Separator Vessel Internal Lining

The challenge

A production separator corrodes and erodes from the inside as it handles sour, sandy well fluid. The sour service attacks the steel chemically while the entrained sand scours the wall at the inlet and along the bottom where solids settle and travel. Together they thin the shell and the internals, pit the surface, and roughen the metal so the vessel separates fluid less cleanly and loses wall it needs to hold pressure. Left untreated, the metal loss spreads and the separator has to come out of service, with plate replacement or a new vessel the usual alternative.

The Belzona approach

The separator comes out of service and is opened up to show where the sour attack and the sand have done the damage. The internals are grit-blasted back to clean, profiled steel, then the pitted and thinned areas are rebuilt with a cold-applied Belzona 1000 Series composite so the surface comes back to profile with no hot work. Over the rebuilt steel, an erosion-resistant Belzona 5000 Series immersion lining keyed to the sour, sandy service puts a continuous barrier between the well fluid and the metal. The vessel is worked in stages, keeping the application ahead of the turnaround clock.

1. Assess and mapThe separator is opened and inspected to locate the corrosion, pitting, and sand erosion, confirming the sour, sandy service so the lining is keyed correctly.
2. Grit-blast prepThe internals are grit-blasted to clean, profiled steel so both the composite and the lining bond to bare metal.
3. Rebuild metal lossA cold-applied 1000 Series composite rebuilds the pitted and thinned areas, restoring profile with no hot work and no plate replacement.
4. Apply immersion liningAn erosion-resistant 5000 Series immersion lining goes over the steel and rebuilt areas as one continuous barrier keyed to the service.
5. Inspect and return to serviceCure and lining continuity are confirmed, then the separator is returned for the turnaround window.