March
2006
Table
of Contents:
Greek Section |
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Great Lakes/Great Rivers Section |
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Northern California Section |
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Southeast Section |
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March
2006
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Greek
Section January 26, 2006 The third technical meeting of the Greek Section for the season of 2005-2006 was held on January 26, 2006, in the presence of more than 70 members, non-members and students. During this meeting Professor C. Anderson, Business Manager of Antifoulings at International Paint Ltd and visiting Professor of the School of Marine Technology at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, presented his paper “Coating Propellers for improved efficiency”. The presentation reviewed the history of the use of coatings on propellers , followed by an outline of Foul Release coating technology and why this is now being used on propellers. The effect of propeller roughness on propeller efficiency and its effect on fuel costs per year for different types of ships and a cost benefit analysis for a VLCC were also presented. It was shown that lately, propeller coatings are used on many types of ships, such as LNG carriers, tankers, containerships, and navy ships with significant savings. The results were analyzed by computer, model tests and sea trials at Newcastle University, studying the effects of coating propellers with the Foul Release coating ‘Intersleek’, which were shown, along with the results from its application to the propellers for a range of deep sea vessel types. The author concluded that the Foul Release coatings bring the following significant benefits:
Trials are continuing at Newcastle University and on ships to understand and quantify these benefits further.
Great
Lakes/Great Rivers Section January 27, 2006 The Annual Winter Meeting of the SNAME Great Lakes and Great Rivers Section, was held on Friday, January 27, in historic Perrysburg, Ohio. Perrysburg was the Western Lake Erie / Maumee River navigation center before the downstream facilities in Toledo were developed during the 19th Century. Section Chairperson, Al Horsmon, opened the meeting with a report from the executive session Thursday afternoon, and announced the date for the Spring Meeting, which will be held on April 21, 2006, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Arrangements are being sought for a joint meeting with the Eastern Canada Section and the Great Lakes Section of the Canadian Institute of Marine Engineering for the third week in September. The 2007 Winter Meeting is planned for late January in Cleveland. Also, the Executive Committee is reviewing the Great Lakes Great Rivers Section Bylaws so that a revision can be considered by the local Section membership at a future meeting. The technical session, organized and MC’d by Section Papers Chairperson, Bill Schultz, consisted of five papers and a luncheon speaker. “Recent Innovations in Shipbuilding and Launching” was presented by Thomas Lamb (F), Research Scientist, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Michigan. Professor Lamb began his presentation with a short overview of the slowly changing approaches to shipbuilding facilities and building “berths.” Each option leads to different workflow and relative efficiencies, depending on the vessel being constructed. The evolution from the initial block innovation to Grand Blocks and then to Ultra Blocks was described and lead to the more Advanced Outfitting which “applies labor and facilities to integrate ship’s structure and outfit materials at the earliest and most cost-effective stage of the construction process. He also reviewed the changing erection methods from Jib Cranes of growing capacity, Goliath (Gantry) Cranes, Water and Air Glide systems, Multiple Wheeled Transporters, to Elevators and Dual Walking Bean systems. Each of these provides options for a shipyard to efficiently distribute and then combine respective work efforts. Launch methods from the historic and exciting sliding end and side launches to elevator (Syncrolift) and multiple Ledge designs were reviewed. As a conclusion, Professor Lamb indicated his belief “that the best approach for a new shipyard today would be to use level land building with wheeled transporters moving ultra blocks to the building berth, thus avoiding the need for large crane lifts at the building berth and using a submersible platform for launching. “Design
Wave Elevations Leading to Extreme Bending Moments for Great Lakes Bulk
Carriers” was presented by Laura Alford, Ph.D. Candidate, University
of Michigan, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
Co-Authors are Prof. Armin Troesch, U-M NA&ME, Muhammed Saeed Khalid,
U-M NA&ME, and Erdem Ucer, Istanbul Technical University.
Mr. Speck outlined the development of Providence Metropark. The Park, acquired in the early 1930's, includes a turbine-powered mill, a dam, a portion of the Lake Erieto-Ohio River Canal system and one of the original locks of the canal. While the State of Ohio owns the canal, it is leased to the Metroparks system. Early in the l980's the parks began restoration of the canal and lock and concurrently began developing plans for a canal boat. They learned early on that there were no recorded plans for the canal boats. Each had apparently been built to the specifications of their respective owners, and each varied to meet specific requirements - passengers, cargo, maintenance, etc. Ultimately, Metroparks designed and constructed a vessel with a 13-foot beam (the lock is 14 feet wide) and an overall length of 60 feet with a steel hull topped with a wood structure. It includes three watertight compartments. While in passenger service, the vessel has a crew of three on board, assisted by a shore team of two mules and one muleskinner. The mules are alternated in lead position on a daily basis because of the harness abrasion. These sensitive creatures also appreciate the changed view. The vessel operates annually from May through October, and is removed to a storage building for winter maintenance on a rail system. Donations to the park district funded construction of the vessel. “Operation and Control Challenges of Fuel Cell Based Power Systems for Marine Application” was presented by Vasliis Tsourapas. Co-authors were Jing Sun and Anna Stefanopoulou, all of University of Michigan, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Mr.
Tsourapas provided an overview of the several types of fuel cells, beginning
with their basic operations. He described the basic elements of each type
of fuel cell as well as the difficulties in fueling the systems. Benefits
of fuel cell systems identified included increased system efficiency,
reduced pollution and particulate emissions, flexible power distribution
(all electric ship) and waste heat and clean water for other applications.
Challenges of fuel cells in marine applications include unknown effects
of salt laden air, unknown effects of vibrations/ship motions on fuel
cells, start up time, fueling and questions of cost/reliability and survivability
(in military applications). Mr Tsourapas reviewed the case study of a
“Combined Heat and Power System.” The goal of the study was
to analyze system performance using models, define optimal operating set
points for overall efficiency and optimize the transient performance while
preventing hydrogen starvation and reactor temperature overshoot. “Advanced, Automated Environmental Buoy Design” was presented by G.A. Meadows. Co-authors were Heidi Purcell, Hans VanSumeren & L. Meadows, all of Marine Hydrodynamic Laboratories, University of Michigan Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Dr. Meadows described several advanced buoy designs – environmental buoys, Automated Lagrangian Water Quality Assessment System (ALWAS), and a Persistent Ocean Surveillance design under development. The environmental Buoys provide real time data on wind speed and direction, current speeds and direction, wave height and period and water and air temperature. This data is radio-transmitted and publicly available. The ALWAS buoys have GPS and GIS interfaces and can be called to report their location as they travel with the water. They record and transmit a variety of water quality parameters, and through their onboard microprocessors, recorder and software can be interfaced with decision-support systems. The Persistent Ocean Surveillance project is a three-year program leading to a demonstration of a long term, station-keeping energy harvesting prototype buoy system. Dr. Meadows also briefly described the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) which has heavy involvement of Great Lakes shipping. “200,000 m3 LNG Carrier Design” was presented by Kurt Sacks and Matt McBride. Scott Taylor and Kevin Martel were co-authors. All are graduate students, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Michigan. The presenters outlined their findings, prepared in support of their Naval Architecture Design Project. Shipowners general requirements were detailed, along with range and endurance, design and trade-off studies. Ultimate design recommendations were for gas turbine-electric propulsion with diesel electric backup to power two electric podded propulsors. Estimated cost for the LNG carrier at a US Shipyard was $256.5 million, and $210.1 million at a foreign yard. STAR Center, Toledo A special pre-luncheon presentation was provided by Richard Hendren, Director, STAR Center, Toledo. The STAR Center in Toledo is one of two facilities maintained and operated by the American Maritime Officers (AMO) organization. The other is located in Dania, Florida. STAR is an acronym for the services of the centers - Simulation, Training, Assessment and Research. The simulation function can provide full mission simulation for any ship, port, weather tide or current conditions. Performance of these simulators is certified by the U.S. Coast Guard. Training is also provided for maintenance of AMO member license requirements in a full range of areas. Pre-employment assessments are offered as well as assessments of new vessels and new vessel routes and port facilities. The simulator serves as a modeling tool in the research mode. Following the luncheon, Mr. Hendren lead a tour of the STAR center facilities at One Maritime Plaza in Toledo.
Northern
California Section February 15, 2006 Celebration of Past, Present and Future Associations of SNAME and ASNE in the San Francisco Bay Area Members of SNAME Northern California Section and ASNE Golden Gate Section gathered for a special joint meeting in February 2006 at the Faculty Club of the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Roger H. Compton, President of SNAME, was the special guest for that evening, and presented a summary of current affairs in the Society. In recognition of their service to the professional societies Past Chairmen of both Sections received special invitations to the event. The honored guests included Arthur J. Haskell, Miklos M. Kossa, R. Keith Michel, Gary M. Thompson, Robert D. Tagg, Leonard T. Stanton, George J. Buffleben, Gerald E. Bellows and Paul G. Snyder; many of whom will also be recognized as Members of Distinction within SNAME. The program concluded with a Student Paper presentation entitled “Resonant Modes of Rectangular Twin Hulls” by Robert K.M. Seah, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley. The paper presented a study of the hydrodynamics of a moonpool between a pair of rectangular hull sections. The sloshing modes, commonly associated with sway and roll motion are well known. Less well known are the symmetric resonant modes associated with heave motion. A semi-analytical formulation is developed to examine the zeroth-order mode, which is a Helmholtz or "piston-like" mode of motion of the water column in the gap area. After a short description of the theory, numerical values of the resonant frequencies were presented, particularly those associated with the relatively obscure Helmholtz mode. The behavior of the added-mass and damping coefficients near resonances were explained and quantified. Parameters considered included the moonpool gap-to-beam ratio, draft-to-beam ratio, and draft-to-water depth ratio. In recognition of his work, Robert Seah received a monetary award from Herbert Engineering Corporation.
Southeast
Section February 20, 2006 The word "Quality" functions like a prism; depending on one's position in relation to the prism one will see light rays in different colors. The emergence in recent years of quality management as a leading discipline in contemporary business vocabulary made its footprint on the business landscape noticeable. A substantial body of knowledge has been developed across a wide range of industries; yet, conventional quality is still regarded as a "system" rather than a "culture" and, therefore, faces some resistance in the implementation phase. It is not a secret that the maritime industry is lagging behind other industries, such as, aviation and automobile, and it is for this reason that initiatives began last year, led by SNAME members and supported by the American Society for Quality, resulted in the formation of the Maritime Quality Culture Forum. The Forum intends to position itself as the hub for exchanging ideas, experiences and lessons learned in our industry and promote the knowledge and best practices, which have yielded successful results in other industries. This can be accomplished by offering seminars, lectures, and assistance in developing a body of knowledge, which is based on the unique needs and operational profiles of companies within the maritime industry. The forum's inaugural event took place in Tampa, Florida and focused on a very interesting topic: the Cost of Quality…or lack thereof. Before the presentation began, people in the audience were surveyed for their understanding and perception of the word "quality" and how quality is currently been practiced in their respective organizations and in the maritime industry in general. The presentation began with a review of conventional approaches to the definition of quality, including, product-based, user-based, value-based and manufacturing-based approaches. The principle was set forth that to sustain business in the globalized economy, it is not sufficient to have profitability as the businesses' sole goal; businesses must change their paradigms and focus on delivering value to their stakeholders. To do so, they must link the internal and external stakeholders though alignment of the organization at the organizational, process and job performance levels. It was agreed that quality is all about successfully bridging the expectation. The definition of "quality" served as the foundation for the next part of the presentation: The definition of the "Cost Of Quality" (COQ). The presentation then shifted gears to explore the four conventional elements of the Cost Of Quality: Prevention, Assessment, Internal Failure and External Failure and the discussion highlighted the impact on the organization's profitability and level of control over each of these elements. Once the basis for an understanding was established, the presentation progressed to reveal what is missing from the above-mentioned approach. The answer was: it doesn't take into consideration that the world is phasing out of the information age and moving into the Knowledge Era. After a brief description of what the terms "Knowledge Era" and "Knowledge Workers" meant, the presentation laid down the foundation for the next step: understanding the differences between conventional and contemporary approaches to measuring the impact of quality on organizations. For those of us who are engineers, and not psychologists, the term" Organizational Culture" was defined in terms that could easily be understood, and examples of how it could be measured were discussed. We moved on to realize that we currently measure success through stock value, profitability, market share and customer satisfaction; however these are not sufficient indicators for predicting future results. To do so, we must shift the focus to attributes such as delivered value, stakeholders loyalty, employee attitudes (retention), organizational climate and Return on Customers (ROC), just to name a few. We also explained the change needed to be made in our approach to managing intellectual assets. While currently most companies focus on managing data and information (we call it: connecting the dots and connecting the dots to people), in order to survive in the future, companies will have to focus on Knowledge Management, which is about connecting people to people. The next step was to illustrate through practical examples taken from the maritime industry how to link the bottom line (profitability) to the top line (delivering value to stakeholders). The presentation concluded with some forward thinking ideas of what should be the next steps for those organizations that wish to make progress. Among others, they must change their focus from stockholders' to stakeholders' vision, implement quality as a "culture" and not as a system, and move from managing information to managing knowledge. It was recommended to establish a Balanced Score Card, which monitors progress in four critical areas: internal business process, learning and growth, financial performance and customer focus. In addition, some organizations find it useful to apply Activity-Based Costing principles to their accounting system, whereby every single cost item in the organization is directly linked to a billable task. At the conclusion of the presentation we distributed a feedback survey to find out what the areas of interest are and what topics they wish to address in future presentations and seminars. Thanks to Maritans' generosity of offering their state-of-the-art training facilities, and especially due to Tom Hagner's leadership and Carl Dittrich and Josh Almonte's attention to details and who worked tiredly to organize the event, the evening was a true success. (see: www.maritrans.com). The
event was attended by members from both, SNAME and ASQ. The next event
will be held in April in Ft. Lauderdale. If you are interested in learning
more about the forum's activities, please feel free to contact Doron Zilbershtein
via e-mail: imbeezee2@aol.com. |
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