Turbopump No. 3 at Persian Gulf Oil Terminal Successfully Repaired

According to Energy Press, citing the Iranian Offshore Oil Company, the Persian Gulf floating export terminal for crude oil export is equipped with four turbopumps, which have not been overhauled since the terminal was launched and the export process began in 2014. For this reason, mechanical problems were observed in pumps No. 3 and 4 in recent months. Given the high importance of these pumps being ready for operation, after reviewing the existing facilities and available spare parts, the repair project for pump No. 3 was placed on the agenda of the terminal staff.
Repairing pumps and replacing mechanical seals and other major parts in the industry and platforms is a common task carried out by colleagues in the mechanical department.
What made the repair operation at this terminal special was the large dimensions, high weight of the pump components, and more importantly, their location on the floor of the ship’s engine room and the very limited operational space with little maneuverability. Also, the lack of the appropriate tools required made the repair process time-consuming and challenging.
Some of the challenges of this operation include the location of the pumps and the limited workspace, the large dimensions of the pump, the difficulty in removing the bearing and the related housing, the separation of the mechanical seal from the pump shaft, and the poor condition of the carbon sealing surfaces of the mechanical seal.