Todd Razor, on behalf of Vacuworx, USA, discusses pipe handling systems that meet global engineering and safety standards. nergy pipelines are becoming more diverse, and so are the machines relied on by humans to help lift and handle large diameter pipe lengths fabricated for the construction of new pipelines and natural gas transmission and distribution networks. Certain hard costs, including those related to the materials and labour required to see major pipeline builds through to their successful completion, are widely anticipated and largely unavoidable. Managing certain complexities, however, on the logistical end of transporting, staging, stringing, and installing sizable quantities of large OD pipe can have an impact on overall project economics and outcomes. The build out of major pipeline systems, such as the Baltic Pipe project in Europe,
demand multipronged periods of collaboration – reflecting the great level of care and attention to detail required to keep thousands of 12 m (approximately 40 ft) double random joints safe, secure, and damage-free during the transportation, storage, staging and installation processes. Operators considering a turn away from hooks, slings, and cables – or the use of mechanical aids that may result in metal-onmetal contact and could harm the integrity of coated steel pipe – are commonly on the lookout for safer, faster, and more contemporary solutions. When properly attuned and supported, vacuum lifting units have stood out as formidable manual labour-saving attachments in terms of versatility and stamina in the global oil and gas pipe handling fields.
Figure 1. An RC Series unit coupled with a large capacity CAT hydraulic excavator.
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