INDUSTRIAL TRAINING

REPORT
LOCATION;
PELFACO NIGERIA LIMITED
FROM;
1
ST
AUGUST 2013
TO;
31
ST
JANUARY 2014
REPORT SUBMITTED BY
DOUGLAS, BOMA PRINCE
UG/09/1368
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY, WILBERFORCE ISLAND, BAYELSA STATE
NIGERIA
DECLARATION


I, Mr Douglas Boma Prince Wish to declare that all information contained in this
report are authentic and generated from first-hand experience as well as from
research carried out personally. Furthermore, I avoided direct lifting of information
from all referenced materials/books and lectures alike.














DEDICATION

Whatsoever is worth doing is worth doing well Yoruba Adage

I dedicate this effort to;
To my Mum,
Whose love and support sustains me in everything that I do.
To my dearest Friends,
Who for believe in the path we follow have walked with me every step of the way, never
letting me fall behind.
Eno Edet Peter,
My motivation, always saying go. Youre the fuel to my furnace.





ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to recognise the hand of God in all that took place in my life within the
period of my Industrial Training and appreciate his grace. For all the support I got
towards making my IT a success, the freedom of expression and creativity that was
availed me, a conducive and friendly working environment and most importantly
the continuous help and advice that I got for no charge, I remain ever grateful.
Mr Gesi Asamaowei
Engr Edward Orupabo
Engr Omega Pinnock
All staff at Pelfaco Head Office.












TABLE OF CONTENT
i) Title Page
ii) Declaration
iii) Dedication
iv) Acknowledgement
Chapter 1.
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Brief history of Pelfaco Limited
1.3 Mission Statement
1.4 Key areas of Business and Service
1.5 Company Organogram / summary of structure
Chapter 2. TUG BOATS AND BARGES
3.1 Tug Boats
3.1.1 Mode of Heat Exchange
3.1.2 Parts and Functions
3.1.3 Maintenance
Chapter 3. PIPELINES
4.1.1 Brief History of Pipelines
4.1.2 Process for Pipeline Installation
4.1.3 Pipeline Installation Procedure
4.2 Pipeline Doping
4.2.1 Pipeline Cathodic Protection
Chapter 4.
5.1 Conclusion
5.2 Limitations Experienced During SIWES Program
5.3 Suggested Improvements



CHAPTER 1.

INTRODUCTION
After conclusion of lectures and examinations in April 2013, I as well as my
colleagues went to our various areas of industrial based training . After a few
months of disappointing outcomes, I was finally offered a place at Pelfaco Limited
to see out my allotted time of Six months.
Immediately I arrived at the office reporting for my first day on the job, I was
swiftly caught in the swing of events since the period of my arrival coincided with
the beginning of a project within the creeks of Rivers State. It involved a dredging
operation which the company was contracted to handle. I however will leave out
details of dredging operations since I was not privileged to experience such due to
my lack of the basic Safety requirements to be present at an offshore site at the
time.
Over the weeks I began to acquaint myself with the allotted tasks and the
staff present within the company as well. This further opened doors of knowledge
to me as relations with staff within the company became less formal and strained,
and we found ourselves easy to communicate with and understand.
Pelfaco Limited is an indigenous limited liability company set up in 1987 having its
first base in Rivers State. The initial establishment of the company was with the
idea of engaging in general contract operations. However, by 1994 the operations
of the company had become specialized in the area of engineering contract
management.
By the third week within Pelfaco, I was briefed by the administrative manager on
the planned routine I was to follow throughout my stay in the company. The
admin manager then asked me if I was satisfied with the arrangement. I took
advantage of the opportunity and requested he increase my time with the projects
team which was formerly scheduled for my Last Month of the industrial training.
The schedule for my Industrial training was planned thus:

Month 1: HSSE Department
Month 2: Document Control
Month 3: IT department
Month 4: Maintenance Department
Month 5: Maintenance Department
Month 6: Projects Department
Based on my request, I received an e-mail stating that my 5
th
month would have me
doing rounds with the maintenance team to various sites, as would be required
giving me a chance to relate with project Supervisors and avail myself with all the
information I would need, even the same information that birthed this report.
A summary of my six months with the company
Month 1: HSE Department I obtained a swimming pass and PPEs to facilitate
future activities
Month 2: Document Control Gained an understanding of how important proper
documentation is to any organisations successful operation.
Month 3: IT Department- Java programming basics, Gained greater knowledge of
Desk Top internal components and handling.
Month 4: Maintenance Department- The workings of Tug boats, parts, handling,
dry docking. Barges of various types.
Month 5: Maintenance Department- Heavy equipment maintenance, Swamp
Buggy, Cranes, Bull Dozers, Freightliners, Pumps.
Month 6: Community relations, Pipeline installation, Pipeline welding basics.
An attempt will be made to capture all relevant (Engineering related) aspects of the
industrial training. However, some of these experiences only capture a minor
aspect of some broad fields and will not prove satisfactory for those who intend to
use it for reference purposes.


BRIEF HISTORY
Pelfaco Limited is an indigenous limited liability company set up in 1987 having its
first base in Rivers State. The initial establishment of the company was with the
idea of engaging in general contract operations. However, by 1994 the operations
of the company had become specialized in the area of engineering contract
management especially in the area of Oil and gas servicing.
PELFACO is a leading provider of the specialized services in the oil and gas
industry in West Africa. The organisation currently has operations at Pelfaco Jetty
(East), Minikpiti near (C.O.E),Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt and
Pelfaco Base ( West), former Dumez yard, Eneheren Warri, Delta State.

The Base yard and jetty houses holds the fabrication and maintenance workshops,
materials warehouses, helipad, hangers, petroleum products storage facilities,
slipway and jetty facilities.
Pelfacos business concern and clientele have expanded within the past years
making them one of the major indigenous construction and dredging companies in
the oil and gas industry. The company's tremendous success is attributable to
efficient management decisions and foresight as well as a team of experts which
handle operations with high safety and equipment handing standards. This has
been confirmed true by various Multinational Oil and Gas companies as Pelfaco
has bagged many an award for their excellent HSE records.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of PELFACO LIMITED is to provide top quality Services on Land,
Swamp, and Offshore Locations for the Oil & Gas industry within the West and
central African Sub-Regions, while ensuring good corporate citizenship.




KEY AREAS OF BUSINESS AND SERVICES
Pelfaco limited provides the following specialized services in the Oil and Gas
industry:
Land and swamp flow line /pipeline construction works including
construction of manifolds and support facilities.



Swamp pipeline works






Fabrication services
Pelfaco Limited has undertaken over 30,000 tons of steel fabrication under
Erha and Okpoho platform fabrication project , and also the OB/OB Gas plant
revamp project these included:
- Spools fabrication
- Pipeline risers fabrication
- Special (AFC) fabricated parts












DREDGING AND SHORE PROTECTION
Sandfilling/land reclamation , canalisation, capital and maintenance
dredging
PELFACO LIMITED HAS EXPERTISE IN
Capital location dredging
Sweeping /maintenance dredging
Access and slot dredging
Sand search/ geotechnical surveys
Reclamation and sand stock piling
Shore protection with steel sheets or concrete piles











COMPANYS ORGANOGRAM














SUMMARY OF DEPARTMENTAL FUNCTIONS
MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT - Headed by the maintenance Superintendent
Handles broken down equipment for the company both on and off worksites
Routine checks on equipment
Generation of regular Updates and reports on state of equipment
PROJECTS DEPARTMENT - Headed by the Projects Manager
On site work execution
Design and assessment of project scope and methods
Provision of reports to management on level of work done and project challenges.
HSE DEPARTMENT Led by the HSE manager
Insurance of Personnel Pre-mobilization qualification
Ensure compliance of all staff to industrial safety standards
Ensure safety equipment are in good working condition
Perform drills to ensure consciousness of staff towards personal safety.


Managing Director
PRINCIPAL
ENGINEER
ADMINISTRATIVE
MANAGER
SECURITY
DEPARTMENT
MAINTENANCE
TEAM
PROJECTS
TEAM
ACCOUNTS
DEPARTMENT
I T
DEPARTMENT
HSE
DEPARTMENT
DOCUMENT
CONTROL
LOGISTICS/
JOURNEY
MANAGEMENT
IT DEPARTMENT Headed by the IT manager
Ensure proper Desktop and Laptop functionality within head office and Sites
Maintain regular availability of wireless and Ethernet cable connectivity to Internet
Manning of radio communication channels between Worksites and head Office as well as branch
offices.
Vessel Communication
ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Headed by the Chief Auditor
Payment of Salaries
Funding of projects
Balancing of company accounts
Handling of staff welfare
SECURITY Headed by the Chief security Officer
Staff security within the offices as well as worksites
Development of security plans for worksites
Provision of security assessment reports
DOCUMENT CONTROL
Handling of contract documentation
Generation of project documentation
Collection of Reports from all departments for record purposes
Document support for all completed contracted projects
LOGISTICS
Vehicle and vessel permit/ certification handling
Route selection for efficient journey management
Car pooling and vehicle designation.
Monitoring of transportation vehicles at worksites and offices.








CHAPTER 2
TUGBOATS

TUG BOATS
A tugboat (tug) is a boat that manoeuvres vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move
vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbour or a
narrow canal, or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships,
log rafts, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for their size and strongly built, and
some are ocean-going. Some tugboats serve as icebreakers or salvage boats. Early
tugboats had steam engines, but today most have diesel engines. Many tugboats have
firefighting monitors, allowing them to assist in firefighting, especially in harbours.
There are basically two major types of tugboats;
1. The Seagoing Tugboats
2. The River Tugboats
The design of these tug boats are slightly different as a result of the differing functions
they perform. Tugboats are highly manoeuvrable, and various propulsion systems have
been developed to increase manoeuvrability and increase safety. The earliest tugs were
fitted with paddle wheels, but these were soon replaced by propeller-driven tugs.
At Pelfaco limited, both specifications of tugboats are available creating flexibility
of operations as required.
For purposes of this report, focus will be placed on heat exchange equipment aboard
Pelfaco owned Tug boats.






TUGBOAT KEEL COOLER
The keel of a Vessel is a lengthwise structure along the base of a vessel, in some cases
extended downwards as a ridge to increase stability. The keel extends along the base of
the vessel and makes direct contact with the waters below. This property makes it perfect
for the development of a shell and tube type heat exchanger.


The figure above also applies for fresh water regions. The keel cooler does not only
support the cooling of air conditioning systems, Tubes run from the engine room to the
hull of the tug boat conveying cooling water in a cycle. These cooling fluids lose heat on
making contact with the water interface beneath the vessel. This gives rise to a counter
current heat exchange.








PARTS AND FUNCTIONS


Below are some of the important characteristic parts of the tug boat and their functions;
1. Main mast, Mast headlight, flag, Siren These are in place for easy identification of
vessels from long distances, The mast headlight usually has a deep red penetrating
nature that travels long distances. Sirens could serve the purpose of alerting boats
that lay along the tug boats travel path of its approach.
2. Hawser; Popularly referred to as towing rope. These materials are of very high
mechanical strength and can be used to immobilise the boat or in some cases aid
the towing of other vessels.
3. Bridge or Wheelhouse; An elevated room on the tugboat where the captain stays to
Mann the vessel and stir the vessel as well.
4. H-bitt Used in docking tug boat and ensuring it is not carried away by water
currents that sweep through harbour.
5. Hatch- These exist in two kinds, The void tanks and The crew rooms. The void
tanks are room for fluid and ullage handling in the tug boat while crew rooms may
include kitchens, engine rooms and the likes.
6. Fender; The collision of Tug boats with cargo or other bodies can lead to some
serious deformation of vessel structure. Hence, fenders are used to absorb shock on
impact and leave vessel in good order.
7. Tail shaft, Propeller and Rudder- The tail shaft runs from the engine to the stern of
the vessel transmitting torque. This torque transmitted is used to rotate a shaft
blade or propeller which displaces water creating a forward thrust for the entire
vessel. The rudder stands a short distance from the propeller lying in a streamlined
position. Displacement of the vessel wheel results in displacement of the rudder
which in turn causes the vessel to change direction with respect to direction of
wheel rotation.
8. Hull- The interface for vessel contact with water bodies, it is usually fitted with
many electrode plates to prevent rusting due to electrolytic reduction of metal
surface. The metal used as the sacrificial anode is usually Iron. Special care is taken
in sand blasting and coating this region with corrosion resistant paints.
9. Hydraulic pins- The day comes when the vessel will be out of order due to working
long periods of time, the hydraulic pins serve to lift or tilt vessel for work to be
done on it. The process of lifting a boat out of water for maintenance purposes is
referred to as dry docking.



DRY DOCKING OF PELFACO TUG BOAT (LAGOS)

CHAPTER 3
PIPELINING
Role of Pipelines
Energy needs to be transported from supply to demand
Linking sources and markets for oil and gas is done using tankers and pipelines.
Pipeline transportation is the safest method of delivering energy.
At Pelfaco limited, fabrication and installation of industrial pipelines is a major source
of profit generation.
A brief overview of the history of pipelines is outlined below
400 BC: Chinese used bamboo pipe to transmit Natural Gas to light their capital
(Peking)
1800s: Wood, iron, lead and tin pipes were common in transporting gas to New
York.
1859: River/Rail transportation in barrels by horse-drawn barges
1879: a 108 mile, 6 line was built to transport Natural Gas from Pennsylvania to
New York
1891: First high pressure, long distance pipeline was built. Transport cost reduced
from $3/bbl to $1/bbl. Initially, pipelines were threaded together. This proved
difficult for large pipes and experienced leakage under high pressure.
1920s: Welding
1940s: Long Distance Pipelines the Big Inch (demands of 2
nd
World War).







PRE-PIPELINE INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
The under listed, are the various considerations Pelfaco management and
contracting companies work through before setting pipelining activities underway.
Economic study
Basic engineering and route planning
Permission to build
Land acquisition
Setting out
Bush clearing/grading
Without going through these procedures, community and Government officials
usually tend to be a problem and opposition to pipeline construction.
PIPELINE INSTALLATION PROCEDURES
Stringing At this stage, pipelines are distributed according to the design plan.
This gives a clearer picture of challenges that lie ahead of the project that has
already begun. The stringing procedure is usually carried out by the swamp buggy
due to the nature of pipes being laid. Di s




Welding The next stage is the beveling and welding of the strung pipeline.
Bevelling involves trimming of pipe edges

This makes for available space to apply welding electrode to the piping. Pipeline
welding involves two major passes called Root pass and Hot pass.
The Root pass serves the basic function of filling up the bevelled portion of the pipe
with electrode material while the Hot pass is meant to seal up the weld and cause
welded portions to be in symmetry with circular pipe.
QA/QC (NDTs) After welding is done, for safety purposes, an NDT (Non destructive
test) is carried out. These tests exist in various forms. The basic function of the test is to
examine all welded joints on the pipe and ensure that there are no defects to the weld.
This is because such defects will cause possible leaks by the time the pipe is subjected
to stresses. The NDT carried out by Pelfaco limited is the Radiology test. In this
process, x-ray film is wrapped around the weld to be assessed and an x-ray is shot at
the coated weld. When this has been done for about 10 -15 minutes, the film is taken
for development and developed films are checked by a professional who may
recommend a joint be redone or pass a weld. The radiology is carried out in a lead
coated chamber for safety from radiation poisoning.
Ditching/Trenching When welding and NDT have passed successfully, Pipes are
then lowered into dug trenches in preparation for them to be done with. These
trenches are dug to specification usually with consideration of the sort of traffic the
pipeline right of way may experience.







Back-filling This is the part where lowered pipelines are covered with back fill
materials. The backfilling process is done with consideration of the kind of stresses
the pipeline may face. In areas where road surfaces may be built above piping,
backfilling is done in stages with tough materials which can stand such stress
causing a distribution on the overall stress acting on the pipeline.
Hydrotesting - As is the way of engineering, nothing is left to chance. The now laid
pipelines are fitted with flanges on its end such that only one channel is left open.
At this point, the pipeline is flooded with water to a pressure above what the
pipeline is expected to carry (since pipelines are designed to handle higher
pressures than that anticipated). The pressurized system is left for about 24 hours
and the pipeline is checked for any signs of leak. If none is found, Pelfaco is happy
and can breathe a sigh of relief.
These welding operations are usually carried out on a lay barge due to the marshy
terrain these operations are carried out.

LAY BARGE FOR PIPELINE ASSEMBLY

(Pre-)Commissioning This stage involves site restoration. To keep the process
environmentally friendly, once pipelining is completed, the company employs the
services of specialists to handle the aspect of reforestation and eco recovery (if
applicable). The major aim of this exercise is to leave the ecosystem in the same
state it was met or in an even better state.
Handover As it is with all contracts, at the point of pre commissioning, the
contracted company has fulfilled its contractual obligation and is ready to hand
over operations back to the parent company. This point involves payments and
accounting. Usually followed by a lot of paper work.
Other pipeline installation activities include
Pipeline Doping - This involves a system where a specialized corrosion
protective coating is applied over the welded regions due to the fact that
pipelines are designed such that their ends have open metallic uncoated
parts to facilitate welding. .This process is also known as sleeving
Cathodic Protection This is a technique used to control the corrosion of a
metal surface by making it the cathode of an electrochemical cell. This could
be done in two ways
Sacrificial method characterised by;
o Low soil resistance
o Small structures
o Low current density
o Good coating
Impressed Current characterized by;
o High soil resistance
o Large structures
o High current density
o Poor quality coating
In pipeline cathodic protection, an external DC source is used to provide enough current
for the process to be effective.



CHAPTER 4
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 CONCLUSION
The Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme programme has provided me the
opportunity to acquaint myself with the practical procedures in solving industrial problems which
encompass various aspects of maintenance and pipeline installation, some of which could not be
captured in this report. The programme has been regarded as the most valuable exercise which has
exposed me to various aspects of learning and has broadened my horizon.
Also, the programme also afforded me the opportunity of reconciling the theoretical principles
learnt in school with real engineering design practice.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the experience acquired, I humbly recommend the following:
Students should be given the opportunity to partake in this programme even for a longer period
of time.

Also the school authorities and departments should ensure that students are posted to
placements where they will gain skills and experience relating to their intended disciplines.

However, employers should be enlightened on the need to absorb students for the training
because it forms a vital tool for the development of manpower in the country.

The management should be kind enough to provide safety materials for trainees during their
training.

The Institution supervisors should be adequately funded so that they can visit students in their
respective SIWES workplaces.


REFERENCES
1. Pipelines Rule of Thumb Handbook by E.W. McAllister 5
th
Edition
2. Onshore Pipeline Engineering by Mike Ogbuanu
3. Google Wikipedia
4. Non-Destructive Testing Of Pipelines by L. Annila