A Tall Order

If not the heaviest, then certainly the tallest, design and build project undertaken by ALL OCEANS from their Aberdeen facility to date. The picture shows an "ILUC" handling system standing at its full height of 15m (50 feet)alongside the workshop. An "ILUC" is an Internal Line-Up Clamp, simply described as a torpedo shaped device that fits inside a pipe, and as its name suggests, is used to align two pipe ends prior to welding. The "Tall Order" was from the Deep Blue Project Team to design and build the handling system for various sizes of "J-Lay" line-up clamps. The handling system had to get the ILUC into the open pipe end, however, the pipe end can be anywhere between 44m and 56m (184 feet) above the deck, and its angle to the deck could be anything between 30 and 90 degrees. This required the development of what is called the "feeder tube". It is guided along the centre line of the pipe until it lands on the pipe end. The feeder tube stops and the clamp carries on being lowered down the pipe bore on the load rated handling umbilical. The system is installed 60m (200 feet) off the deck. As such, one of the principal design requirements was that the solution had to be "minimum maintenance". Apparently, technicians need notice so that they can take motion sickness tablets before going up the tensioner tower, to where the system is located! The system was assembled and tested at ALL OCEANS works prior to delivery complete with the umbilical, slip ring assembly, hydraulic drive and integrated remote control system.

For more information on A Tall Order talk to All Oceans Engineering Ltd