Thursday, April 7, 2011

Oil & Gas : Fabrication vs Processing

originally posted on remsauce.blogspot.com


Pipeline 24" and 20"




MLNG 3 from the outside.





Oil and Gas: Fabrication vs Processing


When we talk about oil and gas industry in Malaysia, we will always picture those big names such as Shell and Petronas. These companies are among the richest company in the whole world. Their incomes are totally huge as the oil price is increasing steadily over the decades. Almost everyone has the prospect to get involve with these companies, of course because of the income factor. But, do you realize that the company target is more to oil and gas processing?

I tell you something.



There is actually other alien field but directly links to oil and gas industry. There is a field of fabrication for piping, mechanical vessel, tanks, steel structures and the plant station.
Now you realize it.


Welder



There are several companies in Malaysia which do the fabrications for the offshore platforms, oil and gas terminal, plant and so on. These names are various and some even hold the stake at Papan Pertama Bursha Saham such as Kencana. There are more oil and gas fabrication company we can see around Sarawak, Labuan and Terengganu, such as Sarku, Dayang Enterprise and Dialogue.

I must tell you that,


in oil and gas fabrication field, we are dealing with several workers, in which the most important is the piping welders. They are supposed to do their welding according to some very high standard of American Petroleum Institute, a standard of oil and gas used in the whole world. Well, you know what happen if they are lack of skills and ability of welding; the piping may leak and explode.




Welder




There are also the pipe fitters that extract the information from the piping drawing, and prepare the pipes to be weld. They will select the pipes, the fittings and everything, and put them into place, and let the welder do the welding.




Pipe Fitters



There are also workers called as rigger. Their specific task is to do the lifting or swinging of pipes, instruments and other things as well. They mostly collaborate with the cranes, trailer and other.
Other workers involved are the helpers. Some of them do the grinding, the cutting, and help the welder, fitters and the rigger.



Rigger


Well, fabrication for oil and gas industry is quite rare. That is why most of the fabrication company also involved in maintenance for oil and gas. No fabrication means no money, but with their involvement for maintenance, they will at least survive. No need to worry about the income. Every year, there are thousands of oil and gas repair projects, whether it is onshore or offshore. Beside repair projects, there are also oil and gas upgrading project or even erecting a new plant.




I talked to several welders.




Most of them already went to offshore to do the welding for oil and gas platform. Most of them also do the repair for platform piping and structural.
It means that fabrication, maintenance and upgrading for oil and gas also as much as important as the oil and gas processing.



Oil and Gas : Fabrication vs Processing. *seri*



Additional Facts:
1. Fabrication Companies are Contractors.
2. Contractors are working at site, where the projects are. Meaning, they are travelers.
3. Travelers are mostly away from home. They have their total freedom. Most of the workers are man.
4. At the day, they work. At the night, they play. According to them, Labuan is still their best place for them to play: the beer is cheap, the night-shift-girls are friendly, and where everyone is the boss.
5. Processing Companies are attached to a place.
6. They will work according to their specific working hours.
7. They are not away from home. They are not travelers. They are not gaining total freedom because everyone they know keeps track of them.
8. Their best place to play is at home.


The Writer

Tank Storage Erection: Summary Part 1.

originally posted on remsauce.blogspot.com


The project took place in Pulau Indah for chemical plant expansion. The duration for the completion is around one year, starting with the piling and closed with a final inspection from BOMBA and the client. I only focused most on mechanical works above than other works.

So here it is.

Sorry I have to skip the civil works for tank foundation, since I don't have the pictures; it is all kept in the memory card which I sent to the main office. I told them to post it, but they didn't.

The civil works for tank foundation was mostly piling, and then followed with reinforcement bar, and finally the concreting. So, from here, let's move to the first picture.


Laying Bitumen to the tank foundation


Laying Bitumen to the tank foundation


Laying Bottom Plate


Shell Manhole opening


Shell Manhole opening


Pipe rack footing construction


Pipe rack footing construction - concreting


Shell plate installation in progress


Far view of works on site


Installation of pre-fabricated pipe support


Tank roof truss stacked together


Laying off 4" piping to the pipe support


General progress


Construction of pump shed footing


Pre-fabricated shell manhole


Construction of pump shed in progress


General works in progress


Hacking pavement for future underground electrical cable installation


Hacking pavement for installation of underground electrical cables.


Existing piping and cables underground


Bad weather should be recorded because it is intefering the work progress.


Pipe supports installed



Reinforcement plate ready for the shell manhole.
 

Site General View


Shell plate welding in progress for vertical and horizontal seams.


Tank storage


Concreting work in progress


Pump Shed floor slab concreting in progress.


Installation of roof truss in progress.


Excavation works for pipe footing installatin between tanks.


Installation of roof truss in progress.


Pre-fabrication of intertank walkway.


More progress for pump shed footing and plinth.


General view of the roof truss


General view of the roof truss.


Installation on spiral stairs.


Installation of gate valves at tank nozzles.


Installation of gate valves for tank nozzles.


General View.


General view of piping at the exchange hose area.


Installed spiral stairs.


Different view at the exchange hose area.


Oil & Gas: Kimanis & Sipitang

originally posted on remsauce.blogspot.com


Published on: Saturday, May 08, 2010


Kota Kinabalu: Kimanis and Sipitang have been earmarked by the State Government to be developed into oil towns, similar to Miri and Bintulu in Sarawak and Kerteh in Terengganu.


Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said it is the State Government's hope to develop Kimanis into another Kerteh for Sabah although it may take some time.


"I was told by people in Terengganu that it took 20 to 30 years for Kerteh to be where it is now, so we don't mind to start from the beginning.

"We hope Kimanis will be developed like Kerteh now but it will take time," he said after launching the First Borneo International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition at Magellan Sutera Hotel, Friday.

The Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT) project is currently ongoing in Kimanis, which Musa said would start small but would be modern and well planned with a green environment. A masterplan had been prepared.


Another area was Sipitang where more than 2,000 acres have been earmarked by the State Government for oil and gas industry by the seaside.

"It will also have a deep sea port. We will be developing Kimanis and Sipitang concurrently," he said, adding that Sipitang and Kimanis were chosen because it can accommodate deep sea port and is near the oil fields.

In his speech, Musa said the State Government envisioned Kimanis to be developed into a "Common Facilities" township with a helicopter hanger and airstrip, industrial and occupational health clinics, supply base and warehouses, workshops and service centres and offices apart from training schools with up-to-date equipment.

The town would also have supporting infrastructure like hotels and hostels, restaurants, schools and places of worships.

"Gas from offshore Sabah will land at the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal in Kimanis in 2013, and this is something we are looking forward to.

Gas will be available for the domestic market, as well as for the Bintulu LNG plant through the Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline," he said.

Since gas would become an important energy source, the State Government was working with Petronas on a master plan to promote gas distribution infrastructure to bring this resource to homes, businesses, the transportation sector and for industries.

"We recognise that this is a long-term and capital-intensive plan," he said.

Oil production in Sabah started in 1975 from the Samarang field, with Shell being the only upstream operator, while the North Sabah Trunkline, the longest offshore submarine pipeline in South East Asia at that time was built in 1979.

As a key component of Sabah's economy, the oil and gas sector accounts for 8.2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product and crude petroleum accounted for 37.4 per cent of Sabah's total export with an approximate value of RM13.9 billion in 2009, he said.

"The oil and gas industry plays an important role in the State's economy and it will certainly expand rapidly in future, bringing economic spin-offs that benefit the State's economy," he said.

And that what I call Super-cool!
Kimanis and Sipitang will be similar to Miri and Bintulu?
Guys, this is great. I stayed for some duration in Miri and Bintulu, and I like it. The whole chapter of development will never end, as long as the oil and gas industry works. There will be hotels, shops, malls, and the population will grow rapidly. Job vacancy will be enormous and from that point, Sabahan will see that engineering jobs are actually very important, whether it is civil, mechanical, electrical or chemical.
 
To attract more professionals to this town, more great facilities will be installed such as hospitals and schools. Housing development will be continuous and their prices are crazy.
 
Believe me, this twins will surpass their mother, Kota Kinabalu in the future.

Tank Storage Erection: Summary Part 2 (Final).

originally posted on remsauce.blogspot.com


This is the sequel to Tank Storage Erection: Summary Part 1. This post shows mostly the painting jobs. This is the final review, so I included a short video for the testing of Firewater Pipe Line. And I'm done with it. I did not join the commissioning, but I am lucky enough to join the team from the kickoff through the part final. Great experience.
Here it goes.


Roof plate installation.

Preparation to install roof manhole.

General View for manhole cover.

Roof plate installation in progress.

General View for tank roof.

Roof manhole installed.

General View of tank roof plate.

Touch Up and Painting.

Tank Handrail installed.

Tank Handrail installed.

Touch Up for seam welding.

Second Coat.

Erecting Scaffolding for painting works.

Scaffolding.

Partial paint job done.

Painting job in progress.

me in red.

Tank Numbering.

Far View.

Tank Handrail painting in progress.

Tank Handrail painting in progress.