Technical milestone at Edisonbaai: expansion loop connects onshore and offshore pipelines

The expansion loop has been successfully hoisted into the concrete pit at Edisonbaai on the Maasvlakte. With the final weld now in place, the system is complete. This marks the realisation of a key technical connection: the Porthos onshore and offshore pipelines converge in this concrete pit. The expansion loop forms the transition between the two pipelines as they head towards the platform.

The connection is technically remarkable. The CO₂ will flow through the pipeline at a temperature of approximately 90 °C and a pressure of around 130 bar. Due to the high temperature, the pipeline can expand by up to 80 centimetres. The specially designed expansion loop accommodates this movement and prevents excessive stresses from developing in the pipeline and the surrounding system. This allows the pipeline to expand and contract safely as conditions within the system change.

The completion of this connection marks the completion of one of the final sections of the onshore CO₂ pipeline. This is an important milestone and another significant step towards the completion of the Porthos project.

Niels Affourtit (Principal Pipeline Engineer) and Edwin Smits (Civil Supervisor) from Porthos explain the function of the concrete box and the expansion loop in the video below.