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TPM Turbines To Be Used In Operation Of World's Largest Trenching Barge The world's largest and most powerful trenching barge will go into operation in the North Sea later this year, drawing its power for pipe-burying operations from two industrial gas turbines supplied by United Aircraft's Tur- bo Power and Marine Systems, Inc., Farming- ton, Conn. The barge, which is 394 feet by 92 feet, was built at the Levingston Shipbuilding Company yard, Orange, Texas, for Brown & Root, Inc. of Houston. It was recently towed to Rotter- dam, where equipment is being installed. The barge's 150-ton revolving cranes, mooring winches and 10 anchors—each weighing 30,000 pounds—had been installed in the U.S. before the Atlantic crossing. The barge will work in the oil and gas fields beneath the sea, using the 20,000-horsepower turbines to cut trenches in the floor for bury- ing pipelines. Each TPM turbine will drive one of two high-capacity waterjet pumps, ca- pable of blasting trenches as deep as 10 feet with a single pass. Deeper trenches can be cut with additional passes, and at depths up to 500 feet. The trenches will be from 4 to 12 feet wide. The pumps will be able to deliver a total of 20,000 gallons of water per minute at 2.500 pounds per square inch of pressure. TPM industrial turbines burn a variety of fuels, including natural gas, jet fuel, naptha, heating oil, diesel oil, heavy distillate fuel, and crude oil. Aboard the Brown & Root barge, the turbines will use diesel fuel. These FT4 turbines are also used in other applications to generate electricity, pump natu- ral gas through pipelines, and to propel com- GILLEN BACKS EVERY JOB ...with over 100 years of the best in service WEST END AVENUE, OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK, N.Y. 11771 . 212-895-8110 mercial and military vessels. To date, Turbo Power and Marine Systems has sold more than 1,000 industrial turbines. Turbo Power and Marine Systems is a sub- sidiary of United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford, Conn. Santa Fe Int'l Licenses Aquatic To Install Flow Lines Using Spooled-Pipe Technique Santa Fe International Corp., Orange, Calif., has announced that it has licensed Aquatic International Corp. of Harvey, La., to install deepwater flow lines using the spooled-pipe technique. The agreement provides for use of portable reels mounted on drilling rigs or production platforms to install flow lines to subsea well- heads. The agreement covers worldwide use of the technique. E.L. Shannon Jr., Santa Fe president, said the patented technique is an outgrowth of Santa Fe's experience with the reel-type pipe- laying barge Chickasaw, in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Shannon said pipe can be welded into strings and spooled on a portable reel while a well is being drilled, and the flow line can be installed within hours after the well is com- pleted. This new application of spooled pipe, he said, is expected to lower substantially the cost of flow lines from sea-floor completions. Mr. Shannon said Aquatic's first use of port- able pipelaying reels is expected to be in the North iSea, but the technique should prove advantageous in deepwater fields all over the world. Hydro Products Offers Revised Product Catolog Describing Complete Line Hydro Products, a Tetra Tech Company, has just revised and updated their illustrated 24- page Product Catalog to include information on the Model WS-125 Wellhead Inspection Television System for the Ofifshore Industry, and the Radiation Tolerant Underwater Tele- vision System for the Nuclear Industry. The catalog provides a concise description of Hydro's complete line of underwater tele- vision, photographic, lighting and communi- cations equipment; oceanographic instruments and sampling equipment; precision depth re- corder ; winches and support equipment. Free copies are available by contacting Jim Hitchin, Assistant General Manager, at Hydro Products, P.O. Box 2528, San Diego, Calif. 92112. 34 FROM SHIP TO BARGE: Norfolk Shipbuilding & Dry- dock Corporation, Norfolk, Va., has announced that the "joining" operation on the Chem-Tran 1 (Ex-S/S Marine Dow Chem) shown above, has been completed. After a brief fitting-out period, the vessel was delivered to her new owners, Chemical Transportation Company. Norfolk Ship built a new stern section for the tanker, which con- verted her to a large chemical barge. Maritime Reporter/Engineerirtg News
