and weighing five metric tons. Altogether, the East and West nets allocated 2,100 feet of polyester rope. With the North net closest to the risers, it had to maintain a very low deflection distance—should it be impacted. Per TTI’s design, this side of the net was constructed from a Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN) fiber rope—a stiff fiber with a low, easily managed creep rate over the net’s lifespan. Tis distinctive fiber is rarely used in rope due to its unique properties, but its durability and stiffness properties made it the best fit for the Ichthys project.
Meeting the Challenge After rigorous testing, several months of construction, and a detailed approval process, the massive, highly engineered, and technically complex riser protection nets were ready for operation. But packaging and shipping these goliaths presented additional factors that required an innovative solution from SWOS. “So, we knew we could build the nets, but the challenge was moving them,” Poroo confirmed. “Transporting it all over the road to the port of Houston was a big concern. We started looking at what types of reels this thing would need, which led to our two challenges: how do you turn the reel, and once you get the net all spooled up, how do you get the reel from our shop to the port?” Proper spacing in packaging was essential to
preventing damage to the urethane coating, and SWOS needed to strategically design three reels to individually house the North, East, and West nets. Per the design, each spool would undergo an extensive and precise measurement process to ensure efficient reeving and unspooling capabilities.
24 MARCH–APRIL 2018 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
THE EAST AND WEST NET’S MAIN STRENGTH MEMBERS WERE CONSTRUCTED FROM 140MM HIGH-PERFORMANCE POLYESTER ROPE, MEASURING 78 METERS IN LENGTH, 10 METERS IN HEIGHT, AND WEIGHING FIVE METRIC TONS.
SWOS was also awarded the responsibility of
constructing the individual spools, which entailed a detailed plan for the spooling evolution of each net while incorporating all required components for the lifting and rigging system. Tis included the implementation of a custom spreader bar, drive shaft, spooling support unit, various hardware items, and lifting slings. Poroo looked to Clay Myers at Myers Design and
Manufacturing, also based in Houston, to address the spool/reel challenge. “Clay was instrumental in designing the turning mechanisms on the reel,” he explained. “For the larger of the three nets, the reel was so tall that we were going to really run into problems in transport—having to take down powerlines and shutting down roads … so we had the idea of making this oblong-shaped reel.” Myers remembered, “… SWOS asked me: ‘Can
you build us three reels twenty-six feet in diameter? We have a large project and have some minimum bend-radius requirements.’” He replied that he could handle the job, but they were going to have some problems moving them. “At twenty- six feet in diameter, they were going to be around twenty-
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