The full service

Louise Davis

Tobias Hammer and Thomas Rüdiger explore the benefits that on- and offshore players can reap from a complete service programme

The projects that are dealt with in the on- and offshore technology fields are, as a rule, very complex and not always managed by companies without external help. For cases such as this, the support of a global, versatile service programme is invaluable.

With its Complete Piping Solutions (CPS) programme amongst others, Parker Hannifin offers a modular constructed system; this offers the user all the important activities such as consultation on the design, manufacture and installation of hydraulic tubing systems. In the company’s many worldwide CPS centres, large-format tubes and flanges to suit customer requirements are designed, produced, connected up to a complete system and delivered directly to the installation location and assembled.

In the first instance, the system engineers determine the customer‘s requirements and on this basis develop a tubing layout design with drawings and documentation. After clearance by the customer, outside tube diameters up to 273mm are cold-formed on the latest CNC bending machines. This enables bend radii from 2 x D to 3 x D to be achieved, according to requirement. The end-finished, cleaned tubes are then assembled to customer requirements and delivered to the central warehouse for onward despatch.

Then, if required, the company’s experts undertake the assembly, rinsing and final inspection of the tubing system. This service offers customers the possibility of significantly reorganising their own personnel and so save costs. Besides the complete programme, the customer can also call up individual activities as required from the service programme.

The on-site programme represents an extension of the CPS system at the installation location. For larger projects that stretch out over a longer time period, containers are kept ready at the construction site. Amongst others, the tubing and hose materials required for the project are stored there and processed on modern machines.

Scheduled maintenance

Once a project is completed, thoughts of planned maintenance are not far away. In this regard, the Parker Tracking System Pro (PTS Pro) has proved to be very helpful. The tubing and flange systems made by the company are provided with a barcode. The information stored in the barcode, as for example tube dimensions, material variants and manufacturing dates, is made visible via a scanner and the exact replacement of the components required can be initiated within minutes. Even if such an emergency does not occur, the PTS Pro serves as a primary planned inspection management tool.

Another component in the service repertoire is the ParkerStore concept – a well-established solution for servicing and maintenance. Worldwide Parker has about 2,400 stores, all of which have available a minimum stock level of the 3,000 most popular tube, hose and fittings components. ParkerStore specialists support customers with the immediate replacement of defective hose components. They do this either at the store itself or on site via the mobile Parker Hose Doctor service. In the case of replacement, store employees are available with competent advisory assistance.

The service programme for marine operations is completed by the similarly named Parker Marine Services programme. At first sight they are very scientific but in practice fascinating challenges that the marine service team addresses: measurements under the sea surface – underwater metrology – are undertaken with the help of photogrammetry. The experts create photographs and precise photographic images with special cameras, from which the spatial location or three-dimensional shape of an object is determined. This technology is used amongst others for salvaging wrecks.

Stay on course

Complementing the global GNSS navigation satellite system, for on-board technology Parker offers a special 3D reference system with which ships are held exactly on course at all times. The co-ordinate system of this technology is based on the centre line of the ship, the rudder post and the reference levels set on the main deck. Experts are on site when exact mapping of the sea floor is involved. This procedure is also an important prerequisite for the selection of locations for wind turbines (monopiles) and connector components, as well as their erection.

At the latest, the calls for even more safety measures will become louder when the next oil catastrophe occurs. To prevent this disaster occurring, Parker has developed the PMS position monitoring system. During the offshore loading of crude oil, this technology guarantees safe, trouble-free media transportation from ship to ship.

An additional technical highlight is the Olex MBES system – a real-time programme for the graphical display of fan-shaped sonar signals. This system is used for surveying channel bottoms, river estuaries and flat coasts so that finally a digital terrain model and topographical map can be created.

Altogether the company’s service programme for marine applications represents an attractive alternative to ‘home-made’ solutions, based as it is on a worldwide network of outlets, on components and systems best matched to each other – all coming from a single source. Furthermore, it has the benefit of wide experience in the development of tailor-made, customer-specific solutions.

Tobias Hammer and Thomas Rüdiger are with Parker Hannifin.

For more information, visit www.engineerlive.com/iog