SPP Pumps has selected Finning to supply two custom Cat 3512C HD engines to drive firewater pumps for the UK North Sea’s ATP Cheviot oil and gas production platform – a semi-submersible drilling, production and storage facility due for completion in 2013.
The Cat marine engines, rated at 1678 kW at 1800 rpm, are packaged with accessories by Finning to meet both the client’s specification and the stringent requirements of NFPA 20, the National Fire Protection Association standard. This is to ensure the engines will deliver reliable power in the event of a fire emergency.
These refinements required a number of modifications to the engine controls to meet NFPA 20. The engine rating is approved by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) as required for the floating platform. This, in particular, meant that Finning had to design the engine package to maintain operation at a constant 22.5-degree tilt in the event of an emergency, such as the platform losing buoyancy.
Each firewater pump engine is certified to EPA marine tier two classification and meets the E3 emissions’ test cycle for marine applications. NFPA requirements also specified the addition of a dual engine control module (ECM) so that, in the unlikely event of failure of the main ECM, the second module will maintain the engine systems and performance will be unaffected.
