Pipeline industry gathered in Rio

Due to the wide range of opportunities created by the pre-salt discoveries in Brazil, the pipeline industry is attracting more interest. This week, several NBCC member companies took part in the 8th edition of the Rio Pipeline conference.

Currently the pipeline industry has a turnover of 50 billion US dollars a year worldwide in new investments.

“The pipeline segment offers good perspectives in Brazil, and this is a great opportunity for the sector to meet, says Marcelo Rennó, president of the organizing committee of Rio Pipeline 2011.

Since 2005 Rio Pipeline is held every other year, organized by the Instituto Brasileiro de Petróleo, Gás e Biocombustíveis (IBP). This year about 1300 delegates and 3000 visitors were expected to the international conference, held at the SulAmérica Convention Center in Rio de Janeiro from September 20th-22nd.

“In the beginning, in 1997, this was only a seminar, but the importance of the sector is growing, and today we have professionals from 27 countries gathered. 342 technical papers will be presented and over 150 companies and institutions in the pipeline segment are represented”, said Alvaro Teixeira, IBPs executive secretary during the opening ceremony.

Pioneer work

Several debate forums, courses and technical sessions were held, and Aker Solutions, Subsea 7, Sintef, Kongsberg Oil&Gas Technology and DNV were among the Norwegian companies represented.

“The pipeline network for the pre-salt petroleum offloading will experience a great development the next three years, DNV engineer Hélio Alves said in a technical session on challenges on designing pipelines for the Brazilian pre-salt scenarios.

DNV representatives also participated in sessions on risk management in the pipeline industry and on structural integrity.

Subsea 7 promoted sessions on subsea pipelines and design challenges, and presented a project on offshore pipeline crossings through concrete structures on the P56 platform in the Campos basin. Such structures have usually been made of steel, and the Subsea 7 project was called “pioneer work”.

Slurry pumps

Other sessions focused on the experiences learned by Vale in Paragominas, a bauxite mine that was recently acquired by Hydro.

Aker Solutions was represented by its subsidiary Aker Wirth, a company that produces slurry pumps and systems used in mining pipelines. Aker Wirth had a stand in the exhibition area where the pump technology was promoted.

“This is an important event for the industry, and one of the biggest in South America. We operate in a somewhat limited market, and it’s the first time we participate, but we’ve had good contact with customers here”, says Günter Walrafen, the general manager of slurry systems. Aker Wirth is based in Erkelenz in Germany and represented in Brazil by the commercial agent Bombas Esco.

By Runa Hestmann Tierno and Rio Pipeline news