L&T moves 44 m long urea reactor for PetroChina

Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) is currently moving a 44 m long, 4.4 m wide and 3.6 m high urea reactor for the PetroChina Company Ltd.

The 275 ton reactor, which was manufactured over the past one year, is being moved from L&T’s Powai facility to the Mumbai Port by road. It left the L&T Powai campus from Gate No. 1 at 1:00 am on the 23nd June, 2009.

The reactor will leave from Mumbai port by 27th June morning in an Inter Marine USA vessel specially called in for moving it. It is expected to reach Port of Xingang in China by the 15th of July, 2009.

“It is the first time that a project cargo of this length is being moved by road till the port. Earlier in 2001 we moved a 50 m PP reactor for Sinopec China but that was from Powai to Mankhurd Jetty, Natvar Parikh yard,” says Pradeep Berde, Materials & Logistics – FPEX, L&T.

He further informs, “Majority of the transporters were not ready to take up the job. They thought it was impossible to move such a long reactor by road to the port because of the narrow roads en route. We at L&T personally did a road survey, mapped out each and every turning and checked whether the vehicle can take the turns. Our survey and presentation convinced the transporter to take up the job.”

The contract has been given to the ReshamSingh Group at a cost of Rs 24.5 lakhs. Owing to the length of the reactor it is being moved on two sets of hydraulic axles of 10 and 8 respectively.

Berde informs, “Ten hydraulic axles are Cometto make and are owned by ReshamSingh. The other eight have been hired from Nabros Transport Pvt. Ltd. by ReshamSingh because of insufficient number of axles with them.”

A 460 hp Volvo prime mover is being used for the transportation. Another 400 hp Volvo prime mover is being taken along as a back-up.