Shell’s Falcon Ethane Pipeline, currently under construction, is designed to supply ethane to a new refinery plant being built in Monaca, PA. Transporting ethane from 3 sources located in the gas-abundant areas of the Marcellus and Utica shale reservoirs, the 97-mile pipeline, comprised of 10”, 12”, and 16” diameter sections, passes through a variety of terrain types as it is routed through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. To ensure the pipeline’s protection in all ground conditions, contractors of the Falcon project contacted PipeSak® Inc.
PipeSak® Inc provides engineered products that preserve pipeline integrity during all stages of construction. In rocky areas where the Falcon pipeline was at risk of being damaged by sharp shards of earth or stone, PipeSak® provided PipeJacket™ rockshield which was wrapped around the pipe to protect it from impacts and abrasions. Covering more than 25 miles of the Falcon pipeline, PipeJacket™ rockshield ensured that no damage was done to the pipeline during backfilling operations.
In addition to managing the rocky terrain encountered on the project, PipeSak® also provided buoyancy control solutions in wetland areas by providing 298 geotextile pipeline weights. These PipeSak® pipeline weights were transported empty and subsequently filled on site, which allowed for a cost-effective and easily portable buoyancy control solution that saved the project time and money.