Mammoet has successfully supported a major coke drum integrity upgrade at a large Canadian oil sands mining operation in Fort McMurray, Alberta, completing the replacement of eight coke drums ahead of schedule.
In oil and gas shutdowns and turnarounds, every day saved can translate into major cost reductions. For this project, early planning and the right heavy lifting strategy proved decisive. Mammoet, which has supported the client in Alberta’s oil sands since 1967, was involved years in advance to help plan and deliver the replacement of the site’s original coke drums—an upgrade expected to extend the life of the upgrader by around 30 years.
The oil sands upgrader uses thermal and chemical processes such as coking and hydrotreating to convert bitumen into synthetic crude oil. During the refining process, coke drums collect petroleum coke separated from the feedstock.
Each drum weighed around 270 tonnes and measured 7.9m in diameter and 29.8m in height, requiring one of the world’s largest cranes to position them. Mammoet conducted feasibility and crane selection studies, with reach identified as the critical factor rather than pure lifting capacity.
The team selected the PTC210DS ring crane, enabling lifts to be performed from further away without interrupting other concurrent site maintenance. Because the crane was installed inside the coke pit, civil works were required, including driving around 200 piles to create a stable foundation.
New components were delivered well in advance from Edmonton to Fort McMurray, then moved on site using self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs). Two SPMT sets operating day and night helped maintain continuous progress and support faster turnaround execution. Mammoet also fabricated specialized rigging and adjusted crane configuration when one component proved heavier than originally estimated, helping keep the project on schedule.
