Maintenance at Fluxys
Dieter Ingelaere is one of our site coordinators in the field. He has worked for Fluxys since 2011 as oil in the machine: he ensures that all work on site runs smoothly and that work is carried out safely.
As a site coordinator, Dieter bears responsibility in various areas. He takes care of the practical planning of the work on the site and makes access agreements with the various contractors. He grants them access, oversees safety and closely monitors the technical execution. At Fluxys, every job is always supervised, Dieter ensures that.
We visit Dieter on a sunny Wednesday morning at the Fluxys site in Zandhoven. This station is located at an intersection of different routes and, among other things, puts the gas on the public gas network.
Station Zandhoven
Those routes and that gas network, that is quite a story and many times more complex than words can describe. To transport gas, or other molecules, it is important to maintain the correct temperature. For LNG that is -162°C.
To keep that gas stable, it happens that it has to be “unloaded” and reloaded from the gas tankers, boats with a large thermos on them. That is called “transboarding”. From the port of Zeebrugge, the gas is then sent to the gas network, to stations such as the one where Dieter works as a site coordinator.
And from there it flows to other stations (in neighboring countries, for example) or it goes to the public network to be distributed to, among other things, private homes.
The station in Zandhoven is used for various purposes:
- Here the gas is heated to reduce the pressure so that it can be put on the public network.
- Gas is counted: how many cubic meters are transported.
- The pipeline inspections start from here:
- With the help of a piston, the walls are inspected for corrosion and other damage
- Due to the pressure differences in the pipe, this piston moves through the pipes: it is, as it were, pushed through.
- As in any other station, there is also a filter installation here to remove impurities from the gas.
Dieter’s task is mainly to be very proactive and to assess every situation through risk assessment. Of course, there are often unexpected situations that are then resolved flexibly. Excavation and earthworks are simply not always predictable.
These excavation works are also quite dangerous and delicate: wellpoint drainage and a soil suction machine are indispensable. As soon as the groundwater rises or there is heavy rainfall, additional measures must be taken to prevent the excavated pit from collapsing.
Dieter is currently responsible for the maintenance of a number of valves so that the lifespan of the station can be extended. These valves, ball valves, can usually be operated remotely, except during the commissioning phase. Before the entire station can be operated remotely, it must first be completely in order.
Setting the valves is then a manual operation that takes about half a day. And action should be taken literally: a small lever is used to operate the large valve until the whole is closed.
Half a day of pumping, then.
Gaining experience “on the job”.
As a site co, experience is very important, especially for a job like this. Fortunately, Fluxys does offer the opportunity to grow in the job, Dieter tells us.
Working on gas pipelines is a frightening job, but there are no more accidents than elsewhere. The pipes are therefore of a superior steel quality with a wall thickness of 12 mm. Those pipes are also extra coated with packing to protect them.
In addition, we only work with certified contractors. The current contractor has been able to extend the framework contract 5 times, which means that the same people are very often employed. In this way, a bond of trust is created, which only benefits the collaboration.
A construction site is therefore a team matter:
- It is the project leader’s task to shape the team,
- and the site co’s to get everything done by the team.
About Fluxys Belgium
Fluxys Belgium is listed on Euronext and is part of energy infrastructure group Fluxys, headquartered in Belgium. With 900 employees, the company operates 4,000 kilometers of pipeline, a terminal for liquefied natural gas with an annual regasification capacity of 9 billion cubic meters and a site for underground gas storage.
As a purpose-driven company, Fluxys Belgium, together with its stakeholders, contributes to a better world by building a bright energy future. With the unique advantages of its infrastructure and its commercial and technical expertise, Fluxys Belgium is committed to transporting hydrogen, biomethane or other carbon-neutral energy carriers and also CO2, whereby we support its capture and reuse or storage
Working as a site coordinator?
Would you also like to work as a site co after reading this article?
Then contact Carine and discuss your future career together!
Carine Joosen
carine@netwerkgroup.com
+32 483 76 60 32
