PLATELETS® Leak Mitigation Sealant
PLATELET BARRIER TECHNOLOGY® Services Overview
Seal-Tite’s Platelet Barrier Technology® Service provides effective leak mitigation and repair in pressurized fluid conduits, containment vessels, and apparatus, exploiting the flow and pressure differential inside a pipeline to deliver specially designed Platelets® sealant elements to the leak site. When our Platelets® reach the vicinity of a leak, fluid forces entrain it, holding each Platelet against the pipe wall, forming a sealant to seal the leak.
In what applications can our Platelet Barrier Technology® leak mitigation services be used?
- Water injection lines
- Wells
- Production facilities
- Hydraulic systems
- Tubing
- Casing
- Packers
- Sleeves
- Joints
- Receptacles
- Fittings
- Connections
- Valves
- Wellheads
- Trees
- Hangers
- Pipelines
- Injection Systems
- Control Lines
- Microannulus
- Storage and Containment Facilities
- Umbilical lines
- Downhole piping
- Pipeline corrosion leaks
- Pressure vessels
- Flanges
- Xmas trees
- Gas pipelines
- Flexible risers
- Caissons
- Clamps
- Overland pipelines
In these applications, our Platelet Barrier Technology® leak mitigation solution can offer flow assurance against: accidental damage, corrosion, sabotage and suspected or sudden failures. Seal-Tite® has worked with a number of key Worldwide Operators addressing integrity issues such as:
- Emergency response to sabotage in large overland pipelines
- Extending the life of water injection pipelines
- Remotely locating and sizing leaks in umbilicals
- Location and sealing of leaks in oil pipelines
What size leak can our Platelets® be used to seal?
It is not possible to specify a minimum or maximum size of leak that can be sealed using Platelets® leak mitigation services, as every leak situation is unique and requires Seal-Tite® to assess the feasibility of a successful deployment. Although to give some idea, in projects carried out to date hole sizes ranging from 0.3 mm to 50 mm diameter have been successfully sealed.
What factors influence how the Platelet® service is implemented?
The thorough analysis of your specific problem is generally required to formulate a custom Platelets® solution, taking into account several factors, including but not limited to:
- Flow velocity in the line
- Operating pressure
- Fluid density
- Pipe dimensions
- Leak geometry
Must constant pressure be maintained in the line for the Platelet® leak mitigation to remain intact?
Once our Platelet® leak mitigation solution is implemented and the custom formulation is entrained into a leak, it will form a seal which remains in position as long as there is a positive pressure differential acting across it; therefore pressure fluctuations in the line do not present a problem. At present, our Platelets® system cannot guarantee to withstand substantial negative pressure differentials (i.e. if the pressure outside the line is greater than that inside), however we continue to research a permanent solution to this issue.
How is the Platelets® sealant introduced into a pipeline?
Whenever possible, Platelets® are deployed through existing elements of infrastructure at a suitable location upstream of the leak as part of the Platelets® leak mitigation service. Injection equipment is specifically designed for every application.
How are Platelets® removed from a pipeline?
If excess Platelets® could have a detrimental effect on the system infrastructure then it is essential to remove them from the pipeline downstream of the leak.
Will Platelets® block instrument tappings?
No. Instrument tappings are invisible to Platelets® because there is no significant flow passing through them.
To inquire about our PLATELET BARRIER TECHNOLOGY® Leak Mitigation services, or to request analysis of your leak problem so that we can recommend an effective solution utilizing PLATELETS®, please contact Seal-Tite’s Sales Department at: info@seal-tite.com