New nonmetallic water pipelines being built in Northern, Southern areas

Two nonmetallic long-distance pipelines are being installed in the desert as part of the company’s program of adopting alternative materials to steel. 

The Pipelines Department has started the two cross-country water projects in the Northern and Southern areas after successful completion of preliminary engineering.

A 6-inch diameter 16-kilometer (km) long reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) is being run from the Ju’aymah NGL Fractionation Plant to the Ras Tanura Refinery to send sour water to the refinery’s steam stripping facility.

The stripping facility will remove impurities and produce acceptable quality effluent for discharge.

A 20-inch diameter 50-km long reinforced thermosetting resin (RTR) pipeline is being run between Shedgum water wells and Abqaiq Plants to ensure a reliable water supply for the Abqaiq facility and community.

The RTR material is made of high strength fiberglass (E-glass) and amine cured epoxy resin, and is a corrosion-free material with low energy loss due to low internal friction. RTR also has a high precision winding technology, which results in better wall thickness and lower weight. 

Both projects are expected to be completed by 2022.