Bristle Blaster Training for Peru's Largest Natural Gas Project

Part of the Peak Times Moments series — exploring the world's surfaces. This time, MontiPower® reports from Piura, Peru, where a training session put the Bristle Blaster® Electric into the hands of engineers on one of the country's largest national construction projects.

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The goal of the session

The aim was clear: to provide theoretical and practical instruction to the staff of GyM (Graña y Montero, Peru's largest and oldest construction company) on the correct use and handling of the Bristle Blaster® Electric for surface preparation.

The work was led by Cristhian Coarite — Coordinator of the Technical Department at Matservice Petroleo Perú SAC (MSP) and a NACE Level 1 Coatings Inspector — who visited the GASNORP pipeline construction site in the Piura region. There he performed two tests on the pipe, alongside a number of others to simulate destruction and test adhesion.

Proper training, properly certified

Training in the use and handling of the Bristle Blaster® was carried out to ensure both the usability and the lifespan of the equipment's brushes. Quality controls were performed in accordance with ASTM D4417 Method C, and the training and certification followed factory procedures — ultimately providing GyM staff with proper accreditation in the form of the Bristle Blaster® MontiPower® training certificate.

The test results

Quality control standard	ASTM D4417 Method C
Cleanliness achieved	ISO Sa 2½ / SSPC SP 10
Roughness test value	3.0 mils

Piura's transition to natural gas

The training took place in Piura, a region in northwestern Peru that is home to 1,800,000 people. Made up of eight provinces, the region has recently become the site of one of Peru's largest national construction projects: the establishment of a 1,100 km natural gas distribution network across several regions. The network will consist of 277 km of main steel networks and 856 km of polyethylene networks.

Project leader GASNORP has committed to investing US $230 million over 32 years to build the distribution network across the provinces of Paita, Piura, Sechura, Sullana and Talara. With the participation of the President of the Republic, the Minister of Energy and Mines, the authorities of Piura, and the representatives of Promigas and Quavii (the commercial brand of Gases del Norte del Perú — GASNORP), the green light was given to begin engineering and construction. GASNORP contracted GyM — a near-billion-dollar company and Peru's largest and oldest engineering firm — to engineer and construct the Piura gas pipeline.

The ultimate goal

The project aims to provide Piuran families with the lowest natural gas tariffs in Peru, allowing them to save more than 50% compared with alternative fuels. Transitioning the industries of Piura to natural gas is expected to deliver savings of over 40 million dollars.

A milestone

According to Miguel Maal, General Manager of Quavii, the signing of the contract represents a milestone in the massification of natural gas in Peru. The construction green light will make Piura the twelfth region of Peru to enjoy the benefits of natural gas. Within the first year alone, GASNORP anticipates bringing those benefits to over 2,000 families across Sullana, Talara and Piura — and expects to build more than 80 km of polyethylene networks.

A Peak Times Moment

To round things off, it was the engineers of the near-billion-dollar GyM company — the very people working on the 1,100 km nationwide pipeline project — who received instruction and certification in MontiPower®'s number one tool: the Bristle Blaster® Electric.

The Piura project illustrates the role the Bristle Blaster® plays perfectly. Thanks to its unique qualities, pipelines can be safely and effectively given a perfect, rough surface, ideal for the application of the designated coating. As this Peruvian project shows, MontiPower® is making great strides towards its mission:

"Striving for fast, safe and green operations in the field that ensure the highest rate of user friendliness."

Never a dull moment — always a Peak Times Moment.

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Need your team trained and certified on the Bristle Blaster®? Contact us to arrange a training session for your project.