MIABW is quick for typical DN150 pipes
MIABW construction
- 10 seconds arc time
- Single team, 1 welder
- 1 minute cycle time
- Up to 9km/10 hour shift
- Up to 18km/day
- 2 shifts
Current best & fastest practice
- 12 minutes arc time
- Multiple teams, 8 welders
- 3 minutes cycle time
- 3km/10 hour shift
- 2 shifts not practical
For typical DN450 pipes
MIABW construction
- 20 seconds arc time
- Single team, 1 welder
- 1 minute cycle time
- Up to 9km/10 hour shift
- Up to 18km/day
- 2 shifts
Current best practice
- 48 minutes arc time
- Multiple teams, 17 welders
- 3 minutes cycle time
- 3km/10 hour shift
- 2 shifts not practical
Size range
- DN150 x 4.8 X56 - validated by MIABTech in the field
- DN300 x 10 validated by KUKA in Germany on short air receivers
- DN300 x 8 validated by TWI on short pups in Canada.
- Current technology limit - DN450 x 10
- Undisclosed, patentable, plasma technology will extend this
The value proposition
Cost Savings
- MIAB can deliver significant construction cost savings.
- In 2003 SANTOS commissioned an analysis of the available construction cost savings;
- Bowley report for Santos found savings of 36% or more
Example - Trans Territory Pipeline
995 km of 450 mm dia - $750,000,000 tender price by courtesy of Andy Lukas of the LUCAS Group
How are the costs reduced?
Example: Trans Territory Pipeline
- Three fold increase in productivity
- Current technology – 330 working days = 2 working years due to monsoon season
MIABW – 110 working days = 1 dry season.
Gas to customer 18 months earlier
Trans Territory Pipeline potential savings:
- Notional capex; $750M
- The Bowley model saving $88M
Other possibilities
- The much higher productivity and lower cost of MIABW construction opens opportunities
- 2 x DN450 uses the same quantity of steel as 1 x DN650 and has the same flow section but a more economic pipe manufacturing process
- Multiple strings provide redundancy and lower cost
Other opportunities
- Potential savings for the yet to be constructed Bunburry to Albany pipeline is around $30,000,000
- The commercial machine to suit this pipeline has been designed and construction ready in 2006
- Expected fabrication and commissioning time for the machine is around 4 months