DROMEC develops drive systems for Boskalis’ Boka Ocean

Branche: Marine, Offshore, Specials

Making a real difference on a cable-laying vessel through advanced control software. This is where DROMEC demonstrates its expertise, having developed custom drive systems with integrated software for Boskalis.

Boka Ocean is Boskalis’ cable-laying vessel, used to install high-voltage and power cables for offshore wind farms and substations. The vessel is equipped with a carousel boasting an impressive loading capacity of 4,000 tonnes, allowing large quantities of cable to be stored.

To drive this immense carousel and ensure the controlled pay-out and retrieval of cables, DROMEC developed a custom electric drive system featuring five motors. The integrated control software ensures that all drives work together seamlessly and are centrally controlled. A technical challenge in which DROMEC truly excels!

Control system

The complete drive system can be operated in three convenient ways: locally from the container housing the control equipment, via a radio remote control on deck, or from the elevated control station of the cable-laying installation itself. The control system communicates with the vessel’s main cable-laying system via Profinet.

On average, cable is paid out at a speed of 10 metres per minute. The control software continuously calculates the required carousel rotation and coordinates the five drive systems to ensure a safe and controlled operation.

Ingenious UPS system

A unique feature is the ingenious Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system. In the event of a power failure, the control system remains powered, ensuring that the carousel can always be brought to a safe and controlled stop.

When the system is shut down, the drives briefly rotate in opposite directions. This eliminates any backlash in the ring gear before the holding brakes are activated, securing the carousel completely without any play.

Redundancy has been a key design principle throughout the system. Thanks to this redundant configuration, multiple drives can fail without bringing the carousel to a standstill.

Special Drives

Daan, Software Engineer at DROMEC: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project. The collaboration with the teams at Boskalis and De Heus Offshore was truly constructive. We are very proud of this excellent result, which demonstrates how DROMEC can make a real difference in projects involving custom drive technology!’

Boskalis’ key question: How can the carousel on the cable-laying vessel be driven safely, precisely and reliably, even if system components fail or a power outage occurs?

DROMEC’s solution: DROMEC developed a redundant electric drive system with intelligent control software and an integrated UPS system, ensuring that the carousel operates safely, reliably and continuously.

Contact Dromec

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DROMEC winches. Your movement in good hands.

Dynamic and Innovative in winches, winchsystems, controls and software. With our enthousiastic team, we develop  from small till  very big & complex systems with the highest demands in terms of safety and ease of use. We also work very closely with certified body’s as DNV, GL, BV, ABS, Lloyds so your winches and systems can be completely certified at our own company together with you.

It often starts with a good idea, preferably on a piece of scrap paper. After an initial consultation, we prepare one or more proposals, including a target price and preliminary drawing. Your idea or problem, always remains central in this. If the feeling on both sides is good, we start. Thanks to our own inhouse developed and written project software, your project stays in the picture and under control from start to finish, including the planning and delivery time.

We are LRQA ISO 9001 certified. Our policy is to maintain a healthy business by continuously improving the quality of our winches, drives, software and services. We strive for respect for people and nature, which contributes to the quality of our work. You can find our full policy statement here.

 

Cees Drost

Sales

sales@dromec.nl mail Cees +31 (0)317 - 68 11 55