We also discussed our Newton thermal manikin with ManikinPC2 model control, not only because this is an advanced feature of the popular Newton system but also because the Ninth International Meeting for Manikins and Modeling (9I3M) is being held in Tokyo this summer. Research papers describing the methodology and results for tests using virtual human model controls are expected to be a hot topic in the 9I3M proceedings. In fact, if past I3M’s are any indication, a good portion of the cutting-edge thermal comfort research presented at 9I3M will be generated using Newton manikins!

Despite the busy training schedule, our IDS friends also found time to take in Seattle’s Public Market and a few other popular area attractions. And it only rained a little…

We worked with Supreme Integrated Technologies (of Harahan, LA) and Skookum, an Ulven Forging company (or Hubbard, OR), to build a 6 foot tall and 3.5 foot wide sheave.

To provide payout and speed monitoring, we needed to install targets on the side of the sheave and a sensor on the side plate.  We installed 40 magnets equally spaced at 6 inch intervals on the side of the sheave.  The single barrel, dual channel Hall Effect sensor will provide an accurate quadrature or square waveform when it crosses a magnet. 

Our LCI-90i display converts these dual channel (90 degrees out of phase) square waves into speed, payout, and direction.  If there is no slipping of the rope through the sheave, the 6 inch spacing of the magnets will provide 3.4” resolution at all distances…100’ or 10,000’.

To instrument this sheave for tension (or load) we developed a load pin that fit the bale of a standard Skookum shackle.  The shackle was required to be installed in an upset orientation to minimize the stack height of the sheave assembly on the A-Frame.  This will also allow the sheave assembly its full range of motion and provide accurate tension readings.

Changes in the rope wrap angle can cause errors in the tension readings. Instrumented hanging block sheave assemblies are notorious for this.  To mitigate the changing wrap angle error, we had to calibrate the instrumented shackle for two angles (e.g. fully deployed and a fully onboard A-frame positions).  A simple external selector switch integrated to the LCI-90i, will allow the operator to easily change tension calibration coefficients.

This is exactly the kind of interesting, non-standard project that our engineers like to dive into from time to time.

If you have questions about instrumenting existing sheaves or interesting tension monitoring applications, give us a call.

Instrumented Skookum Sheave

Cold Plate add-on for the SGHP-10.5

One project that did find its way to the top of our to-do list was the development of an active cold-plate accessory device for our SGHP-8.2 and SGHP-10.5 hotplate systems.

Cold Plate add-on for the SGHP-8.2

This exciting add-on device for new and existing SGHP systems features a sensorized and temperature controlled cold plate for thermal conduction tests. Use of the cold plate accessory allows operators to review and characterize samples and generate approximate ISO 8302 test results. The test results can quickly identify samples worthy of more advanced testing.

The new cold plate uses thermoelectric coolers and temperature sensors mounted to a robust aluminum plate to control and measure plate temperature and generate a sufficient temperature delta to permit thermal conduction tests. Sensor data is integrated to our ThermDAC software for fast, reliable test reporting and analysis. The result is a clean, quick, simple-to-use SGHP accessory device that gives operators the ability to switch between standard hotplate tests and hot plate-cold plate conduction tests.

Use the SGHP-8.2 or SGHP-10.5 as-is to fully meet sweating guarded hotplate standards ASTM F1868 and ISO 11092, and add the new cold plate accessory to generate test values (within the device’s temperature range) for ISO 8302!

How’s that for versatility?

BOISET Training Program

Recently, one of our engineers, Adam Przybilla, went through this training.  The first day of class started with an introduction to helicopter safety and escape. The class covered the equipment required for helicopter transportation and the procedures to survive the hazards that can be encountered while taking a helicopter to an offshore installation. Every student wore a full transit survival suit, aviation flight jacket and a re-breather. A helicopter simulator was used to place the student in a position of an over-turned helicopter in the water.  The level of difficulty progressed through the six “dunkings”. The last “dunking” involved the helicopter simulator rotating upside-down under water and to escape the student had to push through an emergency exit while engaging and relying on a re-breather.

 

BOSIET Firefighting Training

 

The knowledge and experienced gained in the three day class prepares our personnel for situations and hazards that are common in the offshore industry.

We are prepared and ready to support our offshore customers on a moment’s notice anywhere in the world.

Half the fun of our job is learning about our customers’ businesses, the way they make a living, their unique applications and how load sensing can improve safety.

In the last year, we have been approached to provide load sensing on:

• A six winch dry-dock in Russia
• The lowering of a 750,000lb Oil & Gas tree to the bottom of the GOM
• Seismic vessels in Norway
• Tug boat owners in the UAE, in the UK, and in Eastern Canada
• Pipe-lay barges in Nigeria, GOM, and Peru

In terms of measuring line or cable tension, we will often supply a running line tensiometer (or cable line-rider) with a load pin pre-installed.  Here is link to our line riders.

In other applications, our customers may have an existing sheave that we can help instrument.

Recently, a dry-dock operator came to us and wanted, for the first time, to install tension measurement on the dry dock maneuvering system.  Because they were using large diameter poly rope and they had existing turning sheaves with fixed wrap angles, we provided replacement load pins to retrofit the sheave axles.

Here is an image of the 130,000lbs pins. They were approximately 12” long  x 7” in diameter and weighed almost 65lbs each.  Despite their size they are sensitive enough that a couple of lbs of pressure will register in their mA output.

If you have a unique application, give us a call.

Load Pins

Newton and his thermal manikin family are already looking forward to moving day, so keep an eye on this blog for new announcements as the website design work moves forward. I should note that our partner in this project is Williams-Helde Marketing Communications (www.williams-helde.com), a Seattle agency selected not just for their creative expertise but because they also have a hyphen in their website address! Our partnership was clearly meant to be.

Our Founders

Measurement Technology NW, founded October 15, 1986, designs and manufactures precision biophysical instruments for evaluating the thermal comfort of textiles, garments, protective apparel, seats, beds, and dynamic thermal environments such as aircraft, truck, and automobile interiors.

Our company’s growth into the thermal comfort testing industry began in 1988, with delivery of a Thermal Hand manikin system to USARIEM (United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine) which was used to test gloves and protective handwear for soldiers. This project not only helped USARIEM advance the science of soldier protection, it also launched Measurement Technology NW into the thermal comfort test equipment business.  Expertise gained through the development of the Thermal Hand manikin allowed MTNW to win research contracts for other thermal comfort testing equipment and, as they say, the rest is history:

1988 – Thermal Hand Manikin

1994 – Guarded Hotplate System

1996 – “Bo” Heat Pipe Thermal Manikin

1999 – “Newton” Articulated Thermal Manikin

2001 – “ADAM” 126-zone Sweating Thermal Manikin

2005 – “NEMO” Submersible Thermal Manikin

2006 – “HVAC” Automotive Manikin System

2011 – Flame Test Manikin System

Next – IPEMS Robotic Thermal Manikin

Since 1986 Measurement Technology NW has installed over 250 manikin and hotplate systems, making us the industry’s most experienced source for advanced thermal testing equipment – now and for the next 25 years to come!

The US Army Corp of Engineers Dredge Potter is based near St. Louis and is charged with keeping the Mississippi passable. The Potter is a 240’ diesel electric vessel with a draft of 7’6″. It was recently retrofit during a deckhouse rebuild with a new haul winch and head hoist control system in 2011. The USACE contracted with Jensen Maritime Consultants (a Crowley company) and Ockerman Consulting to design the control system. C&J Offshore systems from Anacortes, WA were contracted to manufacture consoles and install these new controls. Ockerman Consulting chose MTNW’s Line Control Instrument RL-20175K 3-sheave running line tensiometers (RLTs) to monitor 2 mooring/hauling winches with 1.125″ wire rope with a peak tension requirement of 84,000lbs.

USACE Dredge Potter II

“The MTNW line riders installed quickly and easily. The RLTs are obviously built for a rugged environment and will have many years of service,” said John Ockerman, Owner, Ockerman Consulting. “The displays are intuitive and easy to work with. If you look at the whole bridge control console, from analog sweep meters to the standard PC HMI, the MTNW LCI-90i bright display jumps out at you from across the bridge.” The RLTs are integrated with the Dredge Automation Systems and Shipboard Integrated Control & Monitoring Systems. This system’s architecture provides real time and historic data to the ship’s engineers and dredge production performance data remotely to USACE headquarters.

Dredge Potter Controls

“MTNW RLTs are being used more frequently for mooring monitoring because our design provides a smaller footprint and rapidly deployable solution for retrofitting existing winches,” said Tom Rezanka, Managing Director of MTNW. “We can deploy on virtually any winch, with an installation time measured in hours, not weeks or months. In every environment, our customers are interested in monitoring and data-logging possible points of failure; and the mooring lines are a critical part of any dredge operations .”

Rezanka explains, “This is MTNW’s first installation on a dust pan dredge on the Mississippi. Our RLTs are frequently used to monitor pipe lay barges for offshore oil & gas installations around the world. We are pleased to be supporting the USACE here in the USA. 

Measurement Technology NW, a Seattle, Wash. based company, provides a wide range of precision winch monitoring and control products, including the LCI-90i and LCI-80 (winch displays), WinchDAC (winch monitoring software), running line tensiometers or line riders, and much more. Look for MTNW at the Workboat Show, New Orleans, November 28 – Dec 1, 2011 (Booth 2566).

Contact us! Call us at 206-634-1308, or send an email to lci@mtnw-usa.com.

Running Line Tensiometer on Dredge Potter

Delmar RLT

Measurement Technology NW (MTNW) implemented its running line tensiometer (RLT) technology with a Samson synthetic rope in an offshore mooring monitoring project engineered by Delmar Systems.  This implementation is MTNW’s first use of tension measurement technology with 2”+ synthetic ropes.

Recently, Delmar Systems was contracted to moor an offshore supply vessel (OSV) to a major offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The OSV is being used as a support vessel while dive operations are conducted. The OSV is using a three-point mooring system consisting of two stern hawser lines attached to the platform and a bow mooring line attached to a preset suction pile foundation in 2,900 feet of water. The mooring system had to be as robust as possible while still maintaining ease of handling and rigging by the vessel crew.

To achieve a higher Maximum Breaking Load on the OSV bow mooring line while maintaining deck maneuverability, Delmar chose Samson’s AmSteel-Blue HMPE rope made of high modulus polypropylene (HMPE) as the bow winch line. An MTNW RL-20175K running line tensiometer provided tension measurement for the bow line.  During the design phase of the project, MTNW thoroughly tested and calibrated the RLT using the specified 2¼” AmSteel-Blue rope. 

 “This is MTNWs first use of an RLT to measure tension in a major synthetic mooring line of this large diameter,” said Tom Rezanka, managing director of MTNW.  “Our RLTs are more commonly used to measure the tension of wire rope, but synthetic lines have different mechanical characteristics under load.  We were able to collaborate closely with the R&D engineers at Samson.  The monitoring system was fully tested, calibrated and witnessed on an ABS-certified test bed with the resulting accuracy identical to wire rope applications. The trend in mooring is lighter and stronger, which will require increased use of synthetic ropes and new, modern technologies to monitor them. Our sensors and systems are proven to work with any lines.”

“Both the AmSteel-Blue winch line and MTNW’s RLT have been working flawlessly together and have played a vital role in the success of the project,” said Dillon Shuler, engineer at Delmar Systems. Rezanka explains, “MTNW RLTs are being used more frequently for mooring monitoring because our modern design provides a rapidly deployable solution for retrofitting existing winches.  We can deploy on virtually any winch, with an installation time measured in hours, not weeks or months.”

“Since the Macondo oil spill, we have seen a significant increase in interest from risk managers and lifting/rigging engineers for determining line and cable tensions in all environments,” said Rezanka.  “If it can be monitored, alerted on, and data-logged to a computer it needs to be.  Our solutions support the increasing safety requirements for offshore operations and allow project managers to sleep better at night.”

Original article can be found at: http://www.marinelink.com/news/approaches-offshore340216.aspx

Newton at ITMA 2011

Newton had an excellent trip to Barcelona, Spain for the ITMA 2011 textile exhibition. As a booth companion, I can say he was definitely the strong, silent type – not much for conversation but quite popular nonetheless. Sharing the spotlight with Newton were Measurement Technology NW’s SGHP-8.2 sweating hotplate (skin model), and our new RPP (Radiant Protective Performance) device for assessing a fabric’s resistance to radiant heat energy.

All these items garnered significant interest and proved that ITMA is the premier show for the textile industry. To call it a huge exhibition is an understatement. It was a full 8 days long, with attendance totaling well over 100,000 people. Every facet of the textile industry is represented: from raw materials, to finished goods, to everything in-between.

Next up for MTNW is the IFAI Expo in Baltimore (October 25-27), where Newton will put on a repeat performance. The SGHP-8.2 unit we had on display at ITMA remained in Europe, but at IFAI it will be replaced with our TPP (Thermal Protective Performance) device.

Interested? Come on by! You’ll find Measurement Technology NW in Booth 2509.