BASF resources

Perma-Pipe Oil & Gas

BASF recently collaborated with Perma-Pipe Oil and Gas, under contract to The Bayou Companies, to supply glass syntactic polyurethane (GSPU) insulation for the deepest subsea insulated flowline installed in the world to date. Perma-Pipe applied its Auto-Therm®GSPU "wet" insulation to fusion bonded epoxy (FBE) -coated pipe for the recent Perdido Development installation in the Gulf of Mexico, operated by Shell.

 

Installed up to a water depth of 9,627 feet, ELASTOSHORE®polyurethane technology was employed as part of the GSPU wet insulation to more than 15 miles of insulated flowline pipe. ELASTOSHORE polyurethane systems use a proprietary technology that results in a finished product with excellent temperature and hydrolysis resistance with very low water absorption.

 

Customized products from BASF enable Perma-Pipe to insulate pipe of various lengths and diameters with minimal adjustments to the process.

 

"BASF supplies 100 percent mercury-free formulations for GSPU technology worldwide," said Dr. Karl Gust, BASF Technical Market Manager. "We believe this is important in promoting environmentally friendly products and sustainability within the offshore market."

 

ELASTOSHORE polyurethane technology has been used in more than 100 miles of flowline insulation currently installed in the Gulf of Mexico. The material is sourced from BASF locations in North America, keeping logistics costs low. The BASF Polyurethane Specialties division worked closely with Perma-Pipe to develop customized products that fit their process.

 

"Flowline coating jobs of this magnitude require a strong supply chain from the chemical manufacturer," said Hank Reuser, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Bayou Flow TechnologiesPerma-Pipe Oil and Gas. "BASF delivered a high level of technical support and met a very demanding delivery schedule that was required for Perma-Pipe and Bayou to meet obligations with our clients."

 

Customized products from BASF enable Perma-Pipe to insulate pipe of various lengths and diameters with minimal adjustments to the process. With its process, Perma-Pipe can insulate pipe to double-jointed, 80-foot lengths rather than the conventional 40-foot lengths. This can provide significant cost-containment opportunities on field joint applications.