DECK EQUIPMENT
Deck gear focus on efficiency, environment, and cost
IN recent years, the focus of development on deck machinery has been on enhanced operation, improved safety, increased environmental protection, and ease of both maintenance and installation. This has tended to lead manufacturers in the direction of features such as enclosed/ protected hydraulics; enclosed/protected electrics; and the addition of safety functions such as double-drive systems; independent switchboards; double brake systems; and integrated cooling. David Foxwell reports on some of the newest designs.
T
HE market for anchoring and mooring winches tends to be dominated by a few well known
manufacturers, among the leaders being Kocks, in Germany (acquired recently by the Norwegian company TTS and today known as TTS Kocks), which claims more than 50 years of experience developing and manufacturing anchoring and mooring winches. Many significant examples of improvements in
winch technology have been introduced by the company over the years, a notable example being self-contained winch systems, introduced several years ago and which have since proved popular on certain types of vessels, such as LNG carriers. As company spokesperson Jens Meldal
explained, TTS Kocks currently has in its portfolio of winches the CSH, or Central System Hydraulic; the CEH or Central Electro Hydraulic system; and the E Type, a range of electrically driven winches, being either of the three-step pole-changeable type or frequency-converted type.
Compact designs Describing the E Type, Mr Meldal said the electric winch systems are of compact design and thus require minimal space on deck. Offering three-step or stepless frequency converted speed control, the E Type has automatic load detection by means of an electric load measuring bolt for mooring operation whilst in port, and a high level of automation and thus safety for anchor operation and protection against inappropriate operation. A self-aligned foundation option ensures easy and time saving installation of the winch on deck and provides the best access for maintenance of the deck area below the winch. The CSH system is also of compact design,
ensuring minimum required space on deck, and features a mono-lever control block regulating speed as well as torque. The CSH has stepless speed control, and automatic load measuring integrated into the hydraulic system for mooring control whilst in port. The hydraulic power pack is located below deck, and the self-aligned foundation option ensures easy and time-saving installation of the winch on deck and provides the best access for maintenance of the deck area below the unit. The CEH system has been selected by a number
of well known owners including BP, Shell, A P Møller, Teekay, MISC, Chevron, Exmar, NLNG, British Gas, OSG, and others, and offers owners independent operation of each winch and has a
46
Today’s focus of development on deck machinery has been on enhanced operation, enhanced safety, increased environmental protection, ease of maintenance and ease of installation.
fully enclosed hydraulic system ensuring low maintenance requirements and protection against any external impact and weather. There are no oil pipes on deck – which means
minimum risk of oil spillage – and the only interface needed for installation and operation of the winch is an electric power cable. A mono-lever control block regulates speed as well as torque, and the CEH offers stepless speed control. From a purely environmental point of view,
perhaps its most important attribute is, as Mr Meldal emphasised, there is no risk of any oil on deck, but the CEH also has a number of other important benefits, including automatic load measuring integrated into the hydraulic system for mooring control whilst in port. Also, the electric switch cabinet is integrated into each winch, and an optional redundant drive and brake system consists of disc- and band-brake for safe anchoring. As with the other TTS Kocks products mentioned above, the self-aligned foundation option should help to ensure easy and time-saving installation and provide access for maintenance below the winch.
New trends at Rolls-Royce Asked about any trends in the market for winches, Rolls-Royce spokesperson Arve Toven said there were few obvious innovations in the market since the introduction of self-contained winches. However, as he explained, there is increased interest in low-pressure hydraulics for winch systems on crude oil tankers and LNG carriers, which he attributed to the type of owners who are active in the market at the moment. There are, as he also explained, fewer speculative owners ordering such vessels currently than there have been.
Artist’s rendering of CEH electrohydraulic anchoring winches from TTS Kocks.
‘For several years now, we have waited for
Electrical Frequency Converter (ELF) systems to take-off in the market, but only a few ships have installed them to-date. It seems that ELF still is too new for many owners, so we are waiting for an increase in demand for this kind of system from the container vessel market,’ Mr Toven explained, noting that Rolls-Royce has recently developed a high-pressure self-contained hydraulic system to compete with TTS Kocks and is looking forward to the market’s response, particularly in South Korea. As Mr Toven also explained, tanker owners have
been slower to adopt the technology – they are said to be more conservative in their outlook – and by and large have been happy with the reliability of older style pole-change technology, particularly as winches on larger tankers are not used as frequently as on some other ship types.
THE NAVAL ARCHITECT FEBRUARY 2007
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105