Nearly a mile below the surface, oil was spewing from the top of the damaged riser and after several failed attempts; engineers were going to try using a cap to stop the oil. The goal was to remove the riser flange from the BOP stack in order to install the capping stack and stop the oil spill. To do this, the first step was to loosen the riser bolts, which were under extreme torque. Due to the unusually difficult working conditions a compact, very powerful hydraulic torque wrench was needed to ensure successful removal of the riser flange, which was essential to the installation of the capping stack. The capping stack was engineered to install on top of the BOP and stop the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Once the riser flange was out of the way the mission could be completed and the oil leak was put to an end.
Before the temporary fix could be made to stop the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, engineers had to find equipment capable of removing the securely fastened wellhead 5,000 ft beneath the ocean’s surface. The tool they trusted to do this crucial high-force application was designed and manufactured by Torq/Lite®. Torq/Lite® has been manufacturing hydraulic bolting equipment for over 30 years. When asked about Torq/Lite®’s role in providing equipment & expertise that helped stop the leak the company’s President Dale Francis simply said, “We’re proud to be a small part of the solution.” |
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