Neumann Fabrication has produced a brand new oil tank for the closed loop hydraulic system on Dredge 16 (Nu Phoenix) within the Neumann Dredge fleet.
Project:
Dredge 16 (Nu Phoenix) Refurbishment
“Although I have over 30 years of experience as a boilermaker, I have never fabricated a hydraulic tank of this nature. This job certainly had its challenges.” – Steve M. (Boilermaker)
Currently undergoing a complete refurbishment, Dredge 16, named Nu Phoenix, has been a part of the Neumann Dredge fleet for well over 20 years. A significant component of the refurbishment works is fabricating the new oil tank for the dredge’s closed-loop hydraulic system. As described in more detail in this article about open/closed hydraulic circuit systems, the tank is connected to the closed circuit hydraulic system, allowing the tank size to be smaller and more energy efficient, reducing the overall volume of the dredge itself.
Our experienced boilermaker Steve, completed the rather complex fabrication of this tank within three weeks, for a total of hundred-and-forty hours on the job.
“The job required changing the welding wire many times. I used wire for mild steel to mild steel. Then I had to change the wire to weld stainless steel to stainless steel. Then I had to change the wire to weld mild steel to stainless steel.”
When he was interviewed about the tank fabrication, Steve said: “Although I have over 30 years of experience as a boilermaker, I have never fabricated a hydraulic tank of this nature. This job certainly had its challenges. As is always the case in fabrication, drawings are constantly changed. The tank feet had to be modified to accommodate the pipes running beside and under the tank, which were already installed on the dredge.”
“I used a fillet weld, one of the most common types of welds in the steel fabrication industry. Fillet weld is used for joining two members at an angle. The tank was awkward to weld due to its design, and the internal chamber was difficult to reach and weld. I had to make tracks for the internal screen. The job required changing the welding wire many times. I used wire for mild steel to mild steel. Then I had to change the wire to weld stainless steel to stainless steel. Then I had to change the wire to weld mild steel to stainless steel. We also had revisions and adjustments to the quantity and location of sockets to be welded for the hose fittings.”
“Steve, what would you do differently if you had to do this job again?”
“Take annual leave,” Steve replied with a sense of humour. “I would try to do better planning before fabrication, as having all the fitting sockets welded first is a great advantage to the process. However, as I already mentioned, fabrication drawings are constantly revised, and fabrication changes must be made on the go.”
Once the fabrication was complete and the tank was pressure tested, it was sent to our Neumann Industrial Coatings unit for the next stage. You can read about it in this article.
