Atlas Copco rentals wins first contract for special nitrogen units

07 October 2009

The three Atlas Copco Specialty Rental NBB nitrogen units onboad the Normand Cutter vessel.

Atlas Copco Specialty Rental has won the first rental contract for its recently acquired Nitrogen Bundle Boxes (NBB) with three units and other equipment being used for subsea pipeline testing on Egypt's Sequoia gas field.

Earlier this year the company's Dundee, UK-based oil and gas rental division, Atlas Copco Kolfor, took delivery of three NBBs from US manufacturer PCI. Nitrogen is used in onshore and offshore pipelines to pressurise and close the ‘line' to prevent oxygen incursion.

On the Sequoia project Atlas Copco Kolfor is supplying the NBB units plus four Atlas Copco TwinAir compressors and packaged boosters, valued in total at over £3 million. Pressurized air from the TwinAir oil-injected air compressors is applied to the membrane module at 24 bar. In order to ensure that the compressed air is ‘moisture' free, an electric heater is fitted as standard to superheat the air stream, optimizing the process.

The Sequoia gas field is 130 km north east of Alexandra, Egypt, and the rental contract has been awarded to Atlas Copco Kolfor by a leading pipeline and process contractor to supply compressed air services for testing and commissioning several sub-sea pipelines.

Packaged in a 20 ft container, the NBB features air pre-treatment including coalescent filters, carbon filters and particle filters. It produces up to 2000 scfm of nitrogen at a purity of 95 - 99%.

Mr Horst Wasel, president of Atlas Copco Specialty Rental division, said the investment in the NBB units was part of Atlas Copco's strategy for increased expansion into the oil and gas sectors for its specialty rental fleet.

In addition to supplying the specialist equipment, field service technicians from Atlas Copco Kolfor will be at the job site throughout the operation.