Introducing New Concepts in Red Zone Management

As red zone management continues to be one of the most challenging risks on different types of drilling rigs, a Combined Operator Contractor Pilot was launched by Helin Data on a Maersk Drilling offshore rig contacted for bp Egypt that was operating in the Mediterranean for 10 years drilling and completing deep water HPHT wells aiming to integrate efficient drilling operations along with maximized safety. The Red Zone Management Pilot system is composed of two main scopes; monitoring and detecting people and equipment on the drill floor using advanced video analytics technology and subsequently developing new technology to include alarmed movement of prime moving/hoisting drill floor equipment. The Helin Data pilot system demonstrates full insight of both personnel and equipment movement in the red zone. In addition, the team looked to further reduce dropped objects related risks using hydraulic wireline winches. This was achieved by installing digital load cells on drill floor tuggers. Remote winch operation with load cells effectively mitigates overpull incidents and associated risks, while involving less persons in the red zone. The pilot project brought simple concepts together with successful results on raising situational awareness on the drill floor and reducing human error, the presentation focuses on the project's functionalities, main challenges and detailed system implementation phases.

Temporary Cable Force Monitoring Techniques During Bridge Construction-phase. The Tajo River Viaduct Experience

This article addresses the comparative analysis of current techniques for monitoring cable forces. Additionally, the experience of three cable force different monitoring techniques for strain control in bridge cables during the construction phase is included: a) installing load cells on the active anchorages of the cables, b) installing unidirectional strain gauges, and c) assessing the stress on cables by applying the vibrating wire technique through the installation of accelerometers. The main advantages and disadvantages of each technique analyzed are highlighted in the construction process context of the Tajo Viaduct, one of the most singular viaducts recently built in Spain.

Fiber Optic Load Cells with Enhanced Sensitivity by Optical Vernier Effect

Developing technologies capable of constantly assessing and optimizing day-to-day activities has been a research priority for several years. A key factor in such technologies is the use of highly sensitive sensors to monitor in real-time numerous parameters, such as temperature and load. Due to their unique features, optical fiber sensors became one of the most interesting and viable solutions for applications dependent on those parameters. In this work, we present an optical fiber load sensor, called load cell, based on Fabry–Pérot hollow cavities embedded in a polymeric material. By using the load cells in a parallel configuration with a non-embedded hollow cavity, the optical Vernier effect was generated, allowing maximum sensitivity values of 0.433 nm N−1 and 0.66 nm °C−1 to be attained for vertical load and temperature, respectively. The proposed sensor’s performance, allied with the proposed configuration, makes it a viable and suitable device for a wide range of applications, namely those requiring high thermal and load sensitivities.

DETERMINATION OF THE COMPRESSIVE STRESS OF A RAIL USING THE EFFECT OF ACOUSTOELASTICITY AND STRAIN GAUGE

A method for monitoring the compression stress in a rail and a sample made of steel 20 using the effect of acoustoelasticity and strain gauge has been developed. Wire load cells were pasted to the opposite sides of the rail and the sample. Measurements, recording and processing of strain gauge information was carried out by a certified microprocessor strain gauge system MMTS-64.01 with accuracy class 0.2. To control the compression stress, the developed microprocessor-based ultrasonic system “Akusto-1” was used, which operates on the basis of the acoustoelasticity effect. The angle of input of ultrasonic vibrations, equal to 18°. This allowed to excite longitudinal, transverse and transformed waves in the object. Compressive stresses in the rail and steel sample were carried out by 250-ton loading machine “PSY-250”. Longitudinal and transformed ultrasonic waves were used to control compressive stresses. A comparative analysis of the experimental and calculated dependences of compressive stresses on the load obtained by acoustic, tensometric and computational methods is performed. The reliability of the experimental and calculated results was controlled by a certified microprocessor strain gauge system MMTS-64.01.

Design consideration of smart solar dryer for precision drying

A sensor based solar dryer was designed to control the drying environment for precision drying of agricultural produce. The system entirely used solar energy utilizing both thermal and electrical effect. Paraffin wax (PCM) was used for storage of thermal energy whereas solar battery was used to store the electrical energy. Hot air blower was also provided to supply heat when there is less or no solar radiation. Temperature sensors were provided to control the environment of drying chamber. The exhaust fan started operating depending on the set temperature and thus control the drying environment. Load cells were provided below each tray to measure the dry weight. The drying chamber was made of mild steel with glass wool insulation. The capacity of the designed dryer was 10-15 kg with 6 trays. The designed dryer has target temperature of 55-60oC.

Validation of Mooring Simulations (for Mooring Integrity Assessment) With In-Service Tension Measurements

Integrity of mooring system is of high importance in the offshore industry. In-service assessment of loads in the mooring lines is however very challenging. Direct monitoring of mooring line loads through load cells or inclinometers requires subsea installation work and continuous data transmission. Other solutions based on GPS and motion monitoring have been presented as solutions to overcome these limitations [1]. Monitoring solutions based on GPS and motion data provide good practical benefits, because monitoring can be conducted from accessible area. The procedure relies on accurate numerical models to model the relation between global motions and response of the mooring system. In this paper, validation of this monitoring approach for a single unit will be presented. The unit under consideration is a turret-moored unit operating in Australia. In-service measurements of motions, GPS and line tensions are available. A numerical time-domain model of the mooring system was created. This model was used to simulate mooring line tensions due to measured FPSO motions. Using the measured unit response avoids the uncertainty resulting from a prediction of the hydrodynamic response. Measurements from load cells in various mooring lines are available. These measurements were compared against the results obtained from the simulations for validation of the approach. Three different periods, comprising a total of five weeks of data, were examined in more detail. Two periods are mild weather conditions with different dominant wave directions. The third period features heavy weather conditions. In this paper, the data set and numerical model are presented. A comparison between the measured and numerically calculated mooring line forces will be presented. Differences between the calculated and measured forces are examined. This validation study has shown that in-service monitoring of mooring line loads through GPS and motion data provides a new opportunity for mooring integrity assessment with reduced monitoring system complexity.

Experimental Investigation of Aspects Influencing the Level Ice Resistance of Ships With Non-Typical Icebreaking Bow Shapes

For non-typical icebreaking ships the hull-ice interaction process in level ice comprises a combination of many different phenomena which is difficult to be described by existing straightforward approaches. In order to gain knowledge about the operability of such non-typical hull shapes in level ice, a study has been carried out to identify and evaluate the level ice resistance as well as its distribution along the hull of ships with non-typical icebreaking bow shapes with high stem and/or small waterline angles. For this purpose, one ship model has been manufactured and instrumented with several multi-axis load cells in the bow region of the waterline as well as with one large six-component load scale between the bow and the stern. Performing resistance model tests at several loading conditions in model ice sheets of different thickness and at multiple speed values allows obtaining relevant information to meet the goals of the study. The developed methodology and the analysis of the measured loads have been described in previous publications. As direct continuation, the present paper focuses on investigation of the ice floe characteristics and its linkage to the ice properties. Moreover, analysis results related to the crushing portion of the total resistance in ice, the friction between ice and ship model hull as well as the ship model motions during ice model testing are presented within the paper.

Energy Absorption in Actual Tractor Rollovers with Different Tire Configurations

In order to better understand the complexities of modern tractor rollover, this paper investigates the energy absorbed by a Roll-Over Protective Structure (ROPS) cab during controlled lateral rollover testing carried out on a modern narrow-track tractor with a silent-block suspended ROPS cab. To investigate how different tractor set-ups may influence ROPS and energy partitioning, tests were conducted with two different wheel configurations, wide (equivalent to normal ‘open field’ operation) and narrow (equivalent to ‘orchard/vineyard’ operation), and refer to both the width of the tires and the corresponding track. Dynamic load cells and displacement transducers located at the ROPS-ground impact points provided a direct measurement of the energy absorbed by the ROPS cab frame. A trilateration method was developed and mounted onboard to measure load cell trajectory with respect to the cab floor in real-time. The associated video record of each rollover event provided further information and opportunity to explain the acquired data. The narrow tire configuration consistently subjected the ROPS cab frame to more energy than the wide tire arrangement. To better evaluate the influence of the ROPS cab silent-blocks in lateral rollover, static and dynamic tests were performed. The results confirm that tires influence the energy partition significantly and that further understanding of silent-blocks’ dynamic performance is warranted.