Page 57: of Marine Technology Magazine (September 2005)

www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 57 • Fourier analysing in the buoy, analogue and digital transfer by radio to the ship Selected data stored in buoy during operation GPS position determination

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Platinum HB: Engineered

Hardband Solution

Grant Prideco has introduced

Platinum HB, an engineered hard- band solution.

Designed for both operators and pipe owners, Platinum HB provides is designed to provide excellent casing wear performance and tool joint protection. Casing wear tests revealed a 31 percent reduction in wear to the casing over the nearest competitive hardbanding, according to the company.

At the same time, radial tool joint wear in casing was reduced 55% com- pared to the next best casing-friendly solution.

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Brunswick Commercial &

Government Products

Brunswick Commercial &

Government Products, formerly

Boston Whaler Commercial &

Government Products, is dedicated to the needs of commercial and govern- ment customers with over 30 years experience building and supporting mission specific Law Enforcement

Homeland Security, Special

Operations/Combat, Fire/Rescue and

Workboat craft. Offering commer- cialized Boston Whalers, Unmanned

Surface Vessels, Brunswick hulls and

VT Halmatic products including

RIBs and composite craft up to 100 feet (328 m).

FREE INFORMATION on products is available online at www.maritimeequipment.com/mt products

The Woods Hole Oceanographic

Institution (WHOI) began develop- ing a new piston corer for retrieving sediments from the ocean floor. Once complete in 2006, the deep-water coring system will reportedly be the largest in the U.S. and among the biggest in the world. The corer's enormous weight - 25,000 pounds - coupled with the environmental demands associated with working in water up to 20,000 ft. deep presented major technical challenges to the sys- tem required to lower the corer to the sea floor then recover it, along with its ancient sediment samples.

The institute's new piston corer will be able to penetrate up to 160 ft. into the ocean floor, giving scientists a view of hundreds of thousands or even millions of years of climate and ocean history.

In the past, research vessels like those used by WHOI and other ships engaged in activities ranging from drilling to deep-water salvage typical- ly used steel ropes to lift heavy objects. The new mission required new technology, particularly in the rope used and its ability to deploy and recover the massive corer while pro- viding long and satisfactory life.

To support the 25,000-pound cor- ing system and withstand the envi- ronmental demands presented by deep-water exploration, WHOI selected a custom braided, synthetic fiber rope from Puget Sound Rope, a unit of the Cortland Companies. The rope will be based on Puget Sound

Rope's Plasma 12 x 12-strand, which uses Spectra polyethylene fiber from

Honeywell Specialty Materials, as well as other products and technolo- gies, to gain its incredible strength and other attributes. Spectra fiber, pound for pound, is 10 times stronger than steel.

Once completed, WHOI's rope will be nearly 23,000 ft. (7,000 m) long and, while just two inches in diame- ter, will be able to lift more than 350,000 pounds. The corer will be installed on the 279-ft. (85 m) research vessel Knorr, which is owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by

WHOI.

The Knorr and its 2,700 sq. ft. of floating laboratory space are sched- uled to begin work with the new pis- ton corer in 2006.

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Exploring the Deep with a Unique Rope

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