MODULE SUPPLY CHAIN

• US 20100107551A1
• Filed: 10/02/2009
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Allen L. Berry, Kenneth J. Luhan
• Original Assignee: Allen L. Berry, Kenneth J. Luhan
• Inventors: Luhan, Kenneth J., Berry, Allen L.
• Application Number:
  US12/572,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20100107551A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/745.200
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 5/02 Buildings or groups of buildings for industrial purposes, e.g. for power-plants or factories buildings forming part of cooling plants E04H5/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49764 with testing or indicating

Abstract

A system and method of fabricating and assembling of large-sized modules remote from a heavy industrial hydrocarbon processing plant site, and overland transportation thereof to the plant site. The method may rely on a computer-based heavy-haul transportation logistics system.

Claims

1. A method of supplying modules to a hydrocarbon processing plant site, the method comprising:

establishing a large-sized module assembly site on one side of the US-Canadian border;

receiving raw construction materials at the assembly site;

receiving a standard truck module at the assembly site;

assembling a large-sized module using the raw construction materials and the standard truck module; and

sending the assembled large-sized module by land across the US-Canadian border to the hydrocarbon processing plant site for assembly.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the large-sized module comprises at least one of a pipe rack module and an equipment module.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the standard truck module comprises at least one of a pipe rack module and an equipment module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the raw construction materials comprise structural steel and connecting hardware.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the large-sized module weighs in the range of about 75 to about 156 tons.

6. The method of claim 1, the large-sized module measures between about 22 ft wide×

about 22 ft high×

about 85 ft long, and about 24 ft wide×

about 25½

ft high×

about 120 ft long.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a railcar module at the assembly site, and assembling the large-sized module from the railcar module.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the railcar module weighs in the range of about 30 to 100 tons.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the railcar module measures no more than about 12½

ft wide×

about 12½

ft high×

about 66 ft long.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon processing plant site is located in the oil sands region in Alberta, Canada.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the large-sized module assembly site is in the state of Montana, United States.

12. A method of assembling a hydrocarbon processing plant, the method comprising:

rigging a large-sized module for transportation by land on one side of the US-Canadian border; and

sending said large sized module by land across the US-Canadian border for assembly into a hydrocarbon processing plant.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the large-sized module comprises at least one of a standard truck module, a railcar module and an intermediate-sized module.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the large-sized module further comprise raw construction materials.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the large-sized module weighs in the range of about 75 to about 156 tons.

16. The method of claim 12, the large-sized module measures between about 22 ft wide×

about 22 ft high×

about 85 ft long, and about 24 ft wide×

about 25½

ft high×

about 120 ft long.

17. A heavy-haul transportation logistics system comprising:

a server connected to a network;

a database accessible by the server, the database comprising heavy-haul transportation logistics information; and

a mobile first client computer connected to the server via the network, the mobile first client computer being adapted to provide a graphical user interface configured to allow substantially real-time updating of the database with information pertaining to land routes suitable for heavy-haul transportation.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the heavy-haul transportation logistics information comprises shipping envelope information for a large-sized module, and at least three of a bridge GVW limit, a bridge width, a bridge rail height, a seasonal transportation pavement GVW weight limit, an overhead traffic signal height, an overhead traffic signal location, an overhead utility line height, an overhead utility line location, a road underpass location, a road underpass height, a road gradient, an acceleration and deceleration limit, a railroad crossing, a road name, a road length, a flag car requirement, a heavy-load signage requirement, a heavy-load transportation permit requirement, a refueling location, a speed limit, and a load lighting requirement.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the mobile first client computer is located in a first country and updates the database with information pertaining to land routes suitable for heavy-haul transportation in the first country; and

the server is adapted to receive substantially real-time updates for the database from a mobile second client computer via the network, the substantially real-time updates from the mobile second client computer comprising information pertaining to land routes suitable for heavy-haul transportation in a second country.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first country is the United States and the second country is Canada.