Lewa delivers giant chemical injection module for Singaporean FPSO
Pump manufacturer and system integrator Lewa, through its Singaporean subsidiary LEWA-Nikkiso Singapore, has recently fabricated and installed its largest chemical injection module ordered to date on a Brazilian floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit off the coast of Singapore.
With dimensions of 21.3x20x10m and an estimated operating weight of 714 tonnes, the complete module surpasses the two others that Lewa has produced for the EPC since 2010.
Overall, 2,700m of pipeline is installed in the module which can be operated at a maximum pressure of 385 bar and consists of three levels.
The essential components include over 40 Lewa diaphragm and process pumps in accordance with the API 675 standard and 40 IRCD injection lines for controlling the injection volumes located at level one of the module.
At level two, there are 18 stainless-steel tanks with a working volume of 210m³ and one FRP tank with a working volume of 5m3.
The third level is the tote tank platform designed and fabricated to hold 27 individual chemical tote tanks, with rubber strips for anti-spark protection during handling.
When designing this gigantic module, a wide array of technical standards and requirements had to be taken into account.
For instance, for a very corrosive chemical, the pumps and pipelines were produced from special titanium material.
It was possible to meet the material handling requirements by installing 10 monorail conveyors with a load of a half-tonne each and one davit arm with SWL of one tonne.
All of the equipment for the seven- and nine-headed pump systems also had to be housed within a tight space constraint.
Here, the arrangement had to not only be compact, but also ergonomic in operation so that there is no health risk and the operator does not have to reach more than 30cm for any part on the system.
