TUPI BV is a consortium composed of Petrobras Netherlands BV, the British Gas Group and Galp Energia S.A. Together, the consortium is working on the ongoing development of the Lula Alto field, located in the Santos Basin, Brazil. When they needed a load-out of the first set of four modules bound for the FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) P66 vessel, they turned to Mammoet, a global service provider specializing in engineered heavy lifting and transport.
Working towards a tight deadline with the P66 nearing completion, the consortium was looking for a partner to install the last four modules. The modules range in weight from slightly over 1,000 to 1,425 metric tons. They were built by BJCHI in Sattahip, Thailand and shipped by module carrier to Brazil for integration onto the hull of the FPSO.
The load-out was the result of close cooperation between BJCHI and Mammoet Thailand. BJCHI provides manufacturing and installation services for its customers’ industrial plants. Building and delivering FPSO modules is a move into new territory for BJCHI, which is venturing into the oil and gas market for the first time.
The Mammoet team had to manage the total logistics operation including chartering the module carrier MV Mega Trust to ship the modules to Brazil, complete naval engineering, weighing the modules and a load-out at the fabrication yard using 60 axle lines of Self Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs).
SPMTs are hydraulically operated trailers with high lifting capacity. The wheels can be rotated 360º and, due to the modular nature of the trailers, the lifting capacity can be increased by adding more trailers to the configuration. The basic principle of an SPMT is the fact that loads are transported above the wheels of the trailer and the small circumference allows for a low loading height. Each of these wheels is mounted on an oscillating axle. Each axle is mounted on a hydraulic “suspension,” obtaining the following:
- The regular load distribution between the axles, whatever the road super elevation may be, over which
the convoy is travelling. This load distribution is obtained by the intercommunication of the hydraulic cylinders, giving a constant pressure, whatever the suspension height may be. - The sustentation of the load is obtained hydraulically, following the support in three points on the ground.
Mammoet
mammoet.com
Filed Under: Hydraulic equipment + components, MOTION CONTROL
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