Flare Tip Replacement - Bongkot North, Thailand

Site visit and preparation

As part of the preparation process, a site visit was vital to perform the necessary surveys. This is important to understand how Conbit could get the equipment in position (comprising a container and winch) and install the winch. 

The project manager had the site visit on the 7th of April. By the 17th of March, they had finished 80 percent of all the engineering.  The project manager checked all the missing data and then discussed the plan with the client. Conbit had to ensure a trained team of specialized riggers was in place, and there was optimized planning to overcome obstacles. Preparation was also crucial to negotiating the multiple pipelines surrounding the deck.

Operation

At the initial stages of the flare tip handling procedure, the crew installed the davit crane above the flare tip. Conbit installed the winch between the two decks. The davit structure rotated counterclockwise once all lifting lines were connected to the flare tip and disconnected the tip. After which, they lowered the flare tip until the main lifting line. After performing the vertical rigging, they used the crane to move the existing flare tip elsewhere to the platform to lift the new flare tip into position.

Dealing with space restriction

There was limited space on the platform where the exchange needed to occur. Therefore, accuracy and planning were critical to the project’s success. Conbit had to rig the winch into the low headroom. They also had to install the winch wire so it didn’t touch any surrounding pipelines. The laydown area for the flare tip was also minimal, resulting in the need for the old flare tip to be shifted aside before they could lift the new flare tip to the top. 

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