All blog posts pertaining to the Line Control Systems side of Measurement Tech should be put into this category.
After spending the last 15 years installing and commissioning winch monitoring systems, we've found that some of the most commonly asked questions are about calibration.
For the last 15 years we have received monthly calls from winch operators and shipboard electronic technicians who have legacy MD Totco LM-2000 winch monitoring displays in need of repair or replacement. During these calls we are often asked how the LCI-90 and MD Totco LM-2000 compare. Rather than go through a long list of features and benefits, the key differences are:
LCI has recently provided Flowserve Corp. with tensiometers and LCI displays for monitoring the operational status of their decoking systems. Coking is an oil refinery process that consists of heating a heavy oil stock in order to "crack" its long-chain hydrocarbon molecules into usable distillate components, leaving behind a product known as petroleum coke. Coking is often done in dual-drum units that are up to 30 feet wide by 150 feet tall. Some coking units produce as much as 5,000 tons of coke per day.
Everyone in oceanography has either seen firsthand or heard about the winch operator who was too tired and accidentally two blocked the winch leading to the loss or damage of their payload. Often this comes at great expense to the research team, the reputation of the winch operator and the morale of the vessel. Hanging two-block alerting mechanisms are often torn off the sheave due to sea states or improper use and therefore most winch operators won’t re-install them…and swear they don’t need them.
Earlier this year MTNW’s LCI team, led by our Systems Engineer, Matty Lee, installed an 8-point tension, speed, and payout monitoring system for the National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC) in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Designed for NPCC's SEP-350 (Self Elevating Platform) vessel, LCI’s new 175 KIP running line tensiometer and LCI-90 "Dual Winch" display system.
LCI’s re-designed LCI-90 Monitoring & Display System will exceed UNOLS Safe Working Load Standards as defined in UNOLS Safety Standards Appendix A.
We are pleased to be launching Line Control’s new blog. Over the last several years we have grown the Line Control division of Measurement Technology NW in new directions and have taken on many new customers in different industries. We often find it difficult to communicate what we are up to with quarterly press releases and even less frequent newsletters.
Rugged Controls is an ISO 9001 certified manufacturer of rugged programmable controllers, sensors, instrumentation, controls and automation equipment used in industries ranging from oil & gas, industrial, oceanographic to mining to construction. Our brand of multivariable controllers is continually selected in mission-critical applications where rugged durability, viewability, accuracy and data acquisition is required.
