Machinery from thyssenkrupp Infrastructure in use for terminal in Western Siberia
Vibratory driving in Arctic conditions
As demand for energy rises worldwide, hopes are growing for liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an energy source of the future. Under the Arctic LNG 2 project, an LNG production site is being built on the Gydan Peninsula in the north of Western Siberia. The Arctic LNG 2 facility will exploit the resources of the Salmanovskoye field, a structure containing 1.98 trillion m³ of natural gas and 105 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons. For this, three LNG production trains are to be constructed at the Utrenneye terminal with a total capacity of 19.8 million tons of LNG per year. thyssenkrupp Infrastructure GmbH supplied high-performance vibration technology for work on the terminal under extreme climatic conditions.
Top-of-the-range vibrators
Two MS-210 HHF and two MS-240 HHF vibrators were used to drive steel pipes – with diameters of 1.42 and 2.52 meters and wall thicknesses between 14 and 28 millimeters – into the permafrost soil. Both models are among the most powerful vibratory hammers currently on the market. Units from the HHF series are ideal for use in varying geological conditions and are incrementally adjustable. Removable additional weights can be used to increase the eccentric moment, allowing different amplitudes and frequencies adapted to the soil profiles to be achieved with the same centrifugal force. The müller vibrators are powered by power packs with hydraulic pumps driven by diesel engines inside a sound-insulated housing. Four MS-1150 V power packs were used in Utrenneye, each equipped with the optional winter package.
Given the Arctic temperatures the winter packages were particularly important, as they include preheaters for the hydraulic oil and diesel engine cooling water that protect the components to ensure higher availability and longer life. The oil flow was delivered to the vibrators via 120 meter long hoses. In this way it was possible to drive steel pipes into the soil to depths of between 25 and 60 meters. In each case, four MS-U 180 GP clamping devices mounted on an MS-KX 320 bracket ensured a vibration-free connection between pipes and vibrator.
The construction process in Utrenneye is being carried out in a total of seven stages. The LNG facility is to be brought online gradually from 2023.
