OIL is very much an international problem and servicing the
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inland wells involves many different industries. As always, road transport plays an important role. The wells in the Middle East continue production in many cases by courtesy of vehicles resulting from international co-operation — a commodity not in abundant supply in oil production today.
Land-based oil wells require periodic servicing to maintain pumps, valves and tools in perfect working condition and mobile field workshops are normally used for this work. Much of the applied technology is of US origin although vehicle equipment is usually selected on the basis of operating and service experience gained under local conditions.
A recent contract placed with Cameo Ltd, one of the world's leading manufacturers of oilfield equipment, for 15 mobile units for service in Algeria specified Renault-Berliet 4x4 chassis of a type well-proven in service in North Africa. The contract, placed by Sonatrach of Algiers, provides an unusually interee, ting example of international co-operation. The French-built chassis was bodied in Northern Ireland and subsequently fitted there with a reel and winding gear manufactured at Am eri ca nowned. Cameo's Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, plant.
Valued at over £1 million, the contract was negotiated through Cameo's office in Paris and was won on the ability to match the US-designed, Irish-made equipment to vehicle chassis specified by the operator.
Three vehicles have already been completed and shipped to North Africa; completion of the rest of the order is expected by this summer. Each unit — or ''wireline capsule truck" to apply the correct oilfield terminology — is based on a normal control Berliet L 64 R chassis powered by a 160bhp diesel engine.
On arriv3lin Northern Ireland the chassis are bodied by
Wright's of Ballymena to provide the equipment "capsule-. Bodywork has sheet steel outer panelling and inner panelling of aluminium covering 2in insulation.
The operating compartment is fitted with Hubbard air conditioning, for which a compressor is mounted on the Perkins diesel power pack. This is housed in a forward compartment between the wireline section and driving cab.
One of the more unusual features of the new Camco-Berliet units is a back-up hydraulic power system for the main wireline drive. This is fed by a pto from the vehicle engine to maintain full control of the equipment in case of power loss from the standard wireline engine.
The wireline skid unit has an all-aluminium frame and contains two reels with capacities of 25,000ft and 18,000ft of wire. Compact dimensions of the fully instrumented skid unit, 90in long by 38in wide, permit the installation of tool and equipment lockers on each side of the vehicle. They al accessible from the outside am on the left-hand side, include fold-down workbench with hinged canopy to provide pn tection from the sun.
On the right-hand side, ne the rear of the body, Came engineers have installed hydraulically driven windir unit to recover broken wireline Another locker takes the lubi cator device.
Double-hinged doors at fi rear of the body provide uno structed facilities for operatie of the wireline equipment ar full visibility for operator ar observer at the control consol Floodlights are fitted for nigh time operation.
The vehicles have a gro! weight of almost 12 tonnes ar are fitted with Dunlop TGI 9.00-20 tyre equipment.
Before shipment each con pleted vehicle is given a pr. delivery inspection by Mon gomery Trucks Ltd. also Newtownabbey, the recent' appointed Renault Trucks di: tributor in Northern Ireland.