Intelligent winch drive is smooth on the pull
A winch drive system that can make anchoring and mooring that bit smoother has been launched by ABB.
The company’s Peter Myatt told
MJ
that the new ‘intelligent’ drive features a number of adaptable, prearranged configurations taken from the kinds of actions that winches ordinarily undertake in the marine environment.
Explaining that the company has done a lot of the ‘hard graft’ to pre-programme the controller, he said, ‘In order to do it yourself, you’d have to firstly understand how the winch acted under a range of conditions, and then write all the code.’
The ABB Industrial Drive has recently benefitted from a number of in-built protection functions for anchor handling, including one for slip detection. This senses any high load on the chain should it become snagged when raising the anchor. Such a high load creates a speed difference between the winch drum and the motor shaft and activates a load switch which reduces the speed and torque of the motor to a level set by the winch manufacturer, preventing damage to the motor shaft, winch drum or clutch between the drum and motor.
Another feature is anchor-in protection. As the anchor is being raised and reaches the end of its limit, winch control detects the anchor winch speed and motor torque level, together with the relative length of the chain. It then slows down the winch automatically, allowing the operator to manually complete the task, controlling via a joystick to the zero position.
When mooring up to a jetty or pier there is a risk that if the force on the rope becomes too high, it will break or overload the winch. Under these circumstances ‘peak torque protection’ detects severe tightening of the rope and immediately sends a signal to adjust the speed and torque to a level that the operator can control, before the mechanical brake or auto-mooring mode is applied.
The winch can be operated directly from three joystick control stands which can work together or singly. This lets the operator control the speed of the winch while in a harbour, for example, from anywhere on the vessel, regardless of from which direction the vessel is approaching the quayside.
The winch application can be programmed within the drive to give greater flexibility, and features adaptive programming. This function block programming technique allows winch features to be changed or modified on-site without having to wait for further software upgrades from the manufacturer.
A key benefit is its motor control platform, Direct Torque Control (DTC), which enables the drive to achieve full torque at zero speed without the need for a feedback encoder. There is also an integrated brake control logic, with feedback to the drive, for enhanced safety and reliability.
