It is not every day that an entire oil refinery is dismantled, moved half way around the world, and re-erected for a second life. But that is what happened late last year when the former Canadian Turbo oil refinery at Balzac, just north of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, was moved to its new home in Russia. Once producing 30,000 barrels of refined products per day, the refinery was originally built in 1981. Shell Canada purchased the refinery in 1992, but it outlived its usefulness at Balzac and was sold to Congress M. Congress, a stock venture company which is managing the purchase for the Russians.
Most of the disassembled pieces were transported by road to Montreal and then by container ship to Russia. However, the largest portions went by road all the way to Houston, Texas, before taking to the ocean. When the refinery is re-erected at its new site and starts operating, with upgraded modifications, later this year, it is expected to be the most technologically advanced refinery in southern Russia.
The six-month dismantling contract was let to Tri-Venture Construction of Calgary which sublet the heavy lifting to Northern Crane Service of Edmonton, Alberta. Several large cranes were brought in from various suppliers, including a 160t-rated Liebherr LTM 1160/2 all-terrain and a 110t Krupp KMK 5110 all-terrain from Stampede Crane & Rigging. The biggest crane on the job was a Demag CC 4800 crawler crane capable of lifting 800t. This high-capacity Demag was from the worldwide fleet operated by Van Seumeren (now Mammoet Van Seumeren), headquartered in the Netherlands.
Preparation for the Demag started long before the big lifter arrived. The precise location of each major lift was worked out, then gravel was hauled in and placed in a one-metre thick layer over the exact location where the crane would be positioned. Next a series of heavy timber crane mats were placed to form a roadway for the crane. Because of the well-planned site layout, and the extreme reach capability of the Demag, all major lifts were accomplished from a stable roadway only 33m long.
The crane arrived in 21 loads including boom sections, counterweight, rigging and timber mats. Erection took seven days, and its time on site was two weeks before it was dismantled and moved to its next assignment. At the Balzac site, the Demag CC 4800 handled 78m of boom and in that configuration the crane has a lifting capability of 375t at a 12m radius. However, depending on job requirements, the CC 4800 can be configured with several different boom and jib combinations to increase reach and capacity. The basic crane rating is 800t at 7m radius when equipped with a 30m boom. Main boom lengths up to 126m are offered, as well as boom and jib combinations up to 180m. Maximum capacity is available when the Demag CC 4800 is fitted with Van Seumeren’s own-design Twin Ring system which boosts its lifting capacity to 1,400t at 16m radius. With this load-boosting attachment, consisting of a 21.5m swing circle around the base of the machine, the load rating is still 325t, even at a 54m radius.
