Larsen & Toubro Heavy Engineering: Delivering colossal heat recovery boilers cost efficiently.

Client challenge

The world’s largest crude oil refinery needs the world’s largest assets, especially when undergoing a $4.6 billion USD expansion. Our client, Larsen & Toubro Heavy Engineering (L&T) in Oman, was contracted to fabricate 10 heat recovery boilers for SCHMIDTSCHE SCHACK, Arvos Group, Germany. Each boiler would weigh 630,000 kilos, measuring over 45 metres in length, with an accompanying set of high-pressure steam drums and piping.

L&T wanted to construct the boilers using the latest fabrication techniques, supported by modern project monitoring systems and testing technologies. Such novel techniques presented a regulatory challenge. All the equipment needed to comply with the Indian Boiler Regulations (IBR). These are complex and typically more difficult to meet than other international pressure equipment requirements, especially when using new procedures. Failure to gain compliance could result in the boilers being rejected on arrival in India.

How we helped

We have a 50-year relationship with L&T in India as the manufacturer’s preferred inspection provider. Our surveyors knew that the client’s innovative techniques would need careful consideration by the IBR authorities. As one of the largest providers of IBR certification services globally, we used our strong relationship with the Central Boilers Board to directly approach the authorities.

We helped our client:

1. Establish the best fabrication techniques to be used

2. Clear the use of these modern techniques before fabrication started

3. Develop a non-destructive testing (NDT) procedure, using time of flight diffraction (TOFD) ultrasonic testing methods for enhanced accuracy

4. Set up critical welding procedures and requirements.

Client comment

“The most critical equipment L&T has fabricated in Oman so far.”

Y.S. Trivedi

Chairman, Larsen & Toubro Heavy Engineering

Powerful results

By making sure the fabrication procedures received the appropriate regulatory clearance, we helped our client avoid incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in time and project delays.