Business Reporter
THE Laffan refinery, which will have 146,000 barrels per stream day (BPSD) capacity when completed in 2008, has put in place its two heaviest columns.
The 53 metres high, 495 tonnes Debutanizer and the 450 tonnes, 65 metres high Condensate columns were safely and successfully lifted into place ahead of schedule, a spokesman of Qatargas said.
The debutanizer and condensate columns/towers play a part in the cracking and distillation processes in refineries.
The refinery will help to capture synergies and opportunities from the development of the North Field, Qatargas, RasGas and Ras Laffan City ventures.
The erecting of columns was achieved by means of a Demag CC 8800-1 model crane, with a super-lift configuration enabling a total lifting capacity of 1,600 tonnes.
A second crane of 450 tonnes capacity was also utilised for both heavy lifting operations, the spokesman said.
The columns were hoisted into place using a “tandem lift” as two cranes worked simultaneously with one performing the bulk of the lift and the second crane was used for “tailing”, he added.
Once the columns were lifted into a vertical position, the tailing cranes’ rigging was released and the larger crane completed both lifts.
It took about two hours for lifting the columns, while another one hour was required to properly secure the columns onto their foundations before they were unhooked from the crane.
“The team on site at Laffan Refinery has done an outstanding job to ensure that everything went smoothly for this hazardous activity. Most importantly the job was completed safely without any down-grading incidents,” said Laffan Refinery Venture manager Salman Ashkanani.
The engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project is a consortium of GS Engineering & Construction Corporation and Daewoo Engineering & Construction Company.
The plant foundation stone was laid in April 2006 by Heir Apparent HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and construction is now underway.
The project involves construction of process units including utility systems, storage and export facilities. The process complex will include distillation unit, naphtha and kerosene hydrotreaters, hydrogen unit and saturate gas plant producing naphtha, kerosene, gasoil and LPG for the export market. |
