In December 2021, ICON Engineering’s Equipment Rental division deployed one of its Tension Lift Frames (TLF), along with a Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU) and SFT Shipping Skid, to West Africa to support a client’s offshore drilling and completions programme.
A Track Record Behind the Redesign
The first installation and rig-up onboard the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) was completed successfully, and has since been repeated for each of the remaining wells. With 20 years of proven operational history behind it, ICON’s Tension Lift Frame was redesigned and optimised prior to this deployment, rather than simply reused as-is — a decision that shows up in several specific engineering choices.
What Changed in the Redesign
The upper spreader beam now uses a dual side-mounted winch design, increasing functionality and maximising operating headroom, paired with a bespoke winch design that minimises spooling offset from well centre and allows quick, controlled lift speeds. Winch controls are wireless, so the system can be operated safely from either the drill floor or the lift frame itself. The whole system is modular, for equipment versatility, interchangeability, easier transport, reduced deck space requirements, and efficient rig-up — built around a robust structural load path with no bolted or welded connections, and standard drilling elevator connections so offshore rig crews don’t need to learn a new interface.
Built for Faster, Safer Offshore Installation
The lower spreader beam can be pre-installed to the surface flowhead onshore, ahead of shipping — a direct surface flowhead interface that saves offshore installation time and optimises the overall stack-up height once on the rig. The full system is independently certified to offshore standards. This kind of redesign work sits within ICON’s broader Tension Lift Frames capability.
Contact ICON for more information, or call +61 (08) 6313 5500.
