Our Landmark Projects

ULO Systems FZC were contracted by ADYARD Abu Dhabi to manufacture and supply 166 Articulating Concrete Mattresses (ACM) for the “18 inch PIPELINE MITIGATION PROJECT” for ADNOC Offshore.

The Project involved converting an 18” Pipeline from Gas/ Water Injection to Oil Service, for a temporary phase of 1.5 years.

The conversion scope included pipeline free span correction, pipeline stabilization and pipeline buckle mitigation.

At the design engineering stage, ULO Systems provided its engineering support to ADNOC Offshore and Worley pipeline engineers to optimize the mattress system and its implementation.

The ACM were 12 meters long and 4 meters wide and were made up of three (3) types.

Type 1 – Combination mattresses made up of 0.5 m high blocks and 0.9 m high blocks

Type 2 – Mattresses with a uniform thickness of 0.6 m

Type 3 – Mattresses with a uniform thickness of 0.9 m

The mattresses had weights ranging from 29 metric tonnes to 40 metric tonnes in air.

The entire mattress production was completed in less than 2 months despite the ongoing COVID -19 challenges.

THE CHALLENGES
Mix and pump 6,100 cu m of grout (comprising cement, sodium silicate and sea water) from a DSV with a confined deck space into 17 under base compartments via a manifold control panel to an extensive piping system in a continuous 72 hour period.

PREPARATION
A conventional mixing and pumping system was developed that had the required capacity but was also able to be transported by conventional road and sea freight methods. 100% immediately operational contingency equipment was also required. The functionality of the system was dependent upon an RJM having a mix tank of the correct size to ensure the vortex action was maintained. This was critical to the efficient mixing of the seawater, cement and silicate in sufficient quantity to meet the demands of the high capacity delivery pumps in a continuous operation.

OUTCOME
The under base grouting operation was successfully completed within 60 hours utilising the primary equipment and two operating crews. No downtime or injuries were sustained.

THE CHALLENGES
Challenging location and timelines. The nuclear plant is located in a rural area of Bangladesh on a riverbank. Due to weather conditions, the risk of flooding in the area is high and the plant’s proximity to the river has meant we have had to first establish a solid base to build upon. It was critical ULO Systems offered a long-term solution to protect the infrastructure and ensure the safety of the plant.

PREPARATION
Manufactured, delivered and installed 2,000 concrete mattresses, including 216,000 plastic shell pods, 648,000 clips and 568,000 metres of rope. Utilised an advanced MDS 3 lifting frame, capable of deploying three mattresses simultaneously.

OUTCOME
Project completed ahead of time to client’s full satisfaction