Conventional Technologies News

The technology group Wärtsilä has entered into a joint development agreement with Hycamite TCD Technologies, a privately-owned Finnish company specializing in the development of a technology for producing clean hydrogen and solid carbon from methane. The two companies will work together to enable cost-effective production of hydrogen from liquefied natural gas (LNG) on board marine vessels. The concept design will be ready by mid 2023 and the prototype testing unit will be ready…

Don’t let the titanium metal walls or the sapphire windows fool you. It’s what’s on the inside of this small, curious device that could someday kick off a new era of navigation.For more than a year, the avocado-sized vacuum chamber has contained a cloud of atoms at the right conditions for precise navigational measurements. It is the first device that is small, energy-efficient and reliable enough to potentially move quantum sensors — sensors that use quantum mechanics to outperform conventional technologies — from the lab into commercial use…

Danfoss Editron has delivered two 105kW motors that will help power Edel, the first hybrid vessel built for the aquaculture sector by Norwegian shipyard Moen Marin. Edel is also the first diesel-electric vessel in the fleet of NRS Farming, Norway’s leading producer of sustainable salmon.The 13.5 by 7.5m vessel will become part of NRS Farming’s fleet and be used for sustainable fishing in salmon farms located in Norway’s fjords. As it has an operating pattern of predominantly short trips, NRS Farming plans to run Edel mainly on battery power.

Crew transfer vessel operators using the new Voith Linear Jet (VLJ) marine propulsion system can save over £75,000 in fuel costs in a season, the manufacturer claims. The cost saving, around 20 percent, is a key figure from the collection of extensive data from four months’ operation in a range of sea conditions, working at different speeds and with different loadings. The Voith Linear Jet, unveiled last year as a “world first” in marine propulsion technology, combines elements of two existing technologies: conventional screw propellers and water jets.

Wastewater management specialist ACO Marine has introduced a new composite grease separator as part of its Lipator and Lipatomat product range. Manufactured from high-density polyethylene (PE) composite, ACO Marine’s new PE-Lipator (manual) and PE-Lipatomat (automatic) separators have been designed to meet market demand for more cost-effective, lighter units capable of delivering the same performance benefits as the stainless steel models, the company said. As with the stainless steel Lipator and Lipatomat units…

Wärtsilä say they are to supply a 62 MW topside power module solution for a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel to be deployed at the Kraken oilfield located in the U.K. sector of the North Sea. This EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) award comes from Armada Kraken Pte.Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Malaysia based international offshore oilfield services provider, Bumi Armada. Bumi Armada will be using a recently built Suezmax tanker for the FPSO conversion, which will have a storage capacity of 600,000 barrels.

The new P-63 Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) is powered with Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines which passed load tests. This FPSO is the first such ship to utilize gas engines to produce more than 100 MWe of power. The tests were carried out at the Cosco shipyard in Dalian, China and the vessel will commence operations in Brazil’s offshore oil fields in 2013. Wärtsilä was contracted by the Brazilian industrial group QUIP, to provide a turnkey package for this vessel.

The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) announces 15 winners for its inaugural Spotlight on New Technology Program. These winners are recognized before, during and after the 35th annual OTC, 3-6 May, Reliant Center at Reliant Park in Houston. New Technology program, " said Rod Allan, OTC .04 Chairman. Applications for the Spotlight on New Technology were distributed at OTC .03 and were due 9 January 2004. Submissions had to meet four criteria: new and innovative, proven, broad interest, and significant impact. Winners will be recognized on site at this year's conference, scheduled May 3-6, on the exhibition floor and in the registration area. Spotlight on New Technology will continue as an annual recognition program coinciding with OTC.

Keeping small response boats operating at top speed and ready for action is a key challenge in meeting tightened maritime security rules. Moving away from conventional technologies by incorporating high-speed hydraulics into boat lift design has brought forth a new solution. In addition to keeping their fleets operational ready, by using high-speed boat lifts, port authorities can now lift suspicious boats in seconds to inspect their hulls for drugs or bombs. The US Coast Guard was the first to incorporate hydraulic boat lift technology into their operations. By combining high-speed hydraulics with remote control and stable platforms, the unique FloatLift by Sunstream has the boat ready to go by the time the crew can run out the dock.