CIMC Raffles Project: High-Efficiency Hydrocyclone Desanding System for Offshore Platforms
Project Background:
CIMC Raffles (formerly Yantai Raffles) is a world- leading integrator of offshore engineering equipment. In multiple deep- water jack- up and semi- submersible drilling rig projects, their mud circulation and seawater treatment systems faced severe sand abrasion challenges. Fluids extracted from the seabed contain significant amounts of hard sand particles. Without high- efficiency desanding, high- pressure mud pumps, submersible pumps, and various valve seals would suffer rapid wear. Consequently, CIMC Raffles introduced Unite's deeply customized wear- resistant hydrocyclone desanding systems.
Core Challenges:
Extreme Erosive Wear: Sand particles enter the system at high velocities, causing intense cutting and erosive wear on internal walls, demanding extremely high hardness for filter elements and internals.
Marine Environment Corrosion: The heavy salt spray environment offshore requires the desander to possess exceptional anti- electrochemical corrosion resistance.
Compact Skid- Mounted Space: Deck space on drilling rigs is extremely precious, requiring the system to achieve high throughput within a compact modular layout.
Continuous Operational Stability: Long drilling cycles and high costs demand that the desanding system supports 24/7 continuous operation, with sand discharge not interrupting the main flow.
Our Solution:
Tailored to CIMC Raffles' offshore standards, we provided high- performance hydrocyclone desanding integrated solutions:
High- Hardness Wear- Resistant Internals: Cyclone liners are made of high- purity alumina ceramic, silicon carbide, or specialty wear- resistant polyurethane. These materials offer exceptional durability, extending service life by 5-10 times compared to ordinary stainless steel.
Heavy- Duty Anti- Corrosive Vessel: The main vessel is made of SS316L or Duplex Stainless Steel, with external coatings meeting C5-M marine protection standards.
Centrifugal Separation & Sand Tank Design: Powerful centrifugal forces generated by high- pressure cyclonic flow accurately separate and settle sand particles larger than 15-44μm into a bottom collection tank. Automated valve sets enable online discharge triggered by timers or differential pressure.
Offshore- Compliant Automation: The system integrates explosion- proof control boxes and digital monitoring instruments. All interfaces comply with API specifications and hold DNV/ABS classification society certifications, ensuring absolute compliance for offshore operations.
Customer Value & Results:
Since the commissioning of the desanding systems across multiple drilling rigs delivered by CIMC Raffles, they have demonstrated outstanding stability. The replacement frequency of downstream pumps and valves has been reduced by approximately 60% , significantly saving spare part costs and manual maintenance hours. The fully automated operation has greatly improved drilling fluid circulation quality, ensuring efficient oil and gas extraction. CIMC Raffles highly commended the solution's wear- resistant technology and offshore compliance, leading to long- term supply agreements for multiple deep- sea energy development projects.
