Claxton's new Conductor Cementing Support System delivers huge rig time savings

06/11/14

Claxton Engineering Services Ltd, an Acteon company, has developed a new conductor cementing support system (CCSS) that has typically saved 12 – 18 hours of rig time per conductor waiting for cement to cure.

Recently, it has become increasingly common for operators to install a jacket and batch set the platform conductors so that the topsides can be installed at a later date. The operator brings a rig over the jacket and uses it to run a conductor and then to hold the conductor in place while the cement cures: a process that typically takes 12 – 18 hours.

The Claxton CCSS secures the conductor with a hydraulic jack-and-clamp mechanism that holds the weight of the conductor while the cement cures. This means that the rig no longer has to hold each conductor, and can, therefore, move to the next slot and begin running another conductor.

Dannie Claxton, technical director, Claxton, said, “The CCSS has a holding capacity of 135 – 160 t and is suitable for conductor diameters of 24 – 30 in. However, we can scale the design to any conductor size on request and tailor the footprint and weight handling capacity to specific slot or jacket configurations. The new system has a compact design and can be repositioned easily without a crane. In addition, it offers schedule flexibility because it splits in half, thereby enabling operators to run the conductor before, or after, the CCSS is in place.

“We know that every job can present new challenges and every platform installation is different, so we offer a custom design-and-build service to meet specific customer needs. The CCSS has already been used successfully in the field on projects for two major North Sea operators. We expect further interest, due to the system’s huge cost-saving potential.” Claxton concludes.

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