Linde, a global industrial gases and engineering company, placed an order on L&T Energy Hydrocarbon’s Kattupalli Modular Fabrication Facility (MFF) for a Blue Hydrogen Manufacturing Unit (HMU) at Rotterdam.

 

The Hydrogen Manufacturing Unit (HMU) project marks Linde’s first blue hydrogen endeavour, with the plant set to produce 65,000 Nm3/hour of blue hydrogen upon commissioning. The scope of work for L&T’s Kattupalli MFF included fabrication and delivery of one pre-assembled rack, three pre-assembled process module units, a reformer module and five pre-dressed equipment.

 

It involved fabrication of about 6,500 MT structural steel, 77,000 inch-dia pipe fabrication, 95,000 inch-metre pipe erection and testing, 24,000 inch-dia welding and 21,000 sq m insulation, apart from extensive work for electric heat tracing, electricals, instrumentation and fire proofing. The largest module on the project – Syngas Module – is 37 metres tall, weighs 3,400 MT and consists of 60,000 ductile iron of piping. 

 

Following the fabrication at Kattupalli, the modules were transported to Rotterdam port in an ocean-going vessel using Self-Propelled Modular Transporters. L&T participated in the constructability review during the engineering phase. This helped in maximising the work on ground and in the preparation of schedule which was in line with the construction sequence.

 

The coordinates of the module baseplates were taken using 3D laser scanning, the dimensions were shared with the team carrying out the piling activity of the modules, and this helped in faster installation and alignment of the modules at the site yard.

 

Overall, the project was completed safely with 3.2 million lost-time-injury-free man-hours, complying with global industry standards of best-in-class safety and quality.

 

This successful execution of modular fabrication at the Kattupalli facility is likely to encourage other oil & gas companies and EPC contractors to adopt the modularisation philosophy for future projects.