IMI, a global leader in fluid and motion control catering to major sectors like oil and gas, power and marine, has announced that it has supplied Indian engineering and construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) with four integrated, custom-designed skids as part of a high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) for Saudi Arabia’s Hasbah Gas Field expansion project.

The project is a multi-phase development by Saudi Aramco to increase the supply of natural gas for domestic consumption and industrial development in the kingdom, said the statement from IMI.

This latest expansion of the Hasbah Gas Field, which was originally brought online in 2016, will see four new production wells, six well head platforms, six topsides, two jackets and two tie-in float-over platforms installed to produce an additional 2.5 billion cubic square feet of non-associated gas daily, it stated.

IMI’s four skids included eight through conduit slab gate valves and four root valves, five pressure transmitters with manifold and one solid state logic solver system with Multiwell Diagnostic Systems for the HIPPS element of the field’s expansion. 

The HIPPS has been specifically engineered to isolate the source of dangerous high pressure and temperatures, allowing L&T project decisionmakers to increase protection for on-site personnel and downstream assets from potential overpressure and overheating events.

On the successful deployment, Roby Buyung, the President of Process Automation at IMI, said: "We are proud to contribute to this highly ambitious project and play a key role in ensuring the safety of site personnel."

"Safety is a vital consideration regardless of project size, but the importance of the works at the Hasbah Gas Field further underlines the need for as hazard-free an environment as possible," he stated.

"It is vital that any solutions provided will perform exactly as requested, especially when working at such a scale. The failsafe valves included in the HIPPS can isolate exposure within a few seconds, and this is a critical level of protection for all stakeholders involved in expanding and working on the field," he added.

Bapi Sahoo, the Deputy General Manager at Larsen & Toubro, said: "IMI’s long-standing expertise delivering HIPPS systems for a wide array of severe service applications stood out to us on this particular project."

After initial testing by IMI, the HIPPS solution has been fitted into production deck modules at the L&T A.M Naik Heavy Engineering Complex. Full installation at the Hasbah Gas Field was carried out over September, with the system on track to be operational by December following final commissioning.

"Guaranteeing the safety of production teams and plant equipment is a key priority for all stakeholders involved in the Hasbah Gas Field expansion, and being able to call upon IMI’s expertise is invaluable,"  stated Sahoo.

"From our side, the assurance that this will not only reduce the risks of hazards but also help increase uptime and eventual revenue potential is invaluable. Working with IMI has proven seamless and we would gladly work with them again on other projects," he added.-TradeArabia News Service