In January 2017, a team of BOG engineers began repair works on the Flair Boom Extension Repair Project on ExxonMobil’s Usan FPSO. Usan Field is a medium gravity, low sulfur crude oil producing field in deep water off the coast of Nigeria. It is approximately 62 miles south of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Crude oil from Usan is loaded via the ExxonMobil-operated Usan FPSO, which can accommodate Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) vessels.
The project involved the repair of a broken air direction drum that cools off a Rose Royce engine during the production operation process. Cracks had been discovered in the body of the Flair Boom Extension; some bolts needed replacement and the support legs were broken.
The scope of the project was to bond and reinforce broken legs, repair cracks and replace lost nuts. The repair works were done in four (4) phases: cutting, shaving, laminating and curing.
Cutting
All defective and cracked parts of the flair extension material were cut out. This was done to remove the cracked sections on the body of the material that could no longer hold stress. About ten (10) bolts areas were cleaned, carved and prepared for repairs.
Shaving
After cutting of items, shaving was done using angle grinders, pencil grinders and other special equipment for narrow angles. The essence of this was to create a profile on the surface of the repaired parts in which the GRE lamination chemicals and glass were going to fill Laminating
Finished surfaces were polished. The lamination was done by impregnating the shaved areas with resin, after which E-mat glass and the 270 glass were cut into chunks, impregnated with resin and used to build up affected areas to their original levels and strength.
After this, reinforced lamination was carried out using 360 glass and reinforced laminate resin to add strength to load support areas. All bolt areas were cross checked to ensure they correspond properly after the repairs.
Curing
Heating blankets were wrapped around joints to ensure the bonded areas were fully covered while electrical cables remained free. The heating blankets were tied up with strings or steel wires. They were also insulated with glass wool and all open ends of the pipe section were closed to prevent air from entering into the section.
The project was successfully completed in 10 days.
BOG personnel during repair of broken bold eye
Broken flair of the USAN FPSO being repaired