Nanogel Aerogel Insulation Selected for 50 km of Subsea Pipelines
August 17 2009 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Block 31 NE - PVSM project will be third pipeline project delivered
by Cabot Aerogel BOSTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cabot
Corporation's Aerogel business today announced that its patented
and patent-pending Nanogel aerogel Compression Pack(TM) product has
been selected by Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC), to insulate
50-km of subsea flowlines for the BP operated Block 31 NE - PVSM
project located offshore Angola. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000323/CABOTLOGO ) The
project marks the third to be delivered from Cabot's year-old
Compression Pack assembly facility, located in Billerica, MA. The
16,000-sq ft facility began production in April 2008 and has
delivered 100-km of insulation for previous projects, including the
Petrobras Chinook tieback which was also installed by HMC. The
current project includes eight pipe-in-pipe flowlines in both 10.75
x 14.75 inch and 12.75 x 16.75 inch configurations, all insulated
with Cabot's Nanogel aerogel Compression Pack product. The
flowlines will be installed by HMC's DVC Balder in water depths
ranging from 1,800 to 2,000 meters (5,900-6600 feet). The Balder
features a state-of-the-art J-lay tower with a hoisting capacity of
1,050 metric tons that can handle up to six 40-foot pipe joints at
a time. "Cabot is delighted to be supporting HMC on another project
and pleased that its Compression Pack system has been selected for
this major development in Angola," said Bart Kalkstein, general
manager of Cabot Aerogel. The Nanogel aerogel Compression Packs
that will insulate the Block 31 NE - PVSM project flowlines consist
of packs of compressed Nanogel with an integrated protective outer
layer to provide durability and consistency of form. These packs
are applied to sections of inner pipe (80-foot double joints for
this project) and then expanded to their precise final forms prior
to insertion of the insulated inner pipes into outer pipes. The
integrated indexing of each panel enables field personnel to
install the insulation quickly and precisely, without the need for
special tools or equipment. The ultra-low conductivity of Nanogel
aerogel is a key enabler of the flowline designs, which have
specified U-values of 1.50 W/m2 K while maintaining relatively
small outer jacket pipes. Additionally, the rugged design of the
Nanogel Compression Pack packaging system makes it well-suited for
pipe-in-pipe applications where weld slag, scale, and other factors
can pose significant challenges or create delays for systems using
less durable products. What is Nanogel aerogel? Sometimes called
"frozen smoke," aerogel is the lightest and best insulating solid
in the world. Nanogel, Cabot's branded aerogel, is a hydrophobic
aerogel produced as particles. Each particle consists largely of
air (~95%) contained in nano-sized pores that severely inhibit heat
transfer through the material. Nanogel particles can be contained
in various ways to facilitate incorporation into a wide range of
systems including pipe-in-pipe systems, LNG & cryogenic gas
transportation and storage systems, insulative coatings,
daylighting panels, sporting equipment, clothing, and others. Cabot
produces Nanogel in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility
located near Frankfurt, Germany where it began commercial
production in 2003. For more information, visit:
http://www.nanogel.com/. About Cabot Corporation Cabot Aerogel is a
business of Cabot Corporation (NYSE:CBT). Cabot Corporation is a
global performance materials company headquartered in Boston,
Massachusetts, USA. Cabot's major products include carbon black,
fumed silica, inkjet colorants, capacitor materials, aerogel, and
cesium formate drilling fluids. The website address is:
http://www.cabot-corp.com/.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000323/CABOTLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Cabot Corporation CONTACT:
Hilary Thorne Banda, Marketing Communications Manager, Cabot
Aerogel, +1-978-670-6113, Fax, +1-978-670-7045, Web Site:
http://www.cabot-corp.com/
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