Ethylene pipeline at a petrochemical site in northwest France.
A 3.1 km cold-service ethylene pipeline with 500 pipe supports was pre-insulated with Cryogel® Z on a compressed schedule — no icing post-startup, and a lower-than-expected temperature drop along the run.
3.1 km of cold conservation on a compressed schedule.
Long pipeline with 500 pipe supports and 50 fixing points — heat gain and icing were the operating risks.
- 3.1 km of cold conservation. On a 6-inch pipeline carrying ethylene.
- 500 pipe supports, 50 fixing points. Complex install geometry across the run.
- Compressed application schedule. Project timeline did not allow conventional sequential installation.
Pre-insulate with Cryogel® Z, including the pipe supports.
70 mm of Cryogel® Z in a layered system with secondary and primary vapor barriers, stainless steel jacketing, and Cryogel® pipe supports on all 500 rilco supports.
- 70 mm Cryogel® Z in a layered system. 30 mm + 20 mm + 20 mm, with secondary then primary vapor barriers.
- Cryogel® pipe supports. All 500 rilco supports built with Cryogel®.
- Validated by mockup demonstration. Full 12 m section insulated in 3 hours to win the spec.
- No icing observed post-startup. Pipeline operating below expected temperature drop.
Lower-than-expected temperature drop across the run.
Cryogel® Z and integrated Cryogel pipe supports delivered the design cold-conservation target with no icing observed post-startup and a temperature drop below the original estimate — operator’s thermal model was beaten by the installed system.
Long cold-service pipeline to insulate?
Cryogel® Z + Cryogel® pipe supports give you a system rather than a stack of components.