On May 25, tie-ins for the largest-diameter firewater pipelines at Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura Refinery were completed by EP2 Project Team, paving the way for delivery of the upgraded firewater systems as a final push.

The tie-ins involve 16-inch pipelines, the largest diameter in the installation scope. All three tie-ins are fixed ends. The scope covers firewater piping networks in five plants, and the works must be performed in parallel. Rigorous requirements are specified for survey, fabrication precision, and bolt hole concentricity. The Project Team planned the fabrication and installation of the pipelines by taking into account the actual site situation. Multiple field surveys, measurements of the flange misalignment and bolt hole concentricity tolerances between the new and existing pipelines are conducted. Prior to commencement of the tie-ins, relevant valves of the concerned plants were closed, to facilitate the precise tie-ins between the new pipelines with the three existing ones.

The scope includes upgrade of the firewater systems in Ras Tanura Refinery, and the new firewater pipelines will be laid across the entire plant area. Given the refinery’s history of over 60 years, most facilities are not clearly marked, and the spaghetti tangle of underground pipelines and cables entails significant safety hazards and construction challenges. From the outset of construction works in September 2022, the Project Team has put in relentless internal and external communication and coordination efforts, leveraged coordination by Aramco’s project management team to eliminate construction hurdles before they pose a problem. Routine walk-arounds and reviews are conducted to make sure all safety hazards are mitigated to achieve sound safety management on site.