Dutch supplier Holmatro and its Norwegian dealer EIVA-SAFEX have jointly supplied 64 cylinders, each with a capacity of 536-ton, to the tension-leg platform (TLP) Snorre A. The firms also supplied the corresponding control and storage for the hydraulic system.
The Snorre oil field is in the Norwegian North Sea, 200km from the coast. One of the platforms, TLP Snorre A, is anchored to the seabed with steel cables. In order to retain, measure and monitor the pre-tensioning of the cables, each leg of the platform includes constructions that are each fitted with load-cells.
When calibrating the load-cells the weight of the platform must be taken off. With the help of the new Holmatro cylinders (each with a capacity of 536-ton), the corresponding control and storage for the hydraulic system, the job can be done much easier.
“We received the request from Statoil in January 2014,” says Rob Loonen, Sales Engineer Holmatro Industrial equipment. “A big tender with a complex question – hydraulic support to optimize the calibration process of the load-cells on the steel cables anchored to the sea bed. The difficult conditions on the oil platform meant that the cylinders and accompanying products had to meet an enormous package of requirements. A perfect challenge for our Industrial Solutions team! They designed and developed this complete customized hydraulic system. Our Norwegian dealer EIVA-SAFEX handled the lifting installation and we jointly drew up the required documentation in line with the legal requirements for the offshore platform.”