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ExxonMobil is an industry leader within the energy and chemical manufacturing sectors. They are an advanced energy and chemical innovator, and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world. ExxonMobil provides their services on a global scale and have been commended for their research and development into next-generation technologies which will help meet the dual challenge of fueling global economies while addressing the risks of climate change.
Working with such a huge and vitally important player within the oil, gas and energy sector has a been a huge honour for the team at Bowen. Our work with ExxonMobil showcases our high-level of skill and expertise within the field of hydraulics and engineering and has given us a chance to prove ourselves as a leading player in our industry.
The Brief
The client, ExxonMobil, was planning a maintenance shutdown at their process facility at Mossmorran. One of the systems we were asked to look at was the steam heating plant used for pre-heating the lube oil for the GE Frame 5 gas turbines.
Due to the planned shutdown, the steam generating plant, where the steam is used to pre-heat the lubricating oil for the gas turbines, would be out of action for longer than expected. Therefore, the client required an interim solution to provide pre-heated oil until the steam plant was operational again.
The main requirements were to come up with an effective interim solution to pre-heat the lubricating oil when required. The lubrication system, pipework and storage tank held approximately 30 Tonnes of oil.
What We Did
To begin with, our engineer on the project came up with a bespoke water heating unit that we could adjust for temperature and flow rate in order to optimize the heating of the oil.
After the site survey was carried out, we identified a location for this water heater unit and its proposed power supply so we could connect the heater unit to the existing steam heating pipework. We did this with our in-house manufactured hoses, fitting and connectors.
The expected heat-up time was approximately 5-8 days from cold. To ensure this ran as smoothly as possible, we had two technicians monitor the heater during the first 48 hours so that the flow and temperature could be accurately set.
The records we kept informed us of the best combination of flow and temperature to get the most efficient heat-up time. We achieved these optimal working temperatures of the lube oil within just three days.
Since the unit was going to run 24/7 in order to maintain the oil temperature, the client asked if the unit could run unsupervised as this would be a cost saving bonus to the client and help with management of personnel. To put this in place, our engineer and technicians implemented a safety plan that would see the unit fitted with additional safe guards against overheating, loss of system pressure, loss of system water and, of course, loss of power.
The Results
The measures we took to ensure the heating unit could run with minimum supervision helped to reduce the time spent on site, meaning our technicians only had to conduct one visit every 12 hours. This reassurance meant that the client's request for their own personnel monitoring of the system was possible. The system would shut itself down if any of the set parameters was exceeded.
The unit was kept on side for a few months until the steam heating system had been re-commissioned and was put back into service. The client was very happy with how the unit worked and operated in the interim period and noted that it saved them valuable down-time that would have otherwise hindered their project timelines. This work has helped nourish a great working relationship between Bowen and ExxonMobil, with future projects and collaborations a certainty.
We have now carried out this service to several other companies where their lubricating and hydraulic systems have failed or shut down for maintenance. We also supply standby lube oil pumps, oil flushing, sampling and polishing units when required.
