Following the commissioning of a 1-km-long, high- pressure underground gas pipeline by packaging company Nampak Glass in May, industrial equipment supplier Energas Technologies is currently involved in the pipeline’s commissioning activities.

onstruction of the high- pressure underground pipeline was overseen by a project management team from multidisciplinary corporation Saiyl, and started with basic engineering in April last year. Project implementation started in December and concluded within deadline and budget in May.

“The project encompasses all necessary civil, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation work, ” says Energas Technologies product manager Laetitia Botha.

The underground pipeline feeds from integrated energy and chemicals company Sasol’s existing gas transmission network and ties into the newly constructed Nampak Pressure Reduction Station (PRS), in Germiston.

Implemented for strategic business decisions, the pipeline construction includes a pressure-reducing and metering station with two parallel lines – one in service and the other on standby.

Each line boasts a filter separator to clean the gas, an electric heater to heat the gas prior to the Joule Thompson effect when the pressure is reduced, and a flow meter to measure gas flow. Each line also includes a regulator and slam-shut valves for pressure reduction and control, and to protect the downstream equipment, Botha explains.

Saiyl project engineer Morkel du Preez says this high-pressure pipeline and metering station is one of the few in South Africa that is not owned by Sasol. Energas Technologies was commissioned to supply the electric heaters, filter separators, flow meters, insulation joints, isolation valves, control and slam-shut valves as well as relief valves, he adds.

Du Preez explains that tight schedule controls and project acceleration methods were instituted to ensure that the project was completed by the original commissioning date, as the construction of the pipeline took place during the rainy season.

“Energas Technologies has been a leading supplier of specialised equipment to the natural gas industry since 2001 and has extensive experience in providing excellent support and after-sales service for clients. “Our technical expertise and range of products played a pivotal role in our being awarded the contract,” remarks Botha.

She concludes that the success of Energas’s role in the project is underpinned by the quality of the equipment, service and commissioning support it provides. “These are attributes that make Energas Technologies the go-to equipment supplier for new and existing gas-metering stations across the country and further afield.”

A workforce of about 50 people constructed the pipeline and metering station, and represents new opportunities for gas operation experts at the Nampak PRS facility.

Energas Technologies is a member of Southern African Gas Association National Planning Committee, is 30% black woman- owned and recently obtained ISO 9001 accreditation.