Location: Chowder Bay
Division: Energy
End User: Department of Defence
Client: Waterway Constructions
Project manager: Ben McDonnell
Year completed: 2015
Description:
Diesel Fuel Installation upgrade works, part of the Wharf Upgrade Programme Chowder Bay
OPEC scope:
OPEC was engaged to remove and replace the 250mm hydrant line extending from a land based bulk diesel storage facility to a wharf-based offloading/uploading point approximately 100m away.
Challenges/solutions:
There was no space available on site to assemble the line from transportable components to finished product.
OPEC has built entire system on a dry dock in White Bay, with installation of the pipeline onto trusses and shipped the entire assemblies over water to site for final “golden weld” in-situ installation.
Corrosion of metallic equipment due to the saltwater environment required additional engineering controls to be implemented. It was deemed necessary to incorporate painted 316 stainless steel as an added corrosion inhibitor. With the project being over water the potential for diesel spills into the water was high. OPEC and waterway constructions formed a joint effort to implement a spill control plan, this included the deployment of floating booms, suspending drip trays underneath the cut areas and placing a boat directly under the cut zone. In addition to these, the barge crane was utilised to elevate the entire pipeline to drain any remaining fuel back to land where the “suckback” pump was used to remove any residual.
Innovations:
Epoxy coating 316 stainless steel to prevent corrosion Utilising 3D laser scanning of the area to develop millimetre/degree perfect fabrication drawings for complex direction changes in pipework.
