The Raymond Centriline Process of cement mortar lining has enjoyed strong demand over the years

The company is one of the oldest players in its field having been founded in 1897 and has stacked huge expertise to the delight of its customers all over the world

Raymond International, a leader in pipeline services for the engineering and construction industry in the Middle East, will make a greater pitch for contracts in metal spraying and high density polyethylene (HDPE) lining in a bid to broaden its range of services and boost income, an official says.

“Traditionally our main focus had been pipe fabrication, cement lining and epoxy coating. While metal spraying and HDPE lining also figured within our range of services, we will henceforth be delving deeper into that kind of work,” said Anilal KS, sales manager.

“We have installed additional equipment to support our new focus,” he added.  Raymond International’s Middle East headquarters is located in Bahrain where the company also has one of its eight fabrication plants in the Gulf, the others being in Saudi Arabia (four), UAE (two) and Kuwait (one).

Metal spray coating or thermal arc spraying is a process by which metals are sprayed onto the surface of another material using a high-velocity continuous combustion process. The process changes the pipe surface properties by providing improved thermal conductivity and wear resistance. Thermal spray aluminium and thermal spray cladding provide dependable corrosion protection for pipelines, tubes and water walls in boilers where high-temperature corrosion or erosion may occur.

The HDPE Tight Fit lining process involves the insertion of a tight-fitting high-density polyethylene liner pipe inside of a steel pipe. The liner pipe is radially compressed to reduce its outside diameter during the insertion. Once installed, the HDPE liner expands within the steel pipe and fits tight against the pipe wall.

Raymond International’s sales turnover was around $60 million in 2014 against $54 million in the previous year. “This year we expect to see greater sales. We have clinched a few contracts and are about to sign a few more,” said Anilal.

 

The Raymond Centriline Process of cement mortar lining has enjoyed strong demand over the years

The Raymond Centriline Process of cement mortar lining has enjoyed strong demand over the years

Projects

“We will continue our work this year on projects for Kuwait Oil Company and Kuwait National Petroleum Company involving piping and coating of Fusion Bonding Epoxy (FBE) and High Build Epoxy (HBE) for different pipe sizes and different lengths.

“In Bahrain we’re involved in many piping and coating services for pumping stations of the Electricity & Water Authority, gas pipelines and rehabilitation services for the Bapco refinery and the seawater intake project at Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company.

Other coatings the company provides include three-layer polyethylene, cold wrapping, high-build polyurethane and heat shrinkable sleeves of polyethylene and polypropylene for weld joints.

 

Raymond Centriline process

The company also specialises in the Raymond Centriline Process of cement mortar lining which is applied to new and existing pipelines to extend the original design life through corrosion prevention. Linings can either be cement mortar for potable water or specialist chemically resistant mortars for wastewater projects that are subject to hydrogen sulphide attack. The lining can be applied either in-situ after the pipes have been installed or in a stackyard adjacent to the project prior to installation. The Centriline Process can be used in pipes with a diameter as small as 75 mm and in tunnels up to 6,000 mm diameter.

Raymond also offers rubber lining to the interior surfaces of pipes, fittings, vessels and tanks.

 

Mechanised welding at a Raymond fabrication yard

Mechanised welding at a Raymond fabrication yard

Achievements

At the company’s plants, Raymond makes spools of different configurations, the most common of which are meant for water pumping stations and for oil and gas industry applications such as gas booster stations, gathering centres and well heads. The company fabricates flange mountings from forged fittings and flanges to the requirements of its customers. .

“Over the past 10 years, we have coated on average 1,000 km of pipe length annually in our Gulf facilities,” said Anilal.

In 2012 and 2013 the level of export work was 30 per cent. Raymond completed two big jobs in Saudi Arabia for Abu Dhabi’s Shah Gas project. Anilal said it was very specialised FBE work that Raymond’s Jubail plant accomplished. In 2011-2012, the same completed internal and external coating for Adco’s Bab Gas Compression in Habshan, Abu Dhabi. 

The Bahrain yard has worked on a contract for an Australian project, Exxon Mobil’s Longford Gas Conditioning Plant in Victoria where the consulting engineering firm was Worley Parsons. The work involved external Thermal Spray Aluminium for 7,000 sq m. “Half of the coating length was completed and sent to Australia towards the end of last year and the other half is nearly ready,” said Anilal.

One of the important recent contracts completed in the Bahrain plant was HBE coating for a Fluor Iraq project – West Quarna.

Other important projects Raymond completed at its Gulf yards included HBE coating for a 36-inch diameter gas pipeline for Gasco’s Habshan-Maqta-Taveelah pipeline project, Abu Dhabi in 2013; the Mina Ahmadi Water Pump Station of Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water in 2014 where the work included fabrication, coating and installation  involving a 11.5 km pipeline of 88-inch diameter, and a Mina Abdulla Water Pump Station project of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity and Water involving fabricating and internal and external coating.