3 May 2010
LAUNCH OF DYNEEMA® XBO FIBER AT OTC 2010 TAKES SYNTHETIC ROPES TO A NEW LEVEL
High strength, low weight, long life fiber puts steel in the shade
URMOND (NL), 3 May 2010 - DSM Dyneema, the producer of Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™ for extremely demanding industrial applications, is unveiling its latest development, Dyneema® XBO, at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, TX on May 3-6. OTC is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection.
Dyneema® XBO is intended as a direct replacement for steel in lines used in deep-sea installations. Ropes made with the new fiber provide the same load-bearing capability as steel wire ropes that weigh seven times as much. The weight of the steel wire can consume up to 50% of the winch capacity in ultra deep water installations. By substituting steel with ropes made with Dyneema® XBO, systems can carry higher loads, or they can be downsized while retaining their deepwater installation capacity, freeing up vital deck space.
Furthermore, ropes with Dyneema® XBO fiber are highly resistant to dynamic as well as static loads, and they are far more flexible and easier to install than steel wire rope. Ropes match or exceed steel wire rope in bending cycles to failure. Finally, they are extremely resistant to environmental damage – Dyneema® XBO fiber is virtually impervious to salt water and to ultraviolet radiation, and it is highly resistant to abrasion too.
Eric Romeijn is Technical Manager at Huisman Equipment BV: “Synthetic fiber ropes with Dyneema® have a great potential with respect to deep water lifting operations, because of their submerged weight,” he says. “At 3000m of water depth the effective pay load of a deep water crane using Dyneema® rope may be doubled compared to a steel wire rope”.
“For this reason we started a long lasting collaboration with DSM Dyneema for the application of their fibers in deep water lifting operations,” Romeijn says. “In a mutual effort we try to conclude the possibilities and requirements that this type of operations set to the fibers, rope constructions, end-connections, sheaves, winches, inspection and maintenance. We expect that the obtained knowledge provides us with an increasing confidence in the application of Dyneema® fibers in deep sea operations.”
Jorn Boesten is DSM Dyneema’s Segment Manager for offshore applications. “Latest installations in very deep water put greater stresses on operators’ lifting equipment,” he says. “Dyneema® XBO was developed to be used in ropes that can perform under extreme conditions, such as in heave compensated systems that handle severe bending loads.“
DSM Dyneema has a tight focus on innovations that provide solutions to specific market needs, Boesten says. “With the new Dyneema® XBO fiber, we are providing the market with the most significant alternative yet to steel wire rope.”
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Notes for editors
About Huisman
Huisman is a privately owned company operating globally with extensive experience in the design and manufacturing of heavy construction equipment for world's leading on and offshore companies. Huisman - originally founded in 1929 as a steel construction company - joined forces with an engineering company to develop products entirely under own management, from concept to delivery.
Our product range can be subdivided into four main categories: Heavy Lifting Equipment, Drilling Equipment, Pipelay Equipment and Mooring Systems and varies from stand-alone components to highly engineered integrated systems. Our operations are divided between our offices in The Netherlands, Brazil, China, Czech Republic and USA and our production facilities in The Netherlands, Czech Republic and China.
About DSM Dyneema
DSM Dyneema is the inventor and manufacturer of Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™. Dyneema® is an ultra strong polyethylene fiber that offers maximum strength combined with minimum weight. It is up to 15 times stronger than quality steel and up to 40% stronger than aramid fibers, both on weight for weight basis. Dyneema® floats on water and is extremely durable and resistant to moisture, UV light and chemicals. The applications are therefore more or less unlimited. Dyneema® is an important component in ropes, cables and nets in the fishing, shipping and offshore industries. Dyneema® is also used in safety gloves for the metalworking industry and in fine yarns for applications in sporting goods and the medical sector. In addition, Dyneema® is also used in bullet resistant armor and clothing for police and military personnel. Dyneema® is produced in Heerlen (The Netherlands), Flaach (Switzerland) and in Greenville, North Carolina (U.S.A.). DSM Dyneema is also a partner in a high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) manufacturing joint venture in Japan. Further information on DSM Dyneema is available at www.dyneema.com and www.offshore.dyneema.com.
DSM – the Life Sciences and Materials Sciences Company
Royal DSM N.V. creates solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance. Its end markets include human and animal nutrition and health, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, coatings and paint, electrical and electronics, life protection and housing. DSM manages its business with a focus on the triple bottom line of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity, which it pursues simultaneously and in parallel. DSM has annual net sales of about € 8 billion and employs some 22,700 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in the Netherlands, with locations on five continents. DSM is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information: www.dsm.com.
Dyneema®, Dyneema Purity® and Dyneema®, the world's strongest fiber™ are trademark(s) (applications) owned by Royal DSM N.V..
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