NAM Well Service services wells for parent company Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij, the largest gas producer in the Netherlands. As part of its job, it performs maintenance and emergency repairs, using a technique called wire line well intervention. This involves passing a steel wire through the well, to depths of up to 4km. As gas can escape during the process, any equipment used needs to be ATEX 1 explosion proof. This means that all electrical power must be removed from any part of the crane working within 7.5m of the well.
NAM Well Service uses service trucks with an extended boom to support and control the wire line as it is inserted into the well. It has used DAF trucks with Hiab cranes for more than 15 years, and was looking to upgrade its fleet.
Cargotec proposed a truck design using DAF trucks with a load platform and two Hiab cranes. The first crane on each truck is a Hiab 477 T5 stiffboom crane, which extends to a maximum height of 21.3m. This is used to feed the wire through the lubricator assembly and into the well. The second crane is a version of Hiab’s 055 DS, fitted with a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP), which can be lifted to a height of 7.5m.
Jan Kuipers, Team Leader Wire-Line at NAM Well Service, said: “We originally used service trucks from another supplier but the performance, service and spare parts ability were all sub-standard. In 1994, Hiab developed a new truck-mountable crane perfect for use in the oil and gas industries due to its long boom. We took delivery of seven, mounted on DAF trucks, and they have served us well for many years.
“However, the latest order, the result of ongoing and successful co-operation between NAM and Cargotec, takes our servicing capability to new levels in terms of the speed with which we can respond and the safety for those working at the well.
“The two companies worked closely together throughout the development stage and each time we posed a question, or needed to adapt the specification, Cargotec was able to provide a solution. The result means that when required, a radius of up to 7.5 metres from the well is entirely free of electrical current.
“The safety benefits of this ATEX zone 1 certified solution are crucial for our potentially explosive working environment. No other manufacturer could match this level of electrical performance.
“And with the MEWP and the stiff boom cranes on the same vehicle there is no need for scaffolding alongside the well. Suppliers no longer need to be contacted and coordinated as one vehicle can now travel instantly to the well and resolve the situation. NAM Well Service can now be entirely self-sufficient. We have dramatically reduced response times for emergency repairs and can be far more flexible when scheduling for routine maintenance.”
