Metal Jacketing: Facilitating the Oil Industry
BS Stainless products and materials are frequently used in the oil and gas industry and one particular area of interest is floating oil rigs. Assisting these essential facilities are Floating Production Storage & Offloading (FPSO) installations, which also benefit from the unique product range and vast experience of BS Stainless.
FPSO installations are most often based on the hull of a converted oil tanker and are equipped with a range of hydrocarbon processing facilities, which separate and treat the gases, water and crude oil that arrive aboard via a network of flexible pipelines from undersea oil wells. Once treated, the crude oil is transferred safely into the hull of the FPSO ship.
Treated gas is cleverly used to generate on-board power, with any excess gas being returned to subsea reservoirs or exported to shore via pipe. Any water that has been produced in the process is either injected into reservoirs or simply emptied overboard, with strict adherence to environmental policy.
The FPSO features advanced technology in its turret mooring system, which is firmly anchored with chains and wires to the seabed. This means that the FPSO acts in a manner similar to a weathervane, rotating freely around the full 360° of the turret. Comfortable living quarters, containing dining, sleeping, recreation, control and refuge areas, complete the groundbreaking FPSO.
The concept of the FPSO has allowed oil extraction and treatment companies to increase production levels in remote and ever-deeper waters, something that would not have been economically viable if utilising traditional fixed-pile structures. A large storage capacity and efficient offloading system means that the FPSO negates the need for an oil transportation pipeline to shore, instead transferring oil to designated shuttle tankers to be shipped to appropriate refineries.
As with floating oil rigs, corrosion resistance and acoustic insulation are essential factors to be taken into consideration. Coolmet and Soundmet, developed, produced and supplied exclusively by BS Stainless, are ideal metal jacketing solutions for FPSO projects and our vast collection of accessories, including stainless steel banding, waterproof rivets, duplex self-tapping screws and toggles, contains all of your ancillary needs.
Contact BS Stainless today to find out more about Coolmet and Soundmet!