Custom engineering

Our Approach

Consultation & Planning

Our custom engineering team supports clients who come to us with unique requests for which no readily available solution exists. The first step our engineers take in any custom engineering project is listening to your project’s unique needs. We will take the time to understand the application and project specifications. From there we start to determine the feasibility and brainstorm solutions.

Once we have a clear understanding of the project we will dive into the specifics and develop a Project Proposal. This document provides scope and defines what can be expected with your project including cost, deliverables, and timelines. When the proposal is approved we will put together the formal project team who will work together during the rest of the project

Design & Engineering

The heart and brains of Petrogas are a team of committed specialists. We believe the best solutions come from collaboration between different groups of experts.

Throughout this process, we like to see ourselves as an extension of your engineering team. This phase starts with an assigned team working with you to develop a proof of concept. Then we will work through the prototyping process alongside you and your team. The design and prototyping process is not complete until a prototype meets your needs and works in your application.

Manufacturing & Quality

When the designs are approved, materials are released and manufacturing processes will start. Quality controls are in place to make sure we deliver according your specifications. When your product goes to production, we don’t hand it off to a third party. Instead it is put in the hands of our in-house skilled manufacturing professionals who work together with the engineers to ensure quality and precise functionality are of the highest standard, every step of the way.

Installation & Training

Our service does not end here though. Petrogas offers a full range of aftersales services. Our engineers travel all over the world to continue providing the care our clients have grown accustomed to during the project phase:

• Assistance with or complete transport arrangements and customs clearance
• Technical assistance during site erection works
• Cold & Hot commissioning
• On-site training for operators and maintenance personnel

Case studies

Compact design, fit for airfreight

Sand Removal system for the 3-phase separator on Sakhalin

Client: Sulzer Chemtech

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What did our customer request?: On the Sakhalin site, a vessel that separates water, oil and gas also accumulated sand over time. The sand could only be removed by stopping the process and physically going inside the vessel.

ENL wanted a system that could remove this sand without the need to stop the process. Sulzer Chemtech developed this and requested the help of us for the mechanical engineering, the fabrication of the installation and the procurement of the required components.
Our solution: We designed a water circulation skid which included as many of the required components as possible to minimize the work to be done at site.
What set the project apart?: This is the first project where the Sand Removal system has been implemented on an existing site. It was a prestige project that also had a very short lead-time. There were four parties involved that needed to collaborate to make this project a success; us as Petrogas, our client Sulzer, their client Fluor and the end user ENL. The first two months there were conference calls with all these parties every day to closely monitor the progress and discuss any risen issues.
What were the project challenges?: The very short lead time, which is a challenge to begin with, also caused the requirement to transport the installation by air freight. Normally that should not be a problem, but in this case it had to be transported to Sakhalin Island, on which limited size aircrafts can land, which greatly impacts the maximum dimensions per piece of cargo. Next to this, the available plot for the water circulation skid was quite small as well.

Other companies might have decided to just send the loose materials to site and build it on location. But Petrogas, excelling at skid solutions, designed two boxes that could be transported by air and easily be connected to each other on location, containing the majority of the piping and components that made up our scope of the system.

Complex project management

Thermphos phosphorus removal project

Client: Van Citters Beheer (VCB)

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What did our customer request?: After the Thermphos phosphorus plant went bankrupt in 2012, the administrators and the province of Zeeland (Southern Netherlands) issued tenders to dismantle the complex and remove all the phosphorus. The entire project was secured by Decontamination Services, a subsidiary of Mourik. Petrogas was asked to process 4000 tons of stored sludge, which contained phosphorus and was slightly radioactive.
Our solution: We designed, built and operated the custom processing installation for the phosphorus-containing sludge. The composition of the material made it necessary to design a special pump (phosphorus auto-ignites around 30°C). By subjecting the sludge to a 40 bar pressure the liquid phosphorus and water were separated from the solid components, which were then pressed together to form a cake. The liquid phosphorus was reusable and the cake was incinerated.
What set the project apart?: Processing phosphorus demands many safety measures. The presence of materials containing phosphorus mean that there are still support services stationed on the Thermphos grounds. Petrogas integrated the installation within the former plant to assure the safest possible processing.
What were the project challenges?: “The complexity of the project was a challenge, particularly since there are just a handful of phosphorus plants worldwide. Our processing installation had never been built before. Wherever possible, Petrogas made use of the knowledge and experience of former Thermphos employees. “

Extra safety requirements

High pressure ExxonMobil test loop

Client: ProlabNL

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What did our customer request?: ProLabNL – based in Arnhem, the Netherlands – offers testing facilities that simulate oil field conditions with natural gas/raw oil and water (hydrocarbons) under high pressure, for instance to test liquid separators. Petrogas was approached by ProLabNL to create a high pressure test facility for subsea liquid separation.
Our solution: The installation was designed based on information provided by ExxonMobil for the testing of a subsea separator. ProlabNL used this information to create a process flow diagram, which Petrogas then elaborated into a piping and instrumentation diagram with the required materials list. Next, Petrogas provided for the 3D installation drawing, wiring diagrams and the purchase of components such as pumps, instrumentation, flow meters and valves.
What set the project apart?: Withing Petrogas we established a close partnership with our customer in order to ensure the best performance of this test facility. Specially with respect to the material we used and the short notice changes we have performed successfully. The material which was used is suitable for the highly corrosive atmospheres and fluids. The opening of this project was performed by a member of the Royal Dutch family.
What were the project challenges?: “The installation had to be designed in such a way that it would fit in the available space, that any emitted vapours could not be ignited by the nearby rail track, and that the could be depressurised within a certain amount of time. Petrogas furthermore supplied the information required for the nuisance act license and the fire department.”