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HT810 WATERJETS COMPLETED

4th May 2010

HamiltonJet Launches HT810 Model

Waterjet manufacturer HamiltonJet has completed assembly of the second model in its new HT series – the HT810. This model follows on from the success of the HT1000, launched in 2009, and partially bridges the gap between the popular HM811 model and the larger HT1000. The HT810 incorporates a number of design improvements from previous models, that provide superior performance, reliability and serviceability compared to other similar sized waterjet units.

HamiltonJet Technical Manager Phil Rae says the company’s designers learned a lot from the HT1000 project, using this knowledge to refine the HT810 to make it easier to both manufacture and service in the field.
“Through the development of the HT series we have been able to advance several new features of our waterjets, including one-piece casting of large impellers, compact and efficient reverse duct designs and improved servicing features” says Mr Rae. “Many of these design elements are now flowing down to our other waterjet models.”

Not only does the HT810 mixed flow pump offer both improved efficiency and cavitation performance, with its new reverse duct design it has a reduced transom footprint for a jet of its size, enabling reduced jet centers required in narrow hulls or multi-jet installations. The HT810 is also supplied with a factory-built transition duct, eliminating the requirement for this to be fabricated by the boat builder and ensuring accurate geometry for the intake flow. As with all HamiltonJet waterjets, thrust forces are transferred to the transition duct and hull bottom rather than the transom, reducing the requirement for additional transom strengthening.

The HT810 also continues the long tradition of HamiltonJet innovation through several new design features. One such feature is a new arrangement for the positioning and attachment of sacrificial anodes to prevent corrosion. Utilising a cartridge system all main internal anodes are able to be inspected and replaced without having to disassemble the jet unit. This simplifies maintenance of the waterjet and reduces vessel downtime. Another new feature is the integrated tailpipe and steering nozzle housing, eliminating a bolted flange and reducing the overall length of the jet. The transom flange utilizes a compression seal that simplifies installation alignment and sealing.

The first pair of HT810s will be installed in a 34m vessel in Taiwan, powered by MTU 16V4000 M90 engines and be capable of over 30 knots.

HamiltonJet is also nearing completion of the HT model range with the first HT900 waterjets currently being manufactured. These are scheduled to be assembled in June and shipped to the Gulf of Mexico for a new crewboat project.

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OFFSHORE MILESTONES FOR HAMILTONJET

4th May 2010

Milestones for HamiltonJet in Offshore Industry

The use of HamiltonJet waterjet propulsion units in crew boats and fast supply vessels has increased markedly in recent years as crew boat builders and operators recognise the many advantages of the propulsion system. This year HamiltonJet reaches some significant milestones for the use of its waterjet products in the offshore industry.

Currently boatbuilder Gulf Craft in Louisianna, USA, is installing the 100th HamiltonJet HM811 waterjet to be used in a crew/supply vessel. The vessel is one of three 58m monohull with five waterjets and 1300kW engines. And with more recent orders HamiltonJet will have over 120 HM811 waterjets in service with the offshore industry by the end of the year - mainly in the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa.

The first crew/supply boat with HamiltonJet HM811 jets was the original Keith G McCall, launched by Gulf Craft in 2000. Since then the company has supplied it largest HM series model to a wide variety of crew boat builders and operators, including Midship Marine, Piriou, Horizon, Island Boats, Seacor, Bourbon/Surf, Fymac, Rigdon and McCall.

In total, the HamiltonJet factory in New Zealand has manufactured over 220 HM811 waterjets since the first were installed in Canadian passenger ferry Famille Dufour II in 1997. The majority have been quad installations, with a number of twins and triples as well as these new quin installations.

In the smaller HJ range of waterjets, the HamiltonJet HJ403 has become the workhorse in crewboats for the Bourbon Offshore Group. Bourbon has purchased over 250 HJ403 waterjets for use in its international fleets of Surfer crewboats. Built in France and Vietnam, the company produces several types of crewboats up to 28m long and with either twin, triple or quad HJ403 waterjets. Most of these enter operation in the oil industries of Indonesia, Nigeria or Angola.

The HJ403 waterjet was introduced in 2003 to replace the HJ391, which was also used extensively by Bourbon Offshore. Since then it has become one of HamiltonJet’s most popular models, with over 450 units manufactured and installed in a wide variety of work boats and pleasure craft.

The advantages of HamiltonJet waterjets in the crew boat and fast supply vessel sector are many. Compared to conventional propeller systems waterjets provide greater reliability and reduced maintenance requirements by virtue of having no exposed parts to be damaged by debris and jets never overloading the engines, all of which results in higher vessel availability. The high speed efficiency advantages and ability to travel at higher speeds when lightly laden reduces round trip duration and provides greater operational flexibility.

The exceptional manoeuvrability achieved with a HamiltonJet propelled vessel is a result of the highly effective steering and reverse systems integrated into the waterjet design, together with the rapid speed of control response. These assist in providing a more stable platform during crew and cargo transfer, greater precision when manoeuvring close to rigs and reduced workload on engines and gearboxes when operating in DP mode.

Another major reason HamiltonJet is the preferred waterjet supplier to the offshore industry is the company’s extensive sales and support network, and specialist waterjet knowledge, which includes three regional offices and over 50 distributors globally. This ensures HamiltonJet provides the best support for the duration of any project, from design and build, to commissioning, and throughout the vessel’s operating life – wherever it may be in the world.

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HT1000 JETS ENTER SERVICE

24th March 2009

HamiltonJet’s Largest Waterjet Units Enter Service

HamiltonJet’s newest and largest waterjet propulsion units have completed trails and entered service in a 55m Korean Coast Guard patrol vessel. The first pair of HT1000 waterjets, each with an impeller diameter of 1.2m, were delivered to Korea early in 2008, with the boat launched and sea trials conducted in November. The vessel exceeded all target speeds during trials.

Each of the Korean Coast Guard (KCG) 300 tonne class vessels is fitted with a pair of fully controllable HT1000 waterjets, as well as a pair of slightly smaller HamiltonJet HM811 boost jets (no steering or reverse control). All four waterjets are driven by 3700hp MTU engines and provide a maximum boat speed of over 36 knots. At full speed each HT1000 waterjet pumps 11 cubic meters of water per second.

New Zealand-based waterjet manufacturer HamiltonJet has been supplying waterjets to the KCG for many years. “Currently the KCG have over 120 vessels fitted with HamiltonJet waterjet units,” says Mike Shearer, Global Sales & Marketing Manager for HamiltonJet. “For this project a much larger waterjet than those in the existing product range was required to allow the vessel to patrol at over 20 knots on the outer jet units alone.” The central boost jets are only used for high speed operations. The HT1000 was designed specifically for this, and is a different hydrodynamic design from HamiltonJet’s other waterjet models.

HamiltonJet Technical Manager Phil Rae says the pump design for the HT1000 was developed using HamiltonJet’s in-house computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, and a complete scaled prototype unit was tested in the company’s high speed test boat and hydrodynamic test facility. “For the full scale unit, the design, structural analysis, simulation and production tooling development was almost exclusively computer based,” says Mr Rae. “This allowed for ‘virtual’ trial assembly and seamless manufacturing integration.”

In manufacturing the HT1000, HamiltonJet has expanded its aluminium and stainless steel casting facilities, and developed new casting technology to improve product quality and reduce manufacturing time.

To date HamiltonJet has delivered four shipsets of HT1000 waterjets to the shipyard in Pusan, Korea. Contract negotiations are underway for additional waterjets to be delivered over the next two years. HamiltonJet is also assessing the viability of other HT series waterjets for workboat projects around the world.

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HAMILTONJET AND SEACOR CHEETAH

7th May 2008

HamiltonJet Offers SeaCor Cheetah More Than Just Performance

The recent launch of “MV Seacor Cheetah” has set a new benchmark in high speed crewboat technology, and HamiltonJet is well positioned to play an important role in further developments and vessel builds. The first of SeaCor’s Crewzer class vessels utilises quadruple HamiltonJet HM811 waterjets to achieve its impressive 40+ knots speed, but it’s not only performance that makes HamiltonJet the ideal propulsion choice for this type of vessel.

For crewboat operators such as Seacor, who might have vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, off the West African Coast, in Indonesia or South America, HamiltonJet’s global support network is an important consideration – together with the product’s high performance capabilities.

Mike Shearer, HamiltonJet Sales & Marketing Manager, says one of the company’s major advantages in the crewboat sector is its world wide support network and rapid response capability. “Today’s crewboats could end up working anywhere in the world, so it is crucial that we can supply spare parts and service expertise to where it is required as quickly as possible. Our global network of Authorised Distributors are backed up by company offices in the UK and US as well as the factory, so we are able to provide a high level of support probably as fast as anyone in the industry.”

HamiltonJet waterjets have a long and reputable history of reliability and performance in some of the harshest working conditions in the world. But while most offshore crew and supply boats require load carrying capacity, pinpoint manoeuvrability and the highest levels of passenger and crew comfort, Seacor Cheetah brings the added dimension of very high speed. And HamiltonJet’s quad HM811 waterjets deliver on all counts.

The waterjets are specifically designed for high speed efficiency together with cavitation resistance and outstanding manoeuvrability. With the Cheetah’s catamaran hull design, the waterjets are paired up in each hull and are a wider distance apart than with monohulls, which enhances manoeuvrability significantly.

The HamiltonJet MECS control system for the waterjets’ steering and reverse controls as well as engine and gearbox control, links closely with other components of the vessel’s DP2 Dynamic Positioning system to assist in holding station in weather conditions where other boats simply couldn’t operate.

Mike Shearer says HamiltonJet, crewboat operators and DP system providers recognised very early on that the inherent manoeuvring benefits of waterjets would enhance the responsiveness and accuracy provided by DP systems. “There is no question the two work very well together – the waterjets provide a very high level of sideways thrust so remove the need for drop-down thrusters at the stern. What’s more, the jet’s zero-speed thrusting capability means power and responsiveness from the jets can be easily adjusted to suit the conditions without compromising the vessel’s position.”

With Seacor Cheetah the cat is well and truly out of the bag regarding the benefits of waterjets in offshore crew and supply vessels. And with further Crewzer class vessels, and other monohulls planned, HamiltonJet firmly intends to remain the propulsion option of choice in the industry.

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HT1000S DELIVERED

6th May 2008

HamiltonJet Delivers First HT1000 Waterjets

The largest marine waterjet propulsion units ever built by HamiltonJet left from its New Zealand factory recently for South Korea, as part of a multi-vessel high speed patrol boat project. The first pair of HamiltonJet model HT1000 waterjets, each with an inlet diameter of 1m, is the culmination of two years of design and construction.

HamiltonJet Technical Manager Phil Rae says the design of the HT1000 waterjet is quite different to the company’s other waterjet models and those manufactured by European competitors, but its innovative design offers many performance and operational benefits. “These units provide high performance across a wide vessel speed range and excellent manoeuvrability. They have been designed with on-board hydraulics and a fully electronic control interface, ensuring installation and maintenance is very easy for the shipbuilder”.

The HT1000 has been designed and built specifically for a new fleet of 58m patrol vessels operated by the Korean Coast Guard. “We’ve had the basic design concept in mind for a couple of years, but with the high costs involved in tooling and setting up the production for a new design we’ve been waiting for an appropriate project which would allow us to go the next step,” says Mr Rae.

Each of the 300 tonne-class steel patrol vessels will have two HT1000 waterjets plus a central pair of smaller HM811 boost waterjets, driven by four 2.7 MW (3650hp) diesel engines to give a top speed of 35 knots.

“One of the unique operating requirements of this patrol vessel is the need to operate on the two wing waterjets only, at a speed of at least 20 knots. This required a jet size well above the company’s largest current waterjet model,” says Mr Rae.

The new HT1000 unit features a high efficiency “mixed flow” pump that is more compact than competing waterjet models, and advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software was used extensively in its design. Thrust vectoring is achieved by a unique internal pivoting nozzle arrangement that deflects the entire water flow of each jet to port or starboard for steering, and a split-duct deflector for reversing the water flow for ahead / astern thrust control.

The vessels diesel engines, gearboxes and waterjets are controlled using a integrated networked digital electronic control system. The thrust vectoring capabilities of the waterjets allow a vessel to stop very quickly (within 1-2 boat lengths), turn on the spot and move sideways, which is not possible with conventional propellers.

HamiltonJet Marketing Manager Mike Shearer says the HT1000 marks a significant milestone for the company in its design and manufacturing capabilities. “This is a new level of waterjet size and a new class of patrol boat for the Korean Coast Guard, which opens up many opportunities for HamiltonJet,” says Shearer. “We have been working with the KCG for many years, and currently have many waterjets operating in its 50T class patrol boats, as well as twin HM811s in the first two of a new fleet of 100T class patrol craft. But this 300T project sets a new benchmark and has given us a great opportunity to take the next step forward.”

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