Bowen 17/6/05 10:23 am Page 1
Load cell applications offshore
Anthony Bowen
Consultant, AB Measurement & Control Solutions
T
he first oil well structures to be installed in open
waters were in the Gulf of Mexico, in water depths of
up to 100 metres, in 1955. Oil exploration in the
North Sea began in the 1960s with little early success. It
was 1969 when the first oil discovery was made and new
fields have been found since then to the present time.
Prior to that time there had been little interest in the use
of load cells in marine applications - following their intro-
duction on to the market largely - because at the time they
were somewhat prone to the ingress of moisture. Then the
major use of load cells was for the continuous determina-
tion of load on a winch, to protect the towline and winch
against overload or for testing following installation.
A similar application was developed with the support of
the Fisheries Research Organisation to measure the ten-
sion in the trawl warp. The aim was to ensure that the
warp was not overloaded resulting in the cable breaking
maybe causing damage or steerage problems to the
trawler and the loss of very expensive trawling equip-
ment. Finally, a major application was, and still is, The
Tanker Mooring Load System, on which more informa-
tion is given below.
In addition to oil related applications, the rapidly
increased demand for communication channels has
spawned advanced technologies for sub-sea cable laying
and these applications are also reviewed.
Onshore and offshore mud and cement
weighing applications.
Drilling mud and cement are standard consumables used
in the exploration, development and operation of an oil-
field; separate companies generally supplied the two
commodities. The American companies had a standard
hydraulic load cell and indicator for this silo weighing
application. However, the purchasers wanted some trace-
ability for the quantity of mud and cement supplied to
their rigs. The oil companies wanted the supplier to pro-
vide a printed ticket for the quantity of material supplied
to the supply boat; this was more easily achieved using
strain gauge load cells and electronic signal processing
with a printer interface. Furthermore, the development
phase required large quantities of these products to be
supplied to the platforms and this led to silos with capac-
ities up to 400 tonnes and high-capacity strain gauge
load cells were less expensive than the equivalent
hydraulic unit. These two factors resulted in a greater
number of strain gauge than hydraulic systems being
installed.
The mud and cement silos, holding stock onshore,
ready for use offshore, are of the vertical cylindrical
type, usually incorporating three-point mounting for the
www.instmc.org.uk
Feature
Figure 1: Cable laying offshore – typical of the numerous appli-
cations for load cells in the marine environment.
light mud products and four-point mounting for the larg-
er silos. Material transfer from dockside to the supply
boat is by pneumatic conveying. The traditional oil
industry storage silo is mounted on a square, two-part
steel beam structure, a skid, utilising a hinged weighing
system only partly supported by load cells. The silo is
installed on the upper part and this is connected to the
lower part, “at the back”, via two plummer block bear-
ings. In the case of the three-point mounting silos a sin-
gle load cell is installed, “at the front”, centrally between
the upper and lower parts of the skid; on a four-point
mounting silo two load cells are installed, similarly, at
the corners between the two parts of the structure.
Electronic signal conditioning units are installed on one
of the silo legs, and often included is a permanently
installed printer or connection to be used by a portable
unit.
The complete silo is placed on a concrete hard stand-
ing. These silos are not permanent installations and are
moved from one supply base to another, depending on
the oil company’s operations base. Good batch weighing
accuracy is achieved for this type of installation as the
material is aerated to assist in the pneumatic transfer.
The mud and cement silos installed on production plat-
forms are similar to the land-based units though capaci-
ties are smaller and hold product in store for use as
required. The complete system includes cement and mud
surge tanks; these tanks monitor the flow of material into
the pumps to ensure that feed of mud and cement down
hole is continuous. A single tension load cell is normal-
ly used to suspend tanks, which are around 5 to 10
tonnes capacity; frequently these tanks are installed in
the mudroom, a flammable hazardous area, and require
an appropriate interface electronics to guard against
explosion risk. Complete mud and cement control sys-
Vol 38/6 July 2006 175
Bowen 17/6/05 10:23 am Page 2
Feature
Figure 2: Drilling rig module.
tems based on pneumatic transducers and controls have
been supplied for such hazardous area applications but
electronic systems are now more usual.
Module weighing
The offshore engineer has to consider, very carefully, the
weight of every item of equipment installed on the plat-
form; total platform weight and cost are directly related.
There are two additional reasons for the weighing of mod-
ules that are to be installed on the platform. The first is to
determine the gross weight of the module and so ensure
that the module yard has met its contractual obligations
and has not exceeded the absolute gross weight; it is less
expensive to remove weight in the module yard than off-
shore. Secondly, to measure the load at various points on
the structure so that a centre of gravity can be calculated,
enabling a lifting beam to be designed. This beam is often
used to transfer the module from the yard to the transfer
barge; a similar beam is required to transfer the module
from the barge to the deck of the platform.
The equipment used for this application is, generally,
high-capacity strain gauge compression load cells and bat-
tery-powered instrumentation. A number of load cells
equal to the number of mounting points on the module are
used. The load cells are installed under the mounting
points on the module to determine the load at each point.
Some preparation is needed before commencing the
weighing exercise. Often the area on which the module has
been built resembles a desert or beach with relatively poor
load bearing characteristics and consequently spreader
plates are needed for the load cells to sit on. A degree of
levelling is required to ensure that the vertical load is
176 Vol 38/6 July 2005
measured; however, this is not a precision measurement, as
contingency factors are built into the design of the equip-
ment using the data. Before weighing, all load cells must
be powered, until the load cell output has stabilised. The
load cells are then connected in turn to the instrumentation,
which incorporates the load cell excitation power supply
and amplification; the indicated weights can then be
recorded for each weighing point.
Tether tension monitoring systems (TTMS) for
tension leg platforms
Early tension leg platforms (TLPs) are of the multi-column
semi-submersible design. Conoco installed the first TLP
on the Hutton Field in the UK North Sea in 1984. This TLP
is a four-column steel structure anchored in 485ft of water
by 16 tendons. They then installed a further TLP, a six-col-
umn concrete structure on the Heidrun Field in the
Norwegian Sector of the North Sea in 1995. More recent-
ly, smaller platforms (Mini-TLPs) have been installed with
thinner columns; ultimately a deck mounted on a single
column. The mooring system consists of vertical tethers
connecting the hull to the seabed. The hull is deballasted
after installation until there is sufficient excess buoyancy
to ensure that the tendons remain in tension, even in the
most extreme weather conditions. Water ballast tanks in
the TLP structure are used to control the tether tension.
Three or four load cells are used to measure the tension
in each of the tethers. These are located in the porch of the
rig structure where the tethers pass through the main rig
supports which, in the case of mini-TLPs, is presently in
about 30 metres of water. All types of cable connections
are used, however, the preferred type is a dry mateable
connector. The load cell mechanical interfaces incorporate
modern alloys combined with greased interfaces complete
with “burping” seals that allow entrained air to vent
between the load-bearing surfaces; a machine has been
designed to break the vacuum at the greased interfaces,
should a load cell removal be necessary. The load cell out-
puts are processed by computer to provide continuous dis-
play of the tension in each of the tethers. Furthermore, his-
torical data is logged to monitor the performance of each
of the load cells and variation in tether tension under vari-
ous tidal and meteorological conditions.
The tether passes through a hole in two plates between
which the load cells are installed, being secured in a clas-
sic method, two nuts which can be adjusted by a hydraulic
machine.
Mooring load monitoring systems
These systems are used to provide indication of mooring
loads in multi-line mooring configurations. The mooring
load is measured using a load pin, often held in a shackle
and installed in a quick-release mooring hook. This
enables each mooring line to be pre-tensioned according to
the vessel’s individual mooring scheme. The load pins
detect any deviation from these design parameters and
indicate alarm conditions. The load pin must function with
no significant loss in performance whilst being subjected
to large temperature changes, salt spray, shock and rota-
tion. To meet these requirements the strain gauges are
often “down hole” mounted within the stress element, fre-
quently using dual redundant bridges, carefully sealed with
www.instmc.org.uk
Bowen 17/6/05 10:23 am Page 3
non-hardening sealant.
Mooring monitoring systems were originally designed for
oil and LPG tankers mooring at loading facilities and, conse-
quently, were and still are available certified for use in haz-
ardous areas. Instrumentation is available for installation in
the control room and on the vessel’s bridge. Following load
cell signal processing via an intrinsically safe amplifier, the
signal is input to a computer-based data acquisition system
incorporating graphical user interfaces, signals being dis-
played on screens.
Similar systems are used on Floating Production Storage
and Offloading vessels (FPSOs) in which the mooring is
on a turret, which allows the vessel to drift in wind and
tide, or in spread mooring configurations similar to a
tanker mooring system. Technology has facilitated sub-sea
completions in which some processing of the crude output
of the well takes place on the sea bed. These have an
undersea storage facility for gas/oil which has a pipeline
terminated at the surface on a buoy. The tensions on the
tethers of the buoy are often measured using load cells.
Drilling bit weight control
When drilling oil or gas extraction wells offshore, the
driller’s prime objective is to drill a straight hole at the
optimum rate. To help him in this task, measurements of
the total weight of the drill string as well as the weight on
the drill bit at the bottom of the hole need to be made.
The driller needs to maintain at least enough weight in the
bottom hole assembly – known as ‘The Weight on Bit’ – to
allow the ever-increasing length of drill pipe in the string to
remain in tension. This also helps to ensure that some of the
buckling and corrosion fatigue effects are reduced.
Although force measuring systems down the hole and
Figure 3: Schematic of a Rig Hoist System.
www.instmc.org.uk
Feature
Figure 4: The shaft bracket of a crown block supported by two
shear load cells – the opposite support is similar.
directly behind the drill bit are regularly employed, there is
still the need to measure the string weight supported by a
crane hook at the wellhead.
A traditional way to determine the weight on the crane
hook is by measuring the tension forces in the deadline.
This is fairly simple to engineer and enables smaller capac-
ity load cells to be used as they are measuring only a pro-
portion of the total load. Such systems suffer from errors
due to friction present in the various sheave bearings that
constitute the crown and travelling blocks and associated
pulleys. The construction of these crane assemblies has
increased in complexity, as holes have become deeper and
consequent loads increased. As the loads have increased,
more lines are strung between the crown and travelling
blocks, causing these friction effects - which can be very
variable with age and environment - to multiply accordingly.
From a weighing point of view, the ideal solution would
be to install a load cell in the hook assembly, but the engi-
neering of such a system where exposure of the transducer
to the environment, structural safety issues and the need
for vulnerable cable disposal systems at the support loca-
tion makes such a solution less than attractive. An alterna-
tive is to install load cells in the structural support for the
crown block. The use of specially designed double-shear
type load cells makes such a support possible. The load
cells become structural pins that can support the entire
crown block, which being at a fixed and high level location
simplifies both the mechanical modification required as
well as providing a fixed cabling location away from the
rigours of the working environment. The load cells are
usually required to be compliant with safety standards for
use in flammable hazardous area as well as being approved
as safe structural components. The instrumentation com-
prises conventional weight transmitters with hazardous
area interfaces that can output the conditioned load cell
signals to communicate with a control system and/or the
rig operating staff.
Vol 38/6 July 2005 177
Bowen 17/6/05 10:23 am Page 4
Feature
Pipe and cable tensioning Applications
These applications installed on specially designed sea-
going vessels are intended to measure and control the ten-
sion in a submarine pipe or cable as it is being laid on the
seabed. This measurement is critical to the success of the
operation. In a pipe-laying situation it is clearly important
to ensure that the tension force does not exceed the design
limits of either the pipe itself or the shipborne structures
feeding the pipe into the sea. Conversely some tension
should be present to ensure that the pipe is laid without
sagging or buckling. Communication cables utilising
either electrical or fibre optic technologies have similar
tension control requirements to ensure that the structure of
the cable is not compromised whilst the cable is paid out
from the vessel. This control has to be exercised under var-
ious degrees of sea conditions in which the cable-laying
vessel may be adopting variable height and attitude rela-
tive to the sea bed.
Many of these systems use a variety of so-called linear
engines to control the speed and tension of the pipe or
cable as it is released. The linear engine is designed to han-
dle the particular mechanical and physical characteristics
of the cable or pipe being laid. The essentials however are
similar, comprising a structure with sets of powered
wheels that both grip and control the cable release process.
One of the main variations occurs in the way in which the
wheels grasp the cable. For example, a machine designed
for fibre optic cables may need many wheels so that the
compression forces of the cable do not cause damage;
additionally they must be able to vary their spacing to
allow the cable repeater module to pass through the
machine. The entire structure is mounted on specialised
load cells that have a single axis of measurement so that
Figure 5: Linear tensioning engine used for fibre optic cable.
178 Vol 38/6 July 2005
Figure 6: Tensioning equipment on board a pipe laying vessel.
they can be oriented to be sensitive to the direction of ten-
sion but not the weight of the structure itself. The tension
forces involved can be from just a few tons force to over
100 tons force in a pipe laying machine and the load cells
become an integral part of the support structure. This
requires specialised consideration of the forces and envi-
ronment that are likely to be experienced both in the nor-
mal and more particularly the abnormal operation condi-
tions on board an ocean-going ship. The tension measure-
ments are fed to a control system that can adjust the power
and direction of travel of the linear engine to hold the ten-
sion at the desired level.
An additional complexity is present in this as in many
sea-borne applications due to the fact that the attitude of
the vessel is not constant. So even if load cells are installed
at the correct attitude relative to the vessel, when the ship
rolls and pitches the gravitational forces seen by the
machine change. A second independent load cell weighing
a static dead weight is mounted in the same attitude as the
tension transducers and is used as a pitch compensating
module, subject to the same angular changes and accelera-
tions seen by the main measuring system. The output of
this transducer is then fed into the control system to be
added or subtracted from the force measurement signals
and so compensate for the movements.
The development of the North Sea oilfields is one of the
largest investment projects the world has ever seen. The
search for, and the exploitation of, oil discoveries have been
made possible by considerable improvements in technology,
sometimes compared with the space industry. Developments
are supporting operations farther from land and in deeper and
more hostile waters of the Atlantic, West of Scotland. The use
of load cells for weighing and force measurement in these
and associated marine applications continues to be an engi-
neering challenge that can yield invaluable benefits.
www.instmc.org.uk