Brevini delivers bespoke gearboxes for massive pipelaying vessel 02 August 2013

The world's largest platform installation, decommissioning and pipelaying ship, due to start operations late in 2014, will be equipped with 32 high-power gearboxes from Brevini Power Transmission.

Capable of producing 2,000 tonnes of tension, its A&R (abandon and recovery) winches will be used as part of the pipe laying equipment on board the Pieter Schelte, currently under construction by the Korean shipyard Daewoo.

In poor sea conditions, the A&R winches must lower pipeline to the seabed in a precautionary abandonment procedure. When the conditions have improved, the pipe is recovered and pipelaying can continue.

Jeff van Nobelen, project engineer at Brevini, explains that the winch manufacturer needed a reliable and compact gearbox design, as well as fast production times, which is why Brevini was selected.

The delivered units are based on Brevini's Posired 2 High Power series, a combination of its Posired 2 product and the S series planetary reduction. This gearbox is capable of 135kNm torque at a speed of 23.1rpm with an installed power of 520kW.

The bespoke gearboxes were supplied with custom bell housings and integrated disc brakes, as well as temperature sensors for bearing and oil temperature, and offshore coatings throughout.

Part of the procurement process required a complete factory acceptance test (FAT), where eight units were tested under full load for eight hours. As part of this process, four of the tests were witnessed by a surveyor from the owners of the vessel, as well as the winch manufacturer. Having successfully completed assembly and testing, all 32 gearboxes were delivered, with eight being fitted to each winch assembly.

Says van Nobelen: "The scale and capacity of the Pieter Schelte demanded a high-powered, high-quality transmission with a proven track record. We were able to provide a flexible, adaptable product that could be designed around their requirements and still delivered at a competitive price and on realistic time scale."

Measuring 382m long and 124m wide, the Pieter Schelte has been designed for the installation and removal of entire gas/oil rig topsides and their corresponding steel jacket-based platforms. It can also lay pipe up to 68 inches in diameter.

Once complete, the vessel will be able to lift entire topsides weighing 48,000 tonnes and steel jackets weighing up to 25,000 tonnes in a single lift. Specialist pipelaying equipment will also allow the vessel to operate in ultra deep water.

Brian Tinham

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Brevini UK Ltd

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