Offshore staff
BELI MANASTIR, Croatia — Presserv, the Norwegian distributor of Cortec Corp., has applied Cortec’s Vapor Phase Corrosion Inhibitors (VpCI) technology to preserve three emergency power cable drums for platforms in the Norwegian North Sea.
The operator needed to package/protect the drums at the storage base in Stavanger against the impact of salt spray from the ocean, strong winds, driving rain and UV exposure.
The power cables had to be ready for use whenever required on the operator’s various platforms. Primarily, the client wanted to preserve the cables against UV damage while also ensuring protection against any damage the conditions could inflict on the reels, including corrosion on the metal frames.
Presserv oversaw the preservation process. Each 174-t drum was lifted onto a piece of MilCorr VpCI shrink film, with other pieces of MilCorr wrapped over and around the entire drum and fused to the bottom piece.
The MilCorr was then heat shrunk into place around the entire unit. All seams were reinforced with shrink tape for extra protection against weather and wind.
Openings were made on the sides to make lifting lugs accessible, as these are said to be the sole means of lifting and moving the reels. Shrink tape was also applied to prevent water ingress.
Special access panels with zipper closures were custom-built to fit near the bottom of each drum for inspection access. Fine mesh netting will be added over the drums at a later point to provide further protection against the weather and when moving the drums.
All work was performed during low temperatures, strong winds and heavy snow.
According to Cortec, the emergency power cables are now preserved indefinitely, either until called on to serve as backups on the platforms, or—if the cables are not used in the next five to 10 years—until reapplication of the VpCI materials is deemed necessary for preservation purposes.
The VpCI molecules are designed to diffuse from areas of high to low concentration around all areas of the enclosure. They can protect multi-metals in electrical, static, and rotating equipment and structures.
03.25.2024
