BASF, leading provider of polyurethane specialties, recently collaborated with Perma-Pipe Oil and Gas (USA), 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, BASF 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. According to the company, BASF’s mercury-free Elastoshore polyurethane technology has been employed in more than 100 miles of flowline insulation currently installed in the Gulf of Mexico. Since such projects need reliable supply from chemical maker, customized products from BASF helped 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.
09-May-09 
{{comment.DateTimeStampDisplay}}
{{comment.Comments}}