August 2007

 

 

 

Strainstall Supply an Integrated Marine Management System For New TLP

 

Strainstall have just supplied a complete PCL-based Integrated Marine Management System (IMMS) for a new Tension Leg Platform (TLP), which is to be deployed in the deepwater area of the Gulf of Mexico. The TLP will be in a water depth of approximately 4,300 feet (1310 mtrs), around 120 miles from the Louisiana coast, and will have a nominal production capacity of 100,000 barrels of oil and 50 million cubic feet of gas per day. Following the recent hurricanes in the Gulf (Katrina and Rita), the TLP and its mooring were designed to withstand a '1000' year storm.

 

The IMMS consists of a distributed PLC system and Strainstall manufactured subsea load cells, designed for a 25-year life at a water depth of 114ft (35 mtrs) and the maximum tendon loads estimated in a 1000 year storm, the load cell design has been approved by the Classification Society ABS.

 

The PLC system is located in the hull, where Strainstall developed PLC logic and HMI display software provides the operator with data from a number of parameters on the TLP. The system features include tendon data that incorporates load and bending moments, reports on the height of the deck above the sea surface and wave conditions, permanent and temporary ballast tank levels and reporting on a number of meteorological conditions, including wind speed direction, air temperature and pressure.

 

 

The new tendon leg platform

 

 

New Portable Wireless Weighing System Supplied to Canadian Company

 

Strainstall has recently supplied the first portable wireless weighing system for large structures. The system consists of 12 low profile compressive load cells, each rated at 100 tonnes and connected via a short wire to a battery powered telemetry transmitter. A single receiver unit, which is powered by a vehicle 12VDC socket, collects the data from each load cell and converts it into a digital output. The receiver is connected to a laptop computer that displays the weight of each load cell, the total weight and the centre of gravity of the structure.

 

For smaller structures fewer load cells can be used (down to a minimum of 3), and by using a second receiver unit and computer, the load cells can be split into two separate systems, providing that they are stationed sufficiently apart (approx 1km) in order to stop interference between the systems. The computer software used is Strainstall's own custom-designed programme which features a user-friendly and easy to interpret display.

 

The first set was supplied to a Canadian company, who required a portable system to use out in the field to determine the weight and centre of gravity of large steel structures, so that they can be lifted safety.

 

 

 100 tonne compressive load cell

 

Strainstall Operations Division Design Monitoring System for BlackFriars Bridge

Blackfriars Railway Bridge is a five span wrought iron arch structure which crosses the River Thames between Southwark and the City of London Boroughs. The bridge, constructed in 1886, supports five railway lines and a section of Blackfriars Station. Network Rail's Thameslink Programme team required confirmation of the structural behaviour of Blackfriars Bridge under short term loading (rail traffic) and long term loading (environmental effects) to aid the future design upgrade of the Thameslink route.

Mott MacDonald commissioned Strainstall to carry out the technical design and installation of an extensive structural monitoring scheme for the bridge. The data captured from the monitoring scheme would be used by Mott MacDonald for comparison with their existing 3D finite element model of the bridge, which together would confirm how loads were transferred through the structure. In addition the information would be used to inform the asset owner, Network Rail South Eastern Territory, of the bridges behaviour and potential areas for future maintenance or strengthening.

The resulting system comprised of 342 sensors that capture the strains, deflection and rotation of the structure under load. The installation was carried out with minimal interruption to train traffic as nearly all the access was from below deck level. To date the project has been successful with the required load test being completed on time. The quality of the data from the system has been very good and has proved successful in enabling the structural behaviour of the bridge to be understood and in validating the 3D computer model as an appropriate representative of this behaviour.

The Blackfriars Railway Bridge

Jetty Management Package Supplied to New Oil Storage Facility in SIngapore

The marine division of Strainstall have recently completed and delivered a BerthManager system to Universal Terminals on Jurong Island, Singapore. When completed this facility will be one of the largest independent terminals in the world, with over 2.3 million m³  of storage capacity in 73 custom built tanks. The oil terminal will be the first in the region to have its own 12 berths, including 2 VLCC berths.

The package comprised of computerised ship approach (DockAlert), mooring load monitoring (MoorAlert) and jetty management systems (BerthManager) that have been designed to assist the mooring master during a vessel's approach to a dockside mooring, and whilst moored at the jetty. Also included were 58 Strainstall AMTS Quick Release Mooring Hooks, ranging in capacity from 30 to 90 tonnes and in single, double, triple and quad configurations. Strainstall engineers went on site to carry out the installation and commissioning.

Strainstall have also recently despatched orders for the Costa Azul LNG import terminal in Mexico for QR hooks and a BerthManager system; Seosan Crude Import Facility in Korea for a BerthManager system, QR hooks and lasers (with a special laser lift system that was required due to the high tide levels, which meant that the lasers needed to be able to move up/down by 8 metres); Fujian Crude Oil Terminal in China for BerthManager and a hook release sytem for domestic hooks and a MoorAlert system for domestic hooks at Flint Hills Oil Refinery in Texas.

The new oil storage facility on Jurong Island in Singapore