December 2019
Maintenance and Reliability
HC condensate sphere inlet pipe failure investigation
During a normal turnaround and inspection (T&I) of a hydrocarbon sphere, a fatigue failure in the 24-in. inlet pipe riser was discovered. As per the original 2003 design, the sphere serves as a surge tank during pipeline scraping, as well as a backup for a stabilizer during T&I. Each stabilizer has a capacity of 78,000 bpd. However, due to asymmetry in the piping configuration, the sphere typically receives higher flow of 90,000 bpd, with rates sometimes reaching 110,000 bpd as a result of scraping or other activities happening concurrently. The sphere was upgraded to work continuously in 2012 to handle the anticipated additional condensate by adding an overhead gas compressor and a dedicated condensate shipper pump.
The Authors
Abdulkarim Rinawi is a Senior Vibration and Stress Consultant for KELM Engineering. He has 28 yr of experience in piping, structural and rotating equipment vibration, pressure pulsation, pipe stress and flow analysis in piping, pipeline, power generation and nuclear facilities. Dr. Rinawi earned a PhD in structural engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.
Amer Al Bukhari has more than 10 yr of experience and is a Pressure Vessels and Tanks Engineer with Saudi Aramco’s consulting services department. He earned BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering, and is an API 510 pressure vessel certified inspector and a member of Saudi Aramco’s Vessels Standards Committee.
Mohammad Hajji is an Engineering Consultant with Saudi Aramco with more than 27 yr of experience in gas processing, with expertise in gas sweetening and sulfur recovery. He works to provide technical support to operating facilities and introduce new technologies. He graduated from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia) with a BS degree in chemical engineering.
Mohammad Al Boobaid is a Process Engineer in Saudi Aramco’s process and control systems department/gas processing unit. He has 6 yr of experience in the gas processing industry in gas sweetening, gas and liquid dehydration, gas conditioning and NGL recovery. He earned a BS degree in chemical engineering from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
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