Swedish forger addresses stress on Gulf of Mexico TLPs
With nearly 350 years' experience of making high quality forgings, Scana Bjorneborg has become northern Europe's leading producer of heavy free-formed forgings. The company bases its business entirely on making products to customers' drawings and specifications. With its own steelworks, a modern forge with a 3,600/4,500 tonne press, heat treatment facility and well-equipped machine shop, Scana Bjorneborg also has ISO 9002 approval to meet exacting offshore application standards.
Investment in new technology and equipment continues with the addition last year of a ladle furnace, representing an outlay of SKr35 million. According to offshore sales manager Henning Olsen, this facility makes production safer and increases capacity. "The ladle furnace also means we can now fine tune temperatures and the composition of our steel much easier. For example, we previously had the ability to make steel with a sulfur content of 0.005% but we can now reduce this to 0.001, which makes much cleaner and tougher steel."
This year further investment will be made on a new normalizing furnace for long pieces - up to 20 metres if required.
Shell Ursa
Last year Scana Bjorneborg received several notable contracts for Gulf of Mexico projects. One for the Shell Ursa TLP represents one of the company's largest orders for this market, and is for 14 stress joints, each 17.5m long in one piece and weighing 8 tonnes. Made from an HY80 modified steel grade which has good mechanical properties, the first two stress joints will be delivered this October with two more being delivered at regular intervals until 2001.
Other orders include valve blocks for Hydril which will be partly machined; stress and tension joints for Shell's Ram-Powell and Auger projects through ABB Vetco Gray; and valve blocks and stress joints ordered from Drilquip for the North Sea Britannia Field.
The Ram-Powell and Auger pieces have been made from Shell's A707 grade which can be particularly difficult to work with due to its high copper content. "Although the alloy gives good strength and toughness," says Olsen, "it can easily crack during forging. Shell is aware of our ability to work with this grade, however, which is one of the reasons we were able to get this order."
For more information contact Henning Olsen, Scana Bjorneborg: telephone +46 550 25116 or fax +46 550 27090.
