....and my chopper out to the rig was leaving in an hour.
It was still daylight when the co-pilot of the Sikorsky S-76 instructed me to zip-up my immersion suit in preparation for landing. As I heaved on the waterproof zip, I could see that the rig was already ballasting up, and the anchor-handling tugs were preparing to pull the first of the rig's eight anchors. There was no doubt she would be ready for 'the tow' the following morning.
I was met at the heli-deck by the ROV Supervisor, and after the compulsory rig-induction, I dumped my kit-bag in my allocated cabin and went to work (I should say BACK to work, since I'd already done a day's graft in the workshop!).
The ROV Supervisor was a decent guy, but he kinda wanted to be proved right; that the replacement pump could not be installed with the kit supplied.
The first issue, and a major one, was that the orientation of the pressure and intake ports on the Linde pump were 90 degrees out compared to the original pump. I was able to overcome this by pulling the pump mounting plate off the submersible electric motor and rotating it 90 degrees. Doing so meant most of the oil in the motor was lost and had to be replaced.
And it went on like this for hours, one hurdle after another. I had to re-bend the stainless steel tube supplied to connect the load-sensing line, scrounge an adaptor to connect the case drain line and find metric bolts for the SAE flange on the pressure hose.
Finally, at about 4am, it looked as though the ROV Supervisor was right: the original intake line was too short for the new pump and there was nothing in the kit supplied to cover it.
This was 1991 and back then, rig time cost around $50,000 per day (these days it's more like $250,000 per day!). While I COULD have given up, admitted defeat and gone to bed for a few hours before requesting that the necessary parts be rounded up and flown out to the rig, I did not.
Instead, I went down to the engine room and made friends with the 2nd Engineer (when people know the whole rig is waiting on YOU, they're usually helpful). Anyway, after raking around in the engine room's spares for half an hour, I found something to do the trick: a couple of black-metal, 2" male nipples and a female bush.
This is NOT what you'd normally use for immersion in seawater, but needs must. And I was able to use these adaptors to make up the pump intake line's shortfall in length.
By the time the ROV's hydraulic system was filled with oil, bled and in the water it was daylight. The rig was floating on its pontoons and the final anchors were waiting to be pulled. The ROV pilot got the seabed survey done and we all went to breakfast red-eyed, exhausted and relieved. By 9am I was in a chopper on my way back to Aberdeen.
From that point on, at that company, I was the 'Go-To-Guy'. If the you-know-what hit the fan, if the chips were down and the deck was stacked, I was the guy they sent.
My reputation was made: whatever it takes.
Perhaps you can relate? Maybe you've driven all night in a snow storm to a supplier, slept in your car for a couple of hours while waiting for them to open, collected that critical part, then risked points on your license to get back to the plant ASAP to install it. Or some similar Herculean effort?
The thing is, us Go-To-Guys are seriously undervalued. In no small part because we tend to undervalue OURSELVES. And be suckers for punishment. But you do get battle-weary. It's lonely work, usually exhausting and often stressful. So after 25 years of pulling rabbits out of hats I no longer get involved in other people's problems - unless they pay me a King's Ransom.
These days I know my worth (you should too). And as I explain to prospective consulting clients, you don't want to even think about hiring ME unless the problem you've got is at least a 7.9 on the Richter scale.
But if you are a Go-To-Guy who operates on a tight-rope without a safety net, (and that's normal) or you're someone who has need of a genuine Go-To-Guy on occasion, there is a way you can get this Go-To-Guy's 'avatar' very cheaply. And that's by getting a copy of The Hydraulic Troubleshooting Handbook.
I could have called it: "The Go-To-Guy's Guide to Solving Hydraulic Problems". Because really, that's what it is. It describes a 12-step SYSTEM anyone can use to solve any hydraulic problem -- and non-hydraulic ones too. Its main objective is to make YOU a better problem solver (Go-To-Guy). And that's a skill you can take to the bank. So if having access to such a guide appeals to you, get all the details here
Beyond that though, here's to ALL the Go-To-Guys out there.
In this day and age, when almost nothing is straightforward, the world needs more of us.
If that's you, award yourself a gold star and keep up the good work.
Whatever it takes.
Yours for better hydraulics knowledge,
Brendan Casey
Author and Publisher
Here's that link again to The Hydraulic Troubleshooting Handbook a.k.a. The Go-To-Guy's Guide to Solving Hydraulic Problems Check it out today.
Powered by:
© HydraulicSupermarket.com