Croft filter helps test subsea pipelines

Croft Engineering have produced filters for use in testing undersea oil and gas pipelines.

The 18, 50 micron filters are part of a ''pigging unit'', a device that floods subsea pipelines pushing through ''pigs'', or rubber plugs, which clean the lines and disperse any debris.

They have been manufactured for Xiom Scotland, specialists in blast cleaning, thermal plastic spraying and coating and offshore energy services, to replace the existing filters that were in poor condition.

Two of Croft''s engineers spent 30 hours working on CAD drawings, ensuring the technical calculations were exact.


Using their specialist knowledge of which materials and specifications would work best for the task at hand, they decided to replace the outer mesh of the filters with perforated plates.

The filters will be used to sift seawater in the testing and commissioning of gas and oil pipelines off the coast of Nigeria.

They filter any debris from the sea water before it passes into a pump. The water is then pumped through the pipes to weight them to the seabed and also to pass through the ''pigs''.

Rob Watkins, Sales and Marketing Manager at Croft, said;

"This was a challenging job that involved more than 250 hours work and a multitude of CAD drawings. Our team did a fantastic job and Xiom were very pleased with the result."