• Safe, clean, stainless steel containment system with no risk of contamination
• Thermal insulation from adjacent tanks to maintain a stable storage temperature
• Minimal impact on tank capacity due to compact thickness of SPS structure
• Efficient low-weight solution using integrated structural design
• Economic and non-disruptive installation in carbon steel tanks
• Zero through-life maintenance.

A technically advanced Enhanced Oil Recovery fluid is stored on board the FPSO Glen Lyon for injection into the well to increase oil recovery.  The internal tank surfaces needed to be stainless steel and the enhanced oil recovery fluid maintained within a limited temperature range. A suitable solution using conventional materials could not be found.

Unlike conventional solutions, repairs or interventions utilising SPS can use any metal, including stainless steel — even though the original structure of the enhanced oil recovery tanks was standard carbon steel.  In addition, the thermal conductivity of SPS is sufficiently low that the required level of insulation is adequately provided by the elastomer core.

Sandwich Plate System met all the design requirements and minimised operational risks.  The installation will not require maintenance during the life time of the vessel. The use of Sandwich Plate System has been approved by all major classification societies, and technical information is available for download or upon request.

SPS Technology was honoured to be asked by BP to further collaborate with them on an innovative solution to personnel on board safety in potential blast events with  the Glen Lyon blast event escape tunnel.

For more information about SPS and its chemical resistance properties, please read our article in Tanks and Terminals: Combatting Crisis with Composites.