Maritime Reporter, December 1993

<BODY> <div> The Western Company Christens World's Largest Stimulation Vessel The Western Renaissance, report- edly the world's largest and most advanced well stimulation vessel, was christened by The Western Com- pany of North America. The 308- foot ship was designed and built to provide proppant fracturing, acid fracturing, matrix acidizing and ni- trogen services in the North Sea. The vessel was built for The West- ern Company of North America and will be operated by Western Petro- leum Services International. The advanced technology on board includes fully integrated com- munication between programmable logic controllers and multiprocess- ing microcomputers, fiber optic data links and a fully redundant dynamic position system for all weather sta- tion keeping. Benefits of the Western Renais- sance include: greater storage ca- pacity, enabling the vessel to com- plete more treatments without re- turning to port for resupply, thus saving valuable rig time and associ- ated costs; and acid fracturing uti- lizing an equivalent acid volume at higher pumping rates, significantly improving well performance. The Western Company is head- quartered in Houston, Texas, and provides oilfield pressure pumping services such as cementing, well stimulation and related services, both onshore and offshore. Since its founding in 1939, Western has of- fered the petroleum industry state- of-the-art technology and premium services which are supported by ex- tensive long-term research and de- velopment and field laboratory ca- pabilities. Carrier Transicold's Microlink 2 To Debut At Inter modal '93 Microlink 2 — the next genera- tion in Carrier Transicold's micro- processor-based temperature control for refrigerated container systems — debuted at the Intermodal '93 Show in Hamburg, Germany, De- cember 6-8. Microlink 2's simple plug-in, plug- out circuitry allows easy addition of operating features to the primary system, and simplifies service. En- hanced computer logic guides all system functions. Four options can be plugged in at any time in the field, with software that is card-programmable: - DataCORDER storage and re- trieval — records trip temperatures and events, eliminating the need to download after each trip. - Remote monitoring — a power- line remote monitoring module (RMM) provides an immediate as- sessment of all system functions. - USDA/Cold Treatment — records time and temperature data in accordance with USDA require- ments. - Battery Power-Up Module — energizes the microprocessor to set and change operating parameters when external power is not avail- able. Microlink 2's dual displays pro- vide side-by side readings of system setting or function and actual value. The system's advanced 21- minute pre-trip automatically checks the operating status of ev- ery component, and can be con- ducted under any weather or oper- ating condition. For more information on Carrier Transicold's Microlink 2, Circle 3 on Reader Service Card Motorola's Oncore GPS Receivers Have 21 -Second Reacquisition Time Motorola Inc.'s Position and Navi- gation Systems Business, Northbrook, 111., has introduced the "Oncore" line of global positioning system (GPS) embedded/receiver products for marine, AVL, automo- tive, avionics and other original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of navigational and positioning devices. The VP Oncore is embeddable, and then there are the Basic Oncore and XT Oncore GPS boards. All are available with data ports; the prod- uct line includes optional extended housing and military connectors. Motorola can work with OEMs to customize software and exclude re- dundant features when they are al- ready engineered into the host prod- uct. The Oncore GPS products are ac- curate to within 25 meters, provid- ing latitude, longitude, altitude, ve- locity, heading, time and satellite tracking status. They also have fast reacquisition and Time To First Fix (TTFF) times. TTFF refers to the time it takes to determine the first position fix after the receiver is turned on; with the Oncore receiver it is 47 seconds if the receiver has current almanac, position and time, and 21 seconds if the receiver has that plus ephemeris. Typical reacquisition time, the time it takes to reacquire a signal blocked for more than 30 seconds, is 2.5 sec- onds. For more information on Motorola products, Circle 39 on Reader Service Card Vecom's Water Treatment System Selected By Major Dutch Line Vecom's Automatic Water Treat- ment system (AWT) has been se- lected by a major, undisclosed Dan- ish operator to provide protection and operating efficiency for its steam generating plant. Ten ship sets of the second gen- eration AWT system will augment six systems already in service, the installations being retrofitted to both tankers and container vessels. The AWT system monitors pH and con- ductivity of boiler water with a re- sponsive control facility that report- edly eliminates human error and provides precise management of the water condition. For more information on Vecom's AWT system, Circle 42 on Reader Service Card Lista's Storage Wall Saves Floor Space With Beams That Hold 1,500 Lbs. Lista International Corporation has introduced the Lista Storage Wall — a modular drawer, shelf, and roll-out tray storage system — to permit maximum density stor- age. Wide span beams, ideal for large bulk items, hold up to 1,500 lbs an can support a variety of decking, including steel, wire and plywoo< Different drawer heights provid storage for a range of items, froi very small parts to large and heav tools. Roll-out trays allow easy ac cess for heavy items and can hol< up to 770 lbs. The Storage Wall cai be designed to include an order issue counter and a 12-inch dee] recessed bookcase for convenien storage of reference books. By implementing the vertica storage concept, valuable floor space can be converted to other uses. The system offers organization, inven- tory control and fast retrieval, its modular design permitting changes or additions at any time to adjust to new needs. For more information from Lista International, Circle 44 on Reader Service Card SeaBeam To Provide Sonar Mapping System For Navy Research Vessels SeaBeam Instruments, Inc., has been selected by Halter Marine, Inc. of Moss Point, Miss., to provide a multi-beam ocean mapping sonar system for the Revelle, an AGOR 24 Class research vessel Halter is build- ing for the U.S. Navy. The contract contains options for two additional multi-beam systems for AGOR ves- sels yet to be constructed. SeaBeam will deliver the SEA BEAM 2000 Series 2100 Multi-Beam Survey System (Model 2112) for the vessels: reportedly compact, versa- tile, and capable of operating at multiple frequencies for complete deep and shallow water bathymet- ric mapping as well as sub-bottom profiling. For more information on Sea- Beam's systems, Circle 67 on Reader Service Card Northern Lights Adds Options For Generator Sets Now both the 16 kW M844 or 20 kW M844L generator sets from Northern Lights are available with front power take off and a choice of 12 or 24 volt electric clutch. With the flip of a switch, 30 hp (24 for the M844) is available to run an SAE "B" splined, 2/4 bolt hydraulic pump. Vibration isolation mounts carry the weight of the PTO and the hydrau- lic pump, and there is a torsional coupling between the crankshaft and the clutch. The Lugger engines have a sound-muffling maze exhaust system and also feature single-side servicing. The new PTO packages allow bow thrusters, anchor winches and deck equipment to be powered up with- out starting the main engine. For more information on North- ern Lights generators, Circle 68 on Reader Service Card 64 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News </div> <span id="lblContents"></span> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.digitalwavepublishing.com/" title="Digital Magazine">Digital Wave Publishing</a> </BODY>