Offshore HVAC-R Technician - It's Really a Hard and Dirty Job!
Jorge Amorim
Senior Mechanical Engineer I Static, Rotating & Thermal Equipment | Field Maintenance Supervisor | Marine & Offshore HVAC and Refrigeration Expert
Those who work with marine and offshore ventilation, refrigeration and air conditioning maintenance, know the importance of their work, to preserve the health and well-being of the crew embarked on an offshore facility or vessel.
It is a cool job to perform, but it is hard to convince many facility managers and some crew members the importance of keeping systems clean and operational, which demands effective costs and attention.
Being a Senior Mechanical Engineer, working with rotating, static and HVAC-R equipment in various offshore platform and vessels, I saw some unbelievable and unacceptable things that required a lot of insistence and tough discussion to be fixed!
Here are some examples:
The figure above shows AHU's fresh air intake duct installed in an FPSO.
This second picture shows the same duct internally. Rusty and full of impurities due to cheap material and wrong choice during the design phase.
This one, is an air filter of a self-contained unit installed in the corridor of a drilling rig. How can the air conditioner work satisfactorily with this clogged filter? No way!
This is a very dirty air return grille located on the false lining of the accommodation corridor at the same drilling rig,
Oh! Damn it! Here is the exhaust duct of the toilet in a cabin. Lots of dust, fungus and bacteria!
Galley hood full of grease and obsolete fire fighting system. Fire hazard !
Desperate attempt. Silver tape to hold refrigerant leakage! No comments for the mess in the cooper tubings and the lack of pressure switches caps.
Constant leakage means many refrigerant bottles to be used and a lot of money in the bin.
Oh yea! And the guy who occupies the cabin, decided that the air diffuser is not important. Be prepared to argue with some guys like him!
To top it all, you will still find out some gadgets like (rags and PET bottle transformed into air jet nozzle). Beware, "the inventor" will try to convince you that one works much better than the other designed by engineers.
So, did you get excited? Are you prepared to clean up the dirt and the mess and put the HVAC-R equipment and system into normal operation.
Welcome aboard!
Go for training and come be an Offshore and Marine HVAC-R Technician!
Good Luck!!!
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Chief Executive Officer at TechFirm Egypt.
7 年Ferjani Lotfi
Responsable Produit Digital - Product Owner - Spécialiste Génie Climatique & Energétque
7 年This article points out the high safety risk coming from the HVAC systems after a poor maintenance campaign. Lets remember the terrible consequence of a fire on an offshore platform... HVAC shall be followed by skilled specialist technician and the associated risk of such terrible pictures must be explained again and again to get immediate solving actions.
HVAC Engineer, North Caspian Operating Company N.V.
7 年Usually OIM's & top managers decide to keep on platforms as less HVAC ppl as possible. The reason is that they are not fully understand importance. When you are lack of hands it will result in such consequenses.