Suncor Tailings Line Replacement

Client: Suncor Energy Inc.

UMA is undertaking Suncor’s Tailings Line Replacement Project. Suncor is replacing its three unlined plain carbon steel tailings pipelines with new Iracore pipes. Unlike carbon steel pipes which have to be replaced every two years, these new irathane-lined pipes are expected to last 15 to 20 years.

UMA’s scope of work includes:

• Preparing design and layout drawings of replacement piping
• Preparing material requisitions for all piping components
• Creating mechanical and civil/structural construction work packages
• Completing a comprehensive pipe stress analysis to minimize structural steel requirements

Suncor has only three 10-day windows to demolish and reconstruct each 3.3 km section of pipeline and the construction schedule does not allow any time to fabricate and ship replacement pipe spools from the US.

To ensure accuracy and get pipe spool lengths within the precise design tolerance needed, UMA used survey data to create a detailed 3-D model of the entire pipeline. This enabled the team to develop the spool lengths based on the differences in elevation and the bend along the right-of-way.

This $39 million project is currently in progress and will be completed in 2007.