N E W S   R E L E A S E   from  FURMANITE  ASIA PACIFIC 

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Challenging in-situ machining success for FPSO

Specialist expertise from Furmanite, the engineering and technical services company, enabled challenging machining work on a new build FPSO to be undertaken to precise tolerances in-situ, in very difficult conditions.

A demanding machining requirement on the FPSO’s port and starboard support lug pairs, including line boring for re-alignment after welding, drilling to create lubrication holes, and machining of an inconel flange face (an extremely difficult material to machine), was successfully met by Furmanite’s Shanghai operation.

Using specialist line boring, drilling and flange facing equipment, Furmanite line bored holes on both the port and starboard PPS uni joint support lugs (where an inconel weld to the lug face had been applied) to create and maintain a 6mm thick inconel face, and re-align the 870mm and 560mm holes (required for the pins as part of the buoy connection assembly). This was achieved to a surface finish of Ra 3.2 to 2.5µm, and tightly specified tolerances of +0.14mm and +0.11mm respectively. Additionally, Furmanite also machined the inconel 625 plate, including a 15° bevel at the plate edges, to a surface finish of less than 1.6µm, and drilled an 8x156mm perpendicular hole on the lugs for lubricating purposes.

In addition to the demanding specifications to be achieved on an extremely hard material that is rarely machined – requiring considerable time and specialist grade cutting inserts – the project was further complicated by having to be undertaken at a location on the vessel some 60 metres above sea level in extremely cold high winds.

“There are very few companies in China with the expertise and equipment to achieve this level of precision machining in-situ,” Furmanite Shanghai office operations manager Bill Wan comments.

“Furmanite had previously undertaken a successful on-site machining project for the customer on another vessel, and was selected to work on this FPSO project for its reputation for quality and experienced technicians,” he continues. “It was not an easy project given the conditions and the demanding specifications, but we completed it successfully. This is typical of the service Furmanite offers, with its ability to save substantial time, cost and logistics issues involved in moving components off-site, by being able to achieve, in-situ, the quality, tolerances and surface finishes usually associated with workshops, even in the most demanding environments.”

For further press information contact:
Sarah Manwaring-White
Keep in Touch Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)1451 844 488
Email: sarah_mw@keepintouch.co.uk