IHC Offshore Systems, a business unit of IHC Merwede best known for its ships and the production of equipment for the dredging and the offshore markets, asked VIRO to develop a new hose reel to a tight deadline. This had to be capable of reeling and unreeling a hose 1 metre in diameter and 235 metres in length at sea.
Off the coast of Brazil, oil extracted from a number of wells is held temporarily in a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit anchored to the ocean floor. After sand, water, and gas have been removed, the oil is pumped once a week into a shuttle tanker through two hoses. When not in use, these are kept on reels mounted fore and aft on the FPSO. The new reels ordered from VIRO were 12 metres long, with a diameter of 10 metres.
Apart from the short lead time, the main challenge was designing a reel able to absorb the massive forces created by vessel’s motion when the hose is full and weighs a total of about 210 tonnes. The preliminary design and basic engineering were therefore carried out under the guidance of IHC Offshore Systems at its offices in Sliedrecht. Structural analysis and detailed engineering were undertaken at VIRO, with regular support from IHC.
Hose Reel calculations
Once the design had been modelled down to the smallest detail, working drawings were produced and strength and fatigue calculations produced for each individual component. These were prepared in Femap and performed with NX6 Advanced Simulation in order to determine the stresses involved. The result is a structure featuring parts with a little purchase, suitable for use at sea for a period of twenty years. Close consultation throughout and good collaboration between the engineers at IHC Offshore Systems and VIRO ensured that this project was a technical success.
If you would like to learn more about what VIRO can do for you, please contact one of our specialists at your nearest VIRO office.
