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Design and Fabrication Technology of a PAU and PAR Project

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2020 7th International Conference on Coastal and Ocean Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 527 (2020) 012006 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/527/1/012006

Design and Fabrication Technology of a PAU and PAR

Project

Qiang Wu1

1 Structural engineer, Offshore Oil Engineering Co. Ltd, Qingdao, China

E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract. This paper describes the design and fabrication process of a solvent deasphalter unit
which included 5 PAUs (Pre-Assembled Process Module Units) and 5 PARs (Pre-Assembled
Piperacks) at a refinery in Rotterdam. This paper summarizes the method and experience
successfully applied to the shop design and construction process of PAUs and PARs, illustrates
the prefabrication and the assembly process of PAU and PAR modules. Many challenges were
encountered during the one and a half years’ fabrication, such as mass drawing sheets, fabricate
in line with DEP specification and Eurocodes, assembly sequence optimization, the integrate
construction method, dimension control and quarantine etc. Design and fabrication processes
such as relevant code and standards, shop design softwares, work process of shop design, the
application of management system, module arrangement, the process of prefabrication and
assembly sequence, the integrate construction method and loadout are highlighted. In the shop
design process, 3D Model played a key role. The application of management systems such as
PCMS and WIMS significantly improved the efficiency of construction management.
Reasonable construction sequence and schedule ensure good performance of fabrication
activities. The integrate construction significantly reduced the workload of high altitude work
and minimized the project period with efficient construction. It is hoped that the construction
experience of this project can give some reference and benefit to similar project in the future.

1. Introduction
This paper describes the design and fabrication process of a solvent deasphalter unit at a refinery in
Rotterdam. The unit is built in a modularized manner which can get relevant time and cost savings in
the construction of onshore process plants [1]. COOEC (Offshore Oil Engineering Co.Ltd) undertook
the construction work of 10 modules (include 5 PAUs and 5 PARs, see figure 1 and figure 2) in this
project. The work scope for COOEC include purchase, storage, shop design works, construction at
yard, inspection, pre-commissioning and testing, weighting, sea fastening grillage and loadout. The
total weight of these 10 modules is about 5,800 tons, the largest module is about 1,614 tons and the
smallest one about 30 tons. When the fabrication completed, COOEC is also responsible to load out
these modules from fabrication site onto the sea transportation vessel supplied by owner.

2. Design and management

Detail design which provided by the general contractor includes steel connections, rough drawings,
S3D (Smart 3D Software) and Naviswork model. COOEC (Qingdao)’s work is to design and work out
a set of shop design drawings and plans to satisfy the requirement for prefabrication, assembly,
erection, corrosion protection and quality control etc.

2.1. Code and standards

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2020 7th International Conference on Coastal and Ocean Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 527 (2020) 012006 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/527/1/012006

As Netherlands belongs to the European Union, products access to the European market legally must
own the CE certificate. All the permanent materials purchased by COOEC satisfied the CE certificate
and all structural steel engineered and fabricated according to EN-1090 execution class 2 in this
project [2]. The module fabrication activities of this project had been implemented in line with DEP
specification and relevant standards & Eurocodes, such as DEP 34.28.00.31-Gen, EN 1090-2 etc.
COOEC trained and certified structure welders under EN 1090-2 Standard and piping welders under
NORSOK M601 Standard, piping welders meet the requirements of PED (Pressure Equipment
Directive, EU directives).

2.2. Shop design works

Shop Design work includes fabrication and assembly of structure, piping, pipe supports, electrical,
instrumentation, mechanical, insulation, surface protection, Fireproof painting (PFP) etc. According to
the detail design files, COOEC prepared structural model by Tekla 20.0 software. The S3D”.stp” files
can be imported into Tekla, the property of material should be changed according to the detail
specification. Then the connection refine works can be made according to the connection drawings.
Then the Tekla BIMsight files and AutoCAD 3D drawings can be exported and submitted to Company
for review and approval. Each member has a unique number in Tekla model. Then structure discipline
made shop design drawings by Tekla, and work out a set of shop design plans in quick succession.
Piping discipline prepare 3D shop drawings by Spoolgen software, and prepare the construction
procedures, plans, drawings to meet the requirement of site, shop design works for other disciplines do
at the same time. Change Registration Form (CSA), Contract Site Instruction (CSI) and work package
files are official contact between detail design and shop design in this process.
3D Model played a key role in the whole shop design work. By using Tekla Structure 3D model,
clashes or mistakes can be easily found. Drawings such as the plan and elevation, sectional, isometric,
stiffer lay out, gratings, and piece mark for girders or H-shapes can be exported easily. According to
the NC files outputted from Tekla, cutting plan for plates and H-shapes can also be compiled easily.
The material take-off report and weight control report can also be easily exported.
During the shop design process, COOEC received huge amount of pipe supports files from detail
design. Take PAU03 as an example, 1455 pieces of mechanical pipe supports (MPS) in dozens of
batches COOEC received. For the new batches of MPS received in successively, and the old ones
modification proceeds at the same time, the status of each MPS needs to be tracked accurately and
timely. Modeling, compiling the shop design files, prefabrication and installation of these MPS in a
limit time is also a challenging work.

2.3. Management system

The use of project management (PM) software for managing and organizing work is indispensable for
engineering projects [3]. The PCMS (Project Construction and Management System) which is a
construction management system has been used in this project from shop design to construction
management by COOEC. Take piping discipline as an example, data reports of material, welding
beads, pipe or pipe supports can be generated easily by Spoolgen, which is a high efficiency software
for piping discipline. By importing these data reports to the PCMS system, the system generated kinds
of work package documents for site construction and received feedbacks from site. By using the
PCMS system, the construction progress can be clearly reflected, documents approval can be achieved
online and work flow can be propelled automatically. The system can also give some guidance for
management of construction, and helpful to the allocation of human resources or working machine.
Besides, the material management program MATMAN which provide by the contractor also been
used to manage the materials. The Welding Inspection Management System (WIMS) has been used to
manage welding information. By using the system, all welds can be traced, including visual inspection
and NDT report etc.

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2020 7th International Conference on Coastal and Ocean Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 527 (2020) 012006 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/527/1/012006

Figure 1. 3D view of the project field. Figure 2. Typical PAU&PAR 3D model.

3. Prefabrication process

3.1. Integrate construction

COOEC implemented the “Pancake” execution principle to fabricate and assemble all modules. The
pancake construction can be seen as integrate construction[4], which means that horizontal panels
fabricated on the ground and installed with the supports for machinery, piping and electricity
instrument systems after the completion of the structure. Handrails, grating, cable tray, pipeline and
scaffolds which can be installed onto pancake will be installed before the pancake transported to the
assemble site, or fixed onto the pancake before lifting operation. Figure3 shows a typical integrate
construction work. Actually, the integrate construction can significantly reduce the workload of high
altitude work, and can help to improve the construction efficiency. While the integrate construction
can’t work well without fine management, thorough planning and rigorous shop design works. Safety
and have no influence to the assembly schedule should be the precondition of these works[5].

Figure 3. Integrate construction with pancake.

3.2. Pancake partition

Considering to the requirement of integrate construction, much things need to be considered in
advance, such as pipeline arrangements and equipment location, etc. There were some difficulties in
the pancake partition of some modules. Such as pancake 2 of PAU05 module, the height for this
pancake reached 21m, exceed the height limit of working shop. If the column be divided, it will be
hard to control the dimension because of much bolt connections exist in this module. So the lay down
construction method has been used for this pancake. However, with 9m height and 13m width also
makes it’s hard to fit-up, and can’t be turned over in work shop.

3.3. Prefabrication process

The prefabrication of pancake is done in the work shop. Take PAU03 module as an example, the
prefabrication process shows in figure4. During the pre-fabrication, fit-up the beams are welded
integrated. When the prefabrication of pallet finished, the pre-outfitting members of other disciplines

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 2020 7th International Conference on Coastal and Ocean Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 527 (2020) 012006 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/527/1/012006

were installed, then the whole pancake and ordinary piping would be transported to the painting
workshop for blasting, painting and PFP by transporters 100t, 270t or 370t. When painting and PFP
have been done, the pallets would be wrapped with aluminium foil which can help to protect paint and
reduce workload for paint mending. Then the pancake would be transported to the assembly site. The
middle and top level pancakes would be prefabricated in the same way as that of the lower pancake.
Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4:

Prefabricate PG with Prefabricate pallet on supports

Fit-up stiffeners stiffeners Install columns
Step 5: Step 6: Step 7: Step 8:

Install bolt members Install Shipped supports Pipe & equipment supports Install handrail & grating
Figure 4. Prefabrication Process of Pancake.

4. Assembly process
The assembly and erection work shall proceed on a flat and level surface. Frequent checks needs be
made on the supports, and any movement out of the level shall be immediately rectified by appropriate
shimming to re-establish a level plane. Then layout temporary supports at assembly site and have the
levelness inspection, and stools will be arranged under the columns. At the same time, after finishing
the prefabrication of Pancake, the anti-corrosion, installation of piping and gratings have be done in
sequence. Then the assembly work can be started. The final integration assembly was done with unit
of pancake instead of individual pallet, this will maximize the amount of work that can be completed
at ground level.

4.1. Module arrangement

Consider to layout of worksite, lifting capability and project schedule, the modules assembled on the
South Assembly Area of dock. COOEC constructed the modules implementing the “Pancake”
execution principle. According to the final location of modules at the refinery, some modules
fabricated with POD modules method. POD modules can benefit the connection between modules and
help comprehensive management to find out problem in time. Typical POD modules in this project
marked in figure5.

4.2. Assembly sequence

The general assembly sequence of these modules is from bottom to top, Lift the pancakes one by one
from the lower to top and install equipment, pipelines and bulk members between different levels.
Take PAU03 module as an example, the assembly and erection process is shown in figure6. Firstly,
the 1# Pancake will be lifted onto the stools at the assembly site by using 800T gantry crane. Then
equipment at EL 102.900, bulk members between EL 102.900 and EL 109.400 will be installed, the 2#
Pancake installed following. Then install pipelines between EL 102.900 and EL 109.400, equipment at
EL 111.400, and bulks between EL 111.400 and EL 118.400, the 3# Pancake installed following. Then
Install pipelines between EL 111.400 and EL 118.400, service platforms at EL 124.150, then install
equipment at EL 120.400 and other bulk members. When the assembly work finished, mechanical

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2020 7th International Conference on Coastal and Ocean Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 527 (2020) 012006 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/527/1/012006

completion, commissioning, weighting and quarantine compliance need to be done. The modules
would be weighed few days prior load-out operation to validate design weight and COG assumptions.
B A

5
POD MODULES

PAU04
4
2 3
A B C D E F G
5 6

3
1
B

2
PAU03 PAU02 PAU01 PAU05

1
A

A
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

Figure 5. Layout of typical POD modules.

Figure 6. Fabrication sequence of PAU03.

5. Loadout
All modules would be transported from Qingdao, China to Rotterdam, Netherlands by vessel. Modules
would be loaded out from the fabrication yard onto vessel by vessel cranes and SPMT (Self Propelled
Modular Transporter). The PARs were loadout by lifting with vessel cranes. The PAUs which are
much heavier than PARs were loadout by Ro-Ro type of transportation, because of the limitation of
capability with vessel cranes.
The loadout transportation for PAUs used COOEC’s own SPMT which are Scheuerle type and the
max capacity is 40T per axle line. COOEC provided 216 axle lines with 8 PPU for this project. It’s a
real first application for COOEC to compile loadout procedure and operate SPMT independently for
loadout. The PAUs transported by SPMT used the longitudinal transport method (see figure7), which
is especially suit for the narrow and long modules. During the transportation process, transport beams
had been used to distribute loads. Based on the ballast capacity of vessel and the classification of GL
Guidelines, the loadout of PAUs were classified as Class 1[6]. Longitudinal loadout method[7] that
transport from stern to entrance of the vessel be used during the loadout process. Vessel stern ramps
had been used for bridging the gap between the vessel and the quay side. The height differences
between jetty and vessel deck should always be kept between 0 to100 mm during loadout process to
ensure safety, and SPMT should moving slowly to match the ballast operation until it reached the final
location. The load-out process by SPMT shows in figure8. Module would be jacked-down on grillage
and then sea-fastened to vessel deck. When all modules and loose items had been fixed onto the vessel
and the final inspection of sea-fastening finished, vessel can be sail away.

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2020 7th International Conference on Coastal and Ocean Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 527 (2020) 012006 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/527/1/012006

Figure 7. SPMT Arrangement for PAU Figure 8. loadout with SPMT.

Module.

6. Conclusions
The fabrication work of this solvent deasphalter unit was challenged. In the shop design process, 3D
Model played a key role. The application of management systems such as PCMS and WIMS
significantly improved the efficiency of construction management. Reasonable construction sequence
and schedule ensure good performance of fabrication activities. The integrate construction
significantly reduced the workload of high altitude work and minimized the project period with
efficient construction. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the successful experience and benefit
the future construction of similar project.

7. References
[1] Cigolini R and Castellano A 2002 Using modularization to manage construction of onshore
process plants a theoretical approach and a case study J. Project Management Journal. 33(2)
29-40.
[2] 2008 S. EN 1090-2: Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures- Part 2: Technical
requirements for the execution of steel structures.
[3] Matthew J. Liberatore, Bruce Pollack-Johnson and Colleen A. Smith 2001 Project management
in construction: Software use and research directions J. Journal of Construction Engineering
and Management. 127(2) 101-107.
[4] Song Q, Guo Q, Wang H, Gao B, Sun Z and Shang B 2016 Advantage analysis on integration
construction process of offshore platform and application suggestion J. Petroleum Engineering
Construction. 42(4) 30-33.
[5] Zhan X 2018 Integrated management and optimization of construction project schedule, cost
and quality C. 2018 International Workshop on Advances in Social Sciences (IWASS 2018).
622-625.
[6] 2013 S. GL Noble Denton: Technical policy board guidelines for load-outs 0013-ND_7.
[7] Liu C 2015 High position fabrication method of topside based on transverse loadout C.
International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE). 1299-1304.