DEBallast systems on platforms
Keeping the balance at all levels
A stable attitude of the drilling and extracting facilities in the water is indispensable for the safety of the crew and the equipment. Oil and gas platforms or FPSO ships with several thousand tons of weight must be exactly balanced. Load shifts due to different distributions of the extracted raw material as well as external effects from wind and waves must not influence the stability of the system. Stabilization of the floater unit is carried out mainly with seawater in the ballast tanks. By filling or emptying these tanks, different mass distributions can be compensated. Accurate, seawater resistant level measuring systems are indispensable for trouble-free operation of the ballast system.
Level measurement with VEGAWELL 72
The level in the ballast tank is measured with the very costeffective VEGAWELL 72 . Due to its housing protection IP 68, this hydrostatic pressure transmitter can be installed directly inthe ballast tank. The high overload resistance of the ceramic measuring cell makes VEGAWELL 72 immune to pressure shocks from waves. The PE-coated stainless steel housing and the PUR cable avoid corrosion caused by contamination in the ballast water. For implementation on segmented platforms and ships, plug connectors specially developed for maritime applications are available.