Pipeline Services

Compressed Air and Nitrogen in Pipeline and Process Services

National Compressed Air (NCA) provides Air and Nitrogen compressors used at different stages and processes of oil and gas pipelines, from pre-commissioning stages to operation and maintenance. 

High volume low-pressure compressors and high-pressure compressors may be used for pneumatic pressure testing of pipelines. A pneumatic pressure test after pipeline construction may be done when a hydrostatic test is not feasible due to high elevation (and hydrostatic pressure) variance throughout the pipeline, or when water should not enter into the pipes for any other reason.

Compressed Air or Nitrogen is commonly used as the propellant for many pipeline pigging purposes (called air pigging), as it is readily available, low cost, and can be easily vented into the atmosphere.

Utility pigs are used in applications like dewatering the pipeline after a hydrostatic test or as pipeline cleaning pigs to scrape off grease, debris, and solids from the pipeline.

NCA’s land and Offshore Air Compressors and Membrane Nitrogen Generators are also used to dry the natural gas pipeline after dewatering, by blowing hot and dry gas inside the pipeline.

Air pigging is used for inspection purposes as well, using Smart Pigs to conduct non-destructive examinations and detect possible damages and corrosions inside the pipe.

Another critical application of Nitrogen Generators and Compressors in gas pipelines is purging the initial air (oxygen) with nitrogen slug before putting the pipeline into service or purging the gas for maintenance purposes.

NCA Products for Pipeline Pigging and Services

NCA Canada manufactures high-quality Air and Nitrogen Compressors and Boosters, and Nitrogen Generator packages in various capacities and pressures, suitable for pipeline services and pipeline pigging used by multinational oil and gas service companies or water pipeline operators around the world.

NCA offers numerous compressor packages needed for pipeline testing, pigging, or purging services, from low-pressure single-stage screw compressors to medium-pressure two-stage rotary compressors and finally, single or multi-stage high-pressure reciprocating compressors to provide any volume and pressure needed for the project.

NCA also supplies Membrane Nitrogen Generators with a purity range of 95-99.5% for drying and purging of gas pipelines.

Please visit our products below to view more information and technical specifications of our Compressors and Nitrogen Generators. Contact our head office to speak with our sales representatives and experts about your requirements or request a quote.