Development of a new pipeline extension through the Khurais field, which will raise Saudi Arabia’s oilfield capacity from 11.3 million to 12.5 million barrels per day (bpd), is now under way, a report said.

The Khurais Megaproject is a recent addition to the kingdom’s vast production facilities, comprising of the Khurais, Abu Jifan and Mazalij oilfields. The project is co-ordinated by Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company in terms of production.

The Khurais oilfield covers an area of 2,890 sq km and measures 127 km in length. It is situated approximately 250 km southwest of Dhahran and 150 km northeast of the capital Riyadh.

A PL4608 rotating pipelayer from Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) – the first machine of its kind to get to work in the region – is being used to ensure the project runs smoothly.

The pipeline extension will cover a distance of 150 km, and is scheduled to take 27 months to complete. The PL4608 will lay the 56-inch pipe, starting at the east-west pumping station One and running to pumping station number Three.

Working in the extreme conditions of the Arabian Desert presents several unavoidable challenges. Summer temperatures average around 45 deg C, and highs of 54 deg C are often recorded. Regular sandstorms also prove problematic for the equipment working on the project. Winter brings a different challenge – although the temperature seldom falls below 0 deg C, the almost total lack of humidity and the high wind-chill factor can make it feel incredibly cold.

The PL4608, however, has been built to withstand these extremes, ensuring a high quality performance in all conditions, a statement said.

This machine is also suited to the type of pipe used on the project – its hydraulically variable undercarriage, which expands by 500 mm (19.6 inch), provides a highly stable operating platform when working with 56-inch pipe.

“We are proud to be the first pipeline contractor in Saudi Arabia to have a Volvo pipelayer in our fleet,” said Yousef Abu Gafra, manager of equipment operations at Gulf Consolidated Contractors, the contractor for this project.

“No competitor machine is capable of matching the Volvo’s features and performance in terms of safety, operator visibility, stability and the length of the boom.”

“There is no doubt that the PL4608 is a durable and reliable machine. Based on its previous performance and the feedback from our people at this site, we are going to increase the amount of these Volvo machines on our future projects,” Abu Gafra concluded. – TradeArabia News Service