(November 25, 2011)



Bosch Rexroth worked with Barge Master BV to provide it with heave compensation to improve the safety of cranes operated at sea, such as those used on wind farms and drilling platforms.

Barge Master BV was encountering difficulty with floating cranes working in areas where waves crested at 30cm, as even swaying of two or three degrees resulted in the tip of crane moving by four to five metres. This made the load unstable and put the crew at risk.

The company worked with Bosch Rexroth to develop a heave compensation system, which Barge Master says reduces the manufacturing cost and operational costs of offshore projects.

The system’s moving platform compensates for roll yaw and heave. The crane is attached to the hull of the ship via three vertically affixed hydraulic cylinders, with joints that incorporate ball bearings. The remaining three degrees of freedom are frozen by connection rods that have limited mobility and allow the cylinder movements to compensate for the motion of waves. Finally, motion data is provided by sensors, and used to calculate target values for the movements that keep the platform stable.

According to both companies, this system can neutralise 95 per cent of motion.

Key Information:

It is expected by mid-2012 the C400 Barge Master will be completed.

It will be suitable for use with cranes weighing around 400 tons, and payloads of up to 160 tons.

The application window has been expended to floating cranes operating in waves of up to 150cm.

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