Jul 14
Boosting Living Standards
Boosting Living Standards
WATER and sanitation contribute hugely towards good health. One of L&T’s green businesses is the Water & Effluent Treatment (WET) arm, which undertakes vital infrastructure projects. Recently, WET delivered two projects that were inaugurated by the Chief Ministers of the respective states.
 
On 4 February, a dedicated 120 MLD water supply scheme for Erode Corporation in Tamil Nadu was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mr Edappadi K Palaniswami. The ceremony was hosted virtually, in the presence of several ministers.
 
Erode district collector Mr C Kathiravan, Ex-Mayor & Erode Commissioner Dr M Elangovan, L&T Project Manager Mr D Kumaresan and the project team were physically present at the site. Mr Kathiravan appreciated the team and L&T management for enabling the commissioning of the project on time despite the pandemic.
 
Then, on 16 February, a 40 MLD sewage treatment plant in Odisha’s Rourkela was inaugurated by the state Chief Minister Mr Naveen Patnaik. The event was graced by several ministers and MLAs.
 
The scope of the two projects was wide. The Tamil Nadu project involved construction of the treatment plant and tapping water from the Cauvery flowing 22 km away. It has six ground-level sumps, 21 newly constructed overhead reservoirs and 46 existing overhead reservoirs. Distributed through feeder mains across 80 km, potable water now reaches 9 lakh people through 1.05 lakh house service connections across a jurisdiction of 731 km.
 
The Odisha project involved survey, design, and execution of 185 km RCC pipeline, construction of manholes and HSC-laying with four pumping stations and the sewage treatment plant. To stay on course, the project team overcame several procedural challenges, especially those of land clearance approvals and public hindrances. Close to 2.5 lakh people will benefit from the plant.
Jul 12
A Turnaround Tale
A Turnaround Tale
WE wish to place on record our immense satisfaction that the R/R package, Maintenance & Inspection job has been completed by MRU team as planned.”
“My sincere appreciation for the excellent job done by L&T MRU team towards the successful completion of critical HMEL Refinery turnaround event”, wrote Mr Prabh Das, MD & CEO, HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL), Bhatinda.
 
The excerpts from the appreciation letter by a satisfied customer says it all. Customer delight is the focused aim of the Modification, Revamp & Upgrade (MRU) team of L&T Heavy Engineering. 
 
The HMEL Turn Around project is a turnaround in more ways than one – it resulted in a major change of the customer’s perception of L&T’s MRU prowess. Initially, HMEL did not include L&T as one of the bidders for its Coke Drum revamp, but the consistent efforts of MRU’s marketing and execution teams convinced them of L&T’s capability, and the orders were awarded to L&T, beating other players. 
 
L&T concluded this revamp (one of the four revamps it took up) much ahead of schedule, despite the substantial increase of scope. The MRU team also carried out revamps of Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU), sour water stripper and waste heat boiler. The team took up the contractual challenge to reduce the duration of the FCCU revamp by 20% from the contractual duration of about 25 days.
 
Meticulous planning and engineering, backed up by focused automation and digitalisation with mock-ups / trials, culminated in first-rate execution and led to the eventual success with several milestones, including fabrication and dispatch at the height of the pandemic.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
 
Conquering challenges ups the satisfaction quotient of any project.  The MRU team overcame several obstacles on its way to executing this project.
 
Over 1,250 skilled workers were mobilised, after being tested for COVID-19.  Despite the extremely cold weather (1o C to 20o C), the project continued to progress satisfactorily. The health and morale of the workers was maintained, which played a major role in project completion. 
 
Several challenges arose unexpectedly during execution, and all were overcome, without compromising on deliverables and quality. The unplanned addition of 40% to the scope of the project was executed within the same time frame – and with limited resources. Advanced Finite Element Analysis and engineering capabilities developed in-house, backed up the execution work. 
 
EXPERIENCE – THE BEST TEACHER
 
Each project is a learning experience.  In terms of knowledge-gathering, the MRU team benefitted greatly from this project.  They learnt – pre-planning and resource management ensures that targets are met. 
 
Taking care of the team enables it to take care of the project. Challenging times are the real opportunities, and, if taken in right spirit, gives teams the chance to improve relationships, enhance performance and augment trust – which ultimately results in boosting customer relationships.
Jul 12
The Big Push
The Big Push
THE L&T Metallurgical & Material Handling (L&TMMH) team at JSW’s Dolvi steel plant in Maharashtra has achieved yet another milestone. As part of the 3 MTPA Coke Oven Phase-II project towards the expansion of the plant, L&TMMH accomplished the first coke push in Battery-D on 26 February. 
 
The commissioning of the coke push was undertaken with remote assistance and with this, the coke generation capacity of Dolvi plant has now increased from 2.5 MTPA to 3.25 MTPA. This is a significant achievement, particularly considering that the task was accomplished just as the second wave of COVID-19 came crashing down. 
 
The ceremony for the first coke push was graced by Mr G S Rathore (President – Dolvi & Salav Projects,  JSW) along with Mr A K Verma (Sr VP - JSW), Mr Sunil Shinde (GM – Coke Oven, JSW), Mr Bhanu Pratap Singh (Project Director - L&T), Mr S Gokulan (Project Manager- COB, L&T) and other project team members. 
Mr Rathore congratulated the coke oven team on this milestone, appreciating their efforts in achieving it despite the constraints of the pandemic.  
 
As part of the expansion of JSW Dolvi Steel Plant from 5 MTPA to 10 MTPA, L&T is executing India’s biggest blast furnace (4.5 MTPA, with a volume of 5358 cubic metre), India’s biggest convertor (a 5-MTPA steel melt shop, with 350 MT/heat), the tallest stamp-charging coke-over batteries (3-MTPA coke oven) and three coke dry quenching units (two 190 TPH and one 140 TPH). 
 
Challenging in nature, all of these involve working inside an operating plant, with limited space availability. L&T had completed the Phase-I of the project earlier.
Jul 12
Chennai Milestone
Chennai Milestone
METROS speed people to their destinations, cutting short the miles, saving time and money, while slashing carbon emissions at the same time. Metro construction deadlines, therefore, are sacrosanct.
 
Working against a stiff deadline, L&T GeoStructure achieved a major milestone in the Chennai Metro Phase-I Extension UG-009 project. Working hard and smart, the team completed and handed over the underground metro station and the cut-and-cover section at Tondiarpet well on schedule.
 
Both these facilities were inaugurated by Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mr Edappadi K Palaniswami on 14 February. 
 
This metro link is crucial: it connects North Chennai to the rest of the city and the underground section of Chennai Metro (Phase-I) to the elevated section via a ramp. At 200 metres the underground Metro station is spacious. Its four major entry structures, three vent shafts and ancillary building were constructed by L&T meeting high safety and quality standards. The cut-and-cover section has a 400-m roof slab, a base slab of 650-m and a 900-m side and mid-wall.
 
The L&T team, led by Mr Balamanikandan V and Mr Praveen K Shetty, achieved the commissioning within 20 months. This despite the constraints of the pandemic and challenges such as a difficult soil stratum, a congested area and narrow workspaces. The success of this project is yet another feather in L&T’s cap.
Jul 12
Modular Success
Modular Success
IMAGINE what it takes to manufacture something weighing as much as three Eiffel Towers – then ship it!  That’s what L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE) is going to do a few months from now.
 
The gigantic project is the Residue Upgradation Facility (RUF) in Vizag for the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL).  The deadline is 33 months. Usually, the fabrication and allied tasks for such projects are undertaken at the project site itself.
 
But now, in a bid to reduce construction risks, enhance labour productivity and meet the stringent deadline, LTHE has opted for modularisation.   About 50% of the project will be fabricated at LTHE’s facilities in Kattupalli (Tamil Nadu) and Hazira (Gujarat), and then shipped to the site at Vizag for installation.
 
Billed as a prestigious project of national importance, the RUF modularisation involves pipe-racks, technology structures, fired heaters, Air Fin Coolers (AFCs) and other auxiliary structures.  
 
Fairly common in the case of offshore assignments, the use of modularisation in a big way for an onshore project is new to LTHE. To make this happen, the team is demonstrating the best in project management and execution capabilities. 
 
LTHE’s modular fabrication yards at Kattupalli and Hazira will fabricate 75 pipe-racks and 15 modules of technology structures, respectively. AFCs and other smaller modules are being fabricated locally at Vizag. A total of 8,500 MT of structural steel and 300,000 ID (interior diameter) of piping will be fabricated, hydro-tested and boxed-up at Kattupalli and Hazira before being shipped to Vizag.
 
The modules will then be erected in ‘plug and play’ mode at the site. All the modules will include structures, piping, instrument cable trays, instrument ducts, electrical cable trays, junction boxes and fireproofing.
 
Apart from introducing a ‘build clean, build tight’ approach to the project, modularisation will open up a parallel working front, with a high pre-fabrication ratio.
Jul 12
Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap
THE momentous foundation-stone laying ceremony for the Dhubri-Phulbari bridge over the Brahmaputra river in Assam by Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi on 18 February was a proud moment for L&T. The proposed 19-km four-lane bridge will help connect cultures and boost connectivity within the northeast region.
 
Mr Sarbananda Sonowal (Chief Minister - Assam), Mr Conrad K Sangma (Chief Minister - Meghalaya), Mr Nitin Gadkari (Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways & MSME) and other dignitaries were present at the ceremony.
 
The Prime Minister said: “The facility would improve connectivity and reduce the distance between Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Assam. The current distance between Dhubri and Phulbari is about 250 km, and once the bridge is ready, the distance will be reduced to just 19-20 km. This is going to be a bridge of convenience and possibilities.”
 
Mr Gadkari said that the bridge would fulfil a long-standing need, providing a third alternative link from the rest of the country to Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and the Barak Valley region of Assam.
 
Officials of the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) revealed that this bridge is going to be the most advanced of its kind. It will be designed using state-of-the-art solutions, and will drastically improve life for the millions of commuters who cross the Brahmaputra daily.
 
The Project Director of L&T’s Heavy Civil Infrastructure vertical, Mr V R Saravana Kumar, briefed NHIDCL Director (Technical) Mr Vinay K Rajawat and Executive Director Mr Pankaj Singh on the salient features of the historic project.

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