Petro Min

The TTM Project
technology
October 2004
The TTM Project
Moving towards a milestone –
TTM comes closer
In early 2005, gas will begin to flow through the Trans Thai-Malaysia Pipeline,
bringing much-needed and long-awaited energy resources to a large number
of producers, buyers, suppliers and consumers. Achieving this major milestone
will mark the culmination of a series of challenges that have been encountered
as the project’s owners, engineers and contractors worked to get the project off the
ground and under way.
O
ne such company is
Nacap Asia Pacific, a
regional pipeline construction group. Following many months of bidding
activity and negotiations, Nacap
received confirmation that it had
been awarded the lumpsum
contract for the Onshore Pipeline
System on the TTM Project. This
System forms an integral and
substantial part of TTM, which
comprises three pipelines – one
offshore, two onshore – a gas
separation plant and associated
infrastructure.
As Peter Gregory, Managing
Director of Nacap Asia Pacific
and Nacap’s Project Director for
the TTM Project, confirms, “TTM
had been on our radar screen for a
very long time. Now the project is
in full swing and we are working
hard to ensure mechanical completion is achieved by the due
date at the end of this year.”
Long roots
The origins of the TTM project
date away back to 1979 when
the governments of Thailand and
Malaysia signed a memorandum
agreeing to explore the possibili-
OCTOBER 2004
The pipeline runs a total distance of 338km
ties of jointly developing the then
recently discovered gas reserves
in the Joint Development Area
(JDA). Located approximately
255km east of Songkhla Province in the Gulf of Thailand, the
JDA covers an area of 7,250km2.
The Malaysia-Thailand Joint
Authority (MTJA) was then established in 1990 to oversee and plan
joint activities relating to development of the JDA.
Production operators for Block
A-18 were confirmed as Petronas
Carigali (JDA) Sdn Bhd, a whollyowned subsidiary of Petronas
Carigali of Malaysia, and the
Triton Oil Company of Thailand, with operations controlled by the Carigali-Triton
Operating Company (CTOC).
Production contractors for the
other two blocks are Petronas
Carigali (JDA) Sdn Bhd and
PTTEP International Limited, the
international arm of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand
(PTT), a state-run company.
Gas sales agreements were
subsequently concluded between the JDA operators and
Malaysian national oil company PETRONAS and PTT of
Thailand. Gas purchases from
Block A-18 are expected to
amount to 390 million standard
cubic feet per day (MMscfd). This
provided the TTM project with
the commercial viability it
needed to proceed.
Gas comes ashore
The route of the pipelines runs
through undulating hilly areas,
swamp sections and highway
reserves requiring the full range
of Nacap’s comprehensive plant
resources to be deployed. “This
huge logistical exercise has been
rigorously co-ordinated to ensure
that the activities in both countries result in timely completion
of the project,” adds Project
Manager Steve Marshall.
Gas will be brought to shore via
a 34in diameter 277km offshore
gas pipeline, which has been laid
from Block A-18 to the Songkhla
First of its kind
Gas Separation Plant (GSP) by inThe 275 tonne HDD rig was barge mounted for the
Horizontal Directional Drillternational offshore pipeline com- shore approach
ing (HDD) is being utilised expany Saipem. The GSP will produce
tensively, both onshore and offshore. Onshore, the
natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, which will be
Malaysia portion of the pipeline calls for a total of 27
transported to end-users via the Onshore Pipeline System.
HDD installations. Terrain ranges from rock and gravel
This System comprises a 36in diameter natural gas
to swampy conditions, presenting a variety of chalpipeline that runs approximately 97 km from Chana,
lenges for Nacap’s HDD team.
near Songkhla across the border to Changlun, Malaysia,
to link up with the Malaysian Peninsular Gas Utilisation
(PGU III) pipeline system. A second section, an 8in
diameter pipeline, will carry LPG from Chana to Prai
Depot on the West coast of Malaysia, a distance of
approximately 241 km.
Comprehensive remit
Nacap’s scope encompasses the complete spectrum of
engineering, design, construction, installation, testing and
commissioning of the entire Onshore Pipeline System. The
firm is also responsible for procurement and training of
personnel. The work is being handled out of three offices,
with the main project office being located in Bangkok and
the two construction offices in Hat Yai, Southern Thailand,
and Sungai Petani in Malaysia.
In addition to the pipelines, Nacap is also responsible
for the seven combined LPG/sales gas block valve stations and one sales gas block valve at the Changlun tiein location, as well as tie-in facilities. There are also 16
stand-alone LPG block valve stations and a Midway
Scraper Trap Set. Sales gas and LPG send-out facilities at
Chana and a combined LPG/sales gas meter station at
Sadao are also part of Nacap’s scope, as are LPG
receiving facilities at Prai Depot and a Slug Catcher
Receiving Facility.
Complex logistics
Engineering and the major procurement work are complete and efforts are focussed on completing construction
as planned. The Malaysian portion is currently in the precommissioning phase and in Thailand, hydrotesting activities are expected to commence in October this year.
Stringing the 8in LPG pipe on the Malaysia portion
On the Thailand portion, there are 15 crossing sections involving 36in gas pipe, 8in line for LPG and 6in
cable duct installations to be installed by HDD. Total
length of these installations is approximately 10km,
passing through a range of challenging site and ground
conditions including rock.
The shore approach for the offshore pipeline at
Chana was also installed using HDD. Representing
the first installation of its kind to be carried out in Asia,
the project is also the largest shore approach project
by volume to be carried out by Nacap to date. The
installation comprised a total length of 1,447 metres
- 1,226 metres of 3LPE coated 34in diameter X65 pipe
with a wall thickness of 19.23mm, and a 221 metre
tailstring, with a 2in thick concrete coating.
OCTOBER 2004
The TTM Project
Drilling Manager Boris de Koning explains, “The conventional design for a shore approach using HDD is to
With the barge positioned offshore approximately
100 metres beyond the exit point, reaming was carried out from onshore to offshore in progressive
stages (20in, 30in, 40in and 52in) until the hole had
reached the required diameter of 52 inches for the
pullback operation.
During reaming and cleaning, the 100 Te rig onshore was used in the ‘anti-rig’ mode, allowing for
recycled drilling fluid to be pumped downhole as well
as adding drillpipe during reaming. This is one of the
first applications in Asia of a two-rig concept used in
this way.
First-class safety record
The pullback operation on the Chana shore approach gets underway
pull the pipe from offshore to onshore. However, this
can mean that expensive offshore laybarges are required for much longer periods, resulting in higher
costs, especially if there are delays due to technical
problems or weather conditions. In this case, our remit
was to ensure that the concrete coated tailstring
was sitting ready in the trench for Saipem to perform
the recovery onto the laybarge Castoro 10 and continue pipelaying up to the mid-line tie in point, some
13 km offshore.”
The 36in pipeline is lowered in on the Thailand portion
Onshore, Nacap used its 100 Te capacity HDD rig to
drill the pilot hole towards the offshore exit point. Offshore, the company’s 275 Te capacity HDD rig was
mounted on a 230-foot x 80-foot barge, together with
additional anchor handling equipment, a 150 Te crawler
crane, diving equipment, survey equipment, temporary
offshore living quarters and ancillary equipment.
OCTOBER 2004
All this activity is being achieved with stringent
attention to safety. As testimony to this, the project
recently clocked up over three million manhours
without a lost-time incident. As Project Director Peter
Gregory comments, “This is a phenomenal achievement
given the logistics involved and the number of people
working on the project, which at times has peaked at
PET
over 2,000.”
The Project At A Glance:
TTM: Malaysia Portion:
• NPS 36 Sales Gas and NPS 8 LPG, Border to Changlun
- Approx. 7km
• NPS 8 LPG, Changlun to Prai Depot - Approx.
144 km
• Sales gas block valve Station - Changlun tie-in
• Stand-alone LPG Block Valve Stations - 16 Nos. &
Midway Scraper Trap
• Sales Gas Tie-in Facilities at Changlun and Modifications at Lunas
• SCADA and Communications Facilities
• LPG Receiving Facilities at Prai Depot
TTM: Thailand Portion:
• NPS 36 Sales Gas and NPS 8 LPG, GSP to Border –
Approx. 90 km
• Combined LPG and Sales Gas Block Valve stations
- 7 Nos.
• Sales Gas and LPG Send-out Facility at Chana
• Combined LPG and Sales Gas Meter Station at Sadao
• SCADA and Communications Facilities
• Slug Catcher Receiving Facilities – GSP Area
• NPS 34 Feed Gas, Landfall to GSP – Approx. 0.7km