Onsite Nitrogen Generation for Oil & Gas Pipeline Operations
Oil and gas companies use pipelines to transport natural gas, oil-well effluent, produced water, sour natural gas, fuel gas, crude oil, freshwater, and sales-grade petroleum products. To maintain productive and safe operations, pipelines need to be inspected, dried, tested, and more. Onsite nitrogen generation is the best solution for these processes to ensure worker safety and pipeline integrity.
Pipeline In-Line Inspection Runs
In-line inspection runs are a critical component of pipeline maintenance, and we provide nitrogen-based solutions to facilitate these inspections. By propelling smart pigs through the pipeline using nitrogen, we help detect anomalies such as corrosion, dents, and other structural issues that could affect the pipeline’s performance.
These inspections are vital for ensuring that pipelines meet safety standards and continue to operate efficiently, preventing costly failures, and complying with regulatory requirements.
Onsite Nitrogen Generation for Pipelines
Pipeline Inerting
Canadian Nitrogen Services specializes in providing high-purity nitrogen for pipeline inerting, a critical process that creates a non-reactive environment within the pipeline. By replacing oxygen and other reactive gases, our onsite nitrogen generation services prevent combustion and oxidation, ensuring the pipeline is safe for operations, maintenance, or storage.
This method is particularly valuable in industries where oxygen could lead to hazardous conditions, making it an essential step in maintaining pipeline integrity and safety.
Pipeline Drying & Dewatering
Our pipeline drying services are designed to efficiently remove moisture from pipelines. They are dried to a specific dew point, which is crucial in preventing corrosion and other moisture-related damages. Using gaseous nitrogen with a low dew point, we ensure that pipelines are thoroughly dried, reducing risk of oxidation while preserving the quality of the pipeline’s interior.
This process is essential for maintaining the pipeline’s longevity, integrity and ensuring it remains in optimal condition, especially before commissioning or after maintenance activities.
Pipeline Purging
We offer comprehensive nitrogen purging services to safely displace hazardous gases, oxygen, and impurities from pipelines. This process prepares the pipeline for safe operations, maintenance, or decommissioning by creating a stable, inert environment.
Our nitrogen purging solutions are tailored to meet the needs of each project, ensuring that all contaminants are effectively removed and the pipeline is left in a safe and operable state, free from any reactive substances that could pose risks during subsequent activities.
Pipeline Commissioning
When it comes to commissioning new pipelines, Canadian Nitrogen Services provides mobile nitrogen generation solutions that ensure a smooth and safe start-up. Our nitrogen is delivered with precise purity levels tailored to the requirements of each site, effectively minimizing hazards and ensuring the pipeline is ready for operation.
With our extensive experience and industry knowledge, we help clients achieve a quick and reliable commissioning process, reducing downtime and ensuring that all safety protocols are met.
Pipeline Pressure Testing
Our nitrogen pressure testing services are essential for assessing the integrity and strength of pipelines before they are put into operation. We pressurize the pipeline using high-purity nitrogen to detect leaks, weaknesses, or other potential issues that could compromise its functionality.
This rigorous testing ensures that pipelines can safely handle the required operational pressures, providing peace of mind that they will perform reliably under the expected conditions.
Pipeline Pigging (Scraper / Caliper / Foam)
Pipeline pigging, a vital pipeline maintenance technique, relies on the use of pigs to clean and inspect pipelines.
The primary purpose of pipeline pigs is to ensure that pipelines are clean and free from obstructions. These pigs travel through the pipeline, removing and potentially detecting anomalies that can reduce the line’s performance. Nitrogen is the best choice for pipeline maintenance because it effectively removes oxygen, reduces the number of pig runs, and reduces cleaning time. Nitrogen is preferred for displacing oxygen, reducing oxidation, breaking the “burning triangle,” and preventing explosions.
Additionally, nitrogen eliminates the need for more brush pigs and foam swabs to dry the line to a specified dew point.
Pipeline Abandonment
We understand the importance of safely abandoning pipelines no longer in use. Our nitrogen services are essential for displacing combustible fluids and residual contaminants, ensuring that the pipeline is inert and poses no risk to the environment or public safety. We provide onsite nitrogen generation for even the most remote locations, making the abandonment process efficient and compliant with all legal and environmental regulations.
Pipeline Suspension
CNS offers nitrogen solutions for safe suspension when a pipeline needs to be temporarily deactivated. Our services ensure the pipeline is inert and protected from corrosion during inactivity. By displacing oxygen and other reactive gases, we prevent chemical reactions that could degrade the pipeline’s integrity.
This preparation allows the pipeline to be safely reactivated in the future, maintaining its readiness for operation while minimizing the risk of damage during suspension.
Pipeline Chemical Batching
Our nitrogen services also support chemical batching operations within pipelines. By providing a controlled, inert environment, we help prevent unwanted chemical reactions that could occur during the batching process. This is particularly important in ensuring the safe and efficient transport of chemicals, where maintaining the purity and stability of the product is critical. Our onsite nitrogen generation ensures that chemical batching is conducted safely, reducing the risk of contamination or hazardous incidents.
Preventative Maintenance
Oil & gas operators don’t want downtime, which can significantly impact their business. However, operators could miss minor issues that could lead to more significant problems without the strategically-planned downtime for inspections and pigging. Trust your preventive maintenance to Canadian Nitrogen Services, where we work hard to limit downtime while ensuring safe and thorough testing.
