Figure1.PetrobrasGASTAU.PDF

Figure 1. Petrobras’ GASTAU pipeline spans 97 km, running from the Caraguatatuba Gas Treatment Plant to the Taubaté Custody Transfer Station and S?o José dos Campos Refinery to transport natural gas produced in Brazil’s Mexilh?o gas field. 2 Scott Funderburk, Lincoln Electric, USA, describes how a Brazil pipeline project overcame timetable and rejection rate challenges using heavy- duty GMAW consumables and an automated welding process. Automated welding on GASTAU razilian integrated energy supplier Mexilh?o gas field, located in the offshore Petrobras was working on its Santos Basin. It is expected to carry up to GASTAU project when production 15 million m3/d of gas and yield 20 000 bpd Bslowed due to a high rejection rate of natural gas condensate. The project is of on its welds, which was affecting the overall strategic importance to Brazil in that it will project schedule. It quickly became apparent feed the industrial, domestic and automobile that automated welding would be needed to natural gas consumption in the country’s complete the job on time to open in 2011. major metropolitan areas. Its latest expansion in the pipeline market, The project the GASTAU project, runs through a highly Running 97 km from the Caraguatatuba Gas developed region that includes industrial Treatment Plant to the Taubaté Custody plants, large metropolitan areas of more Transfer Station and S?o José dos Campos than two million inhabitants, large farms, a