Gate valve replaced using customised mechanical head in a fire water cement line

Client	Major Petroleum company
Country	Qatar
Service Details	Our specialist hot tapping and line stopping service is a cost-effective way of enabling repairs, maintenance, modifications, or reconfiguration work on existing piping systems – on either a planned or emergency basis. Our solution prevents unwanted shutdowns and keeps critical piping and pipeline systems online during tie-ins, relocations, repairs, retrofits, and routine maintenance. Get in touch with us at enquiries@wellube.com

Summary of the Project:

Wellube has successfully completed hot tapping and line stopping with a customised mechanical head on a 16” line (which was connected to a 24” main line) and replaced the damaged 24” gate valve in the fire water cement line.

Client Requirement:

The client had a damaged 24” gate valve in their fire water tank line which needed to be replaced without interruption to the full firefighting system.

Challenges faced

• Complexity involving executing hot tapping on a cement lined pipeline
• As the valve was old, the removal of the old stud & bolts from the valve by hot bolting was also a concern

Unique Solution delivered

Wellube team visited the site and had discussions with the client to develop a customised solution considering the age of the pipeline which is over 20 years. Based on their inputs, we performed an inhouse mock-up test on a pipe sample provided by the client to confirm the ideal line stop operation for the cement pipeline. After the successful mock-up test, we modified our 16” mechanical head equipment to suit the cement lined pipe’s internal diameter. We also designed 3 different outside diameter elements for installing in the mechanical head. After completion of the hot tapping and removal of the coupon, we completely isolated the line with the modified mechanical head and hot bolting was performed to replace the damaged valve. The entire execution was done with utmost care to ensure a safe and successful valve replacement.

Benefits delivered

• Completed the project ahead of schedule
• Achieved 100% seal on the cement line
• Fully HSEQ compliant