The extended life of the BP Harding North Sea oil and gas field has led to four of the field’s heat exchangers being completely re-fitted with RotaBolt® measurement technology.
Following a 100% track record of success in assuring bolted joint integrity over many years of operation, BP took the decision to completely re-fit the exchangers as part of the field’s extensive maintenance and review programme. The field, which began production in 1996, now has an expected operational life well past 2020.
“The fasteners have been completely reliable and it was an easy decision for us to re-fit,” commented Keith Grant, BP Mechanical Engineer, “RotaBolt originally helped us with a technical review back in the 90s and their recommendations on achieving bolted joint integrity were adopted. These particular exchangers have been operating for 7 years.”
The four tube and shell heat exchangers use a variety of RotaBolt all-thread studs from 1” up to 2½” on the cooler channel end flanges. The measurement technology accurately achieves and maintains the correct design tension across the bolted joint, essential in assuring its integrity.
In addition, the RotaCap on the top of each fastener can be instantly finger-tip checked for any less of tension, saving valuable maintenance time.
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