel consumed).
ATTACHMENTS
CHEMICALS DATA SHEETS
Hycor SB.pdf Hycor OX 67.pdf
Saipem Classification - General Use
