Energy, Oil and Gas
McRaes Global has worked with the power generation industry for many years in New Zealand and has the flexibility to work across the many segments including bioenergy and fossil fuel, hydro, wind, geothermal and into the oil and gas sector.
Project example: Remote Operated Valve system for the Northland Oil refinery
McRaes Global has been associated technically with the local Northland Oil refinery since it was built. Our support has predominantly been with the ROV (Remote Operated Valve) system but we have also assisted with tube work installations, accumulator repairs and process plant maintenance. The ROV system provides remote operation of critical valves in the event of an emergency so is an integral and very important part of the refinery operation and safety process.
Prior to a shut any pipework changes or upgrades need to be pre-installed and tested with final connection done during the shut. Likewise any engineering changes to be implemented or installed during the shut are prefabricated and tested as far as possible. During the shut, components requiring service or change out are removed and refitted to a tight time schedule.
Project example: providing expert input for the DOF Subsea Undersea Chain Grapple
In 2013, McRaes Global worked with a combination of DOF Subsea, Tenix and OMV to design, manufacture and commission the hydraulics and control system for the DOF Subsea Undersea Chain Grapple to be utilised during subsea installation services to the Maari Field, being used off the Taranaki coast. Whilst quoting this opportunity our team of Design Engineers realised that there were certain design shortcomings that would prevent effective control of the unit during undersea operations.
The McRaes Global team worked closely with the DOF Subsea Engineers in defining the final User Requirement Specification (URS) that provided optimised control between the surface operator and the Undersea Chain Grapple.
Project example: redesign and refurbishment of a vertical turbine at Northpower
McRaes Global was involved in the redesign and refurbishment of a vertical turbine at Northpower. Silt was seizing the wicket gates in the bearing pots on the bottom ring which made it difficult to obtain operational reliability. This issue was in turn causing the external regulating ring to distort during operation. As there was no access to the bottom ring bearing pots without dismantling the bottom of the scroll casing, a lubrication system that incorporated silt purging had to be designed. Our team successfully undertook a complete re-design of the regulating ring, linkage as well as the lubrication system.