Retractable ship propulsion systems: compact guidance for heavy cables

Profile

• What was needed: E4.1 series energy chains with strain relief, chainflex cables
• Requirements: Robust guidance of high cable weights and tight and compact cable guidance in the little space available.
• Industry: Offshore
• Success for the customer: E4.1 energy chains are used as stable multiband chains. They are compact and, with the internal chainflex cables, also have tight bend radii. Strain relief elements on the cables provide additional support and ensure long service life.

Problem

Retractable engines offer several advantages in shipbuilding, including reduced ship flow resistance. While the systems bring flexibility and efficiency to ship operations, they also represent a major design challenge.
Control of and energy supply to ship propulsion systems require a large number of cables which must always be moved safely despite their great weight.
Installation space is also tight, so that not only the cable guidance systems, but also the cables themselves must allow tight bend radii.
These applications were for the propulsion systems of a well intervention vessel and a seismic survey vessel, which are used to determine drilling sites for oil and its extraction.

Solution

Strong energy chains are especially well suited to the high loads involved in supplying engines on special vessels. In this case, our E4.1 series energy chains, characterised by a high level of robustness combined with compact dimensions, are used. In the case of the seismic survey vessel, interlocking energy chains were used to save installation space. For additional strength, they are designed as multiband chains, meaning that they have additional chain bands with which the system can safely move the high cable weights over the long term. And in order to minimise the load on the guided cables given the high forces, special strain relief elements were integrated.
Since we develop our chainflex cables specifically for moving applications, special cables in energy chains were an obvious solution. They accept the low bend radii resulting from the tight spaces in the drives.