ON-SITE MACHINING (OSM) CASE STUDY

Line Boring Jackup Oil Rig Platform - Chain Beam Assembly

OVERVIEW

Furmanite recently earned a contract to perform on-site line boring on the new construction of a Jackup Platform Chain Beam Assembly. In the early 1950's, the "Scorpion" designed by R. G. LeTourneau for Zapata Off-shore Company (owned by George H. W. Bush), was the first Jackup platform manufactured to provide a stable and secure floating structure  in which the entire platform could raise to a safe operating height in often treacherous open waters.  Today the Gulf Region is host to over 500 operating Jackup platforms.

SOLUTION AND IMPLEMENTATION

In setting the Jackup platform, the main assembly, at 77 feet in length and weighing in at 120,000 pounds, pays out and reels in an enormous chain which in turn lowers and raises the legs of the platform. The critical bores (being machine in photo at left) hold the shaft upon which the chain sprocket rotates. Furmanite's scope entailed machining five sets of bores, removing 2" of material diameter (1" per side) from each 3.5" long bore.

RESULTS

Furmanite was required to complete all five sets of bores in less than ten days. Furmanite scheduled a two man day crew and a two man night crew to work around the clock, completing the project in less than nine days. The customer was pleased with both the quality of the work, and the efficiency in which it was executed.