Innovative acoustic jacketing for oil and gas pipelines

Oil and Gas Pipelines need thermal insulation and cladding to protect them from harsh environmental conditions, prevent heat losses, minimise health and safety risks and comply with legislation. In certain areas, these cladding jackets require additional layers of noise and vibration insulation and often the installation process is expensive and labour intensive. Conventional systems use products like Lead and Bitumen for noise reduction, but their use causes health, safety and environmental problems. This research aimed to mitigate these health and environmental problems and produce an economic solution for noise insulation and jacketing. Using a series of experimental tests and Finite Element Analysis (FEA), an integrated cladding system has been developed, combining acoustic insulation and metal sheets in a single product. These tests showed that the new system improved acoustic performance and corrosion prevention while simultaneously allowing easier installation which significantly reduces installation time and related costs. A special purpose machine has also been developed which will produce the product in an efficient and cost effective manner.