Qatargas has safely completed the largest lift on its site for Train 4 of the Qatargas expansion projects.
The lift involved moving by crane the AGR absorber column, which is a critical piece of a liquefied natural gas processing train.
The column weighed a whopping 1,450 tonnes (equivalent to over 700 Toyota Landcruisers) and measuring 45.7 metres by 7.4 metres.
The absorber column was put in place by a 2,000 tonne Platform Ringer Crane which was shipped into Qatar to specially perform the lifting operations by Mammoet Heavy Lift and CCIC International who executed the project on behalf of Qatargas. This crane was supported by a second crane of 800 tonnes known as the Demag CC4800-3. Prior to performing the lift, the crane was proof load tested to 2,000 tonnes to ensure it was safe to perform the operation.
On the day of the lift in a carefully coordinated procedure the Platform Ringer Crane and the Demag CC4800-3 picked up the absorber in tandem from its shipping saddles where it has been lying for several months awaiting installation. The crane then slowly hoisted the absorber into a vertical position. Once vertical the Platform Ringer Crane then supported the full 1,450 load and slowly moved the absorber over its foundation and then lowered it onto the anchor bolts. Once secured the Platform Ringer Crane then released the column and the largest lift in the Qatargas projects to date was completed.
The absorber column is a critical piece of the processing train as raw gas from the inlet facilities is routed to each of the LNG Process trains where it is first fed into the absorber column where the gas comes into contact with a specially designed solvent to remove the Sulphur from the gas. Once this process has occurred the gas leaves the top of the absorber and continues through the process to the dehydration unit prior to it becoming liquefied natural gas.
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