Shock Absorbtion System Adds to N. Sea Platform Safety

ITT Corporation’s Control Technologies business says that its partnership with Norway's Servi Hydranor AS has been successful in its endeavours to engineer a shock and vibration isolation system for protecting cargo transferred from ships to the Norwegian oil company Statoil’s Gudrun Platform in the North Sea’s Gudrun field.

The Gudrun Platform, which was built by Aibel AS, operates cranes for around-the-clock cargo handling. As the crane operators hoist supplies from ships to the platform, containers (some weighing as much as 8,000 kg) move toward the Gudron Platform at speeds of up to 3 m/sec. The ITT-Servi Hydranor system, part of a barrier engineered by Aibel AS for the Gudrun Platform, includes highly tuned dampers that absorb the cargo’s kinetic energy.

“Moving equipment from a supply ship onto an offshore platform in difficult conditions requires a highly engineered system of shocks and dampers,” said Tomm Kuran, sales manager for Pneumatics at Servi Hydranor AS. “The Gudrun’s crane operators are moving food as well as heavy and expensive equipment for drilling. If an operator mishandles a container, people can be hurt or equipment can be destroyed.”

Aibel came to Servi Hydranor, an ISO 9001 certified company, and ITT early in the design process for the Gudron Platform with a set of specifications (including environmental conditions) and space limitations. While offshore rig builders are experienced at stabilizing cranes, Aibel understood there were challenges for designing a dampening system for its cargo barrier.

“ITT specializes in working with key partners like Servi Hydranor to engineer customized solutions for some of the most demanding applications in the world,” said Munish Nanda, president of ITT’s Control Technologies business. “We apply our engineering expertise to protect our customers’ systems and structures, so they can achieve their goals.”

“A mishandled container can cause damage to its contents or the platform itself, which could halt drilling operations,” said Peter Bauer, managing director for ITT Control Technologies EMEA GmbH. “We’re able to customize and recommend engineering systems for projects like the Gudron Platform because we have experience with energy absorption technology for manufacturing, robotics, conveyors and overhead crane applications worldwide.

About ITT
Founded in 1920, ITT is headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., with employees in more than 35 countries. ITT is multi-industrial company that designs and manufactures highly engineered critical components and customized technology solutions.


http://www.ittcontroltech.com/