Abstract
The Red Hill complex consists of twenty 300,000 bbl underground storage tanks, three pipelines, and a pumping facility that was built between 1940 and 1945. The pipelines are located inside of an underground tunnel approximately 4.3 km (2.7 miles) long and 4.5 meters (15 feet) wide. This paper will discuss the project management and technical challenges for the metal loss inspection of the 813 mm (32-inch) diesel pipeline at Red Hill, FISC Pearl Harbor, HI. The pipeline has several “unpiggable” features such as 28 degree mitered bends, reduced valve sections and no launcher/receiver. Even though the pipeline is “above ground,” it rests directly on over 300 supports and is encased in over twenty bulk-heads, each four feet wide. The paper will discuss the project phases of (1) integrity assessment method tool selection, (2) planning, (3) fabrication of components, (4) mobilization, (5) installation of components, (6) cleaning, (7) in-line inspection, (8) demobilization, and (9) analysis. Technical challenges that will be addressed in the paper are (1) specifying and locating valves and components, (2) handling and disposal of the off-spec fuel created during the pigging process, (3) working with large material and components in confined areas, (4) pump capacities and capabilities during the cleaning and smart pigging, and (5) project scheduling to meet the fleet demand at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
