Product category:
Bearings
News Release from: Trelleborg Engineered Systems - Bakker | Subject: Trelleborg Bakker rubber components
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 11 March 2008
Rubber components improve docking safety
The impact fenders on the pontoon compress and effectively seal and 'lock' the HiLoad to the tanker.
Trelleborg Bakker supplies rubber components to Remora ASA for its HiLoad Offshore Loading System The components effectively damp and lock the HiLoad and the tanker during cargo offloading to optimise efficiency and safety of this operation
Loading of cargo from offshore oil and gas facilities requires specialist equipment.
Remora ASA's HiLoad is a technology for transfer of cargo from an FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) vessel to a tanker.
To maximise usability it can be attached to virtually any tanker, without modification, with no manual operation in the wave zone, maximising safety.
Damping the impact between the HiLoad and the tanker , Trelleborg Bakker's system locks them together, avoiding any structural damage to the tanker hull during cargo offloading.
The L-shaped HiLoad operates in a similar way to a forklift truck when it picks up a pallet, its horizontal part being driven beneath the ship.
As the HiLoad unit is being deballasted and begins moving towards the tanker bottom, seals meet the hull to form six closed compartments, or cofferdams.
The water in the cofferdam is drained.
As this is emptied, air is let in through an open-air vent to the surface.
This ensures that the pressure of the trapped air becomes atmospheric (1bar).
The clearance between the HiLoad pontoon and the tanker bottom is about 3m when HiLoad is approaching the tanker.
When the impact fenders on the towers are in contact with the tanker side, thrust is applied towards the tanker.
The ballast system, which has a very high capacity in order to minimise the time for the connection operation, is then activated.
In less than one minute the pontoon fenders contact the bottom of the tanker.
The impact fenders on the pontoon compress and effectively seal and 'lock' the HiLoad to the tanker.
The use of hydrostatic pressure is one of the key principles behind the technology of the 'locking' system.
This acts on the top of the HiLoad pontoon and is transferred to the tanker hull through the rubber sealing components from Trelleborg Bakker.
By engaging the attachment system, HiLoad will be 'locked' to the tanker with several thousand tons of clamping force, making sure that it will not come loose during operation.
Once this has happened the HiLoad and the vessel act as a homogenous unit.
This means that when subjected to the forces of wave, wind and current there are no opposing forces between the two units that could damage them or reduce the efficiency of the offloading operation.
It also extends the use of the HiLoad into conditions where there would be a reluctance to use other offloading systems due to safety, such as at night or in poor weather conditions.
This is a major advantage to FPSO operators, as minimising downtime during the offloading operation has significant cost benefits.
Trelleborg Bakker specially engineered the materials for the rubber components that are integral to the attachment and locking process.
These need to operate under pressures up to 4bar and withstand a wide temperature range between 0 and 45C.
The components are based on proven technology used for Gina seals successfully installed on immersed tunnels worldwide.
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