The world’s most modern research vessel was handed over for scientific explora-tion on 9th February, 2006. christened with the certainly suitable name of the sci-entist Marian S. Merian, born in 1647.
“Maria S. Merian” is to support the renowned “Polarstern” as a floating laboratory during work in Arctic circles. The “Polarstern” was also equipped with HATLAPA products. HATLAPA, one of the world’s leading experienced partners in the ship-building industry for more than 85 years, a specialist adapting their products to the constantly increasing requirements, is also involved with this first European research vessel, holding close contact.
Seven special winches were supplied to the shipyard in December 2003 already, which are also used for moving the underwater equipment.
HATLAPA has escorted this project for five years, during which time the design of the winches was formed in close cooperation with the order principal BAW (Bun-desanstalt für Wasserbau) and the shipyard Krögerwerft in Rendsburg. Several new solutions were introduced by all concerned and which found consideration during planning and in the final design.
One speciality is the combination of friction and storage winch for handling the very long and relatively thin measuring cables. The advantage is that the sensitive and expensive research ropes can be spooled on the storage winch free from load. The pull is created in the friction part and exerted via several grooved drums to protect the rope. A spooling device which has been developed and patented by HATLAPA also guarantees that the rope is wound onto the storage winch in a clean and gentle manner. Thereby the crossing of rope layers resulting in rope breakages are avoided. The storage winches have a very large drum diameter for realising low bending radii of rope when wound on for protecting the sensitive measuring wires in the ropes. The know-how gained over the last years in world-wide research shipping and the constant on-going development of the mechanical and electrical components has put HATLAPA into a position to offer winches, which can handle research ropes of more than 10.000 m length without fault.
As already mentioned , the ropes are not just normal synthetic or steel wire rope, but consist of a single cable with an outer coating of synthetic material to protect the conductor against damage, to guarantee the necessary shielding, and to ab-sorb the forces. Constant communication is possible between the control and measuring instruments by transmission rings in the winch, also during paying-out and hauling-in the rope.
Furthermore, lighting conductor cables are in use which have a similar structure, allowing also constant communication between the control and measuring instru-ments.
By using frequency inverter controlled motors the speed can be infinitely variably controlled and the winches operated absolutely synchronously.
The otherwise usual maximum demands on the shipboard power supply, the ropes and mechanics are eliminated, because the winches are on stand-by from zero speed to full torque, thus allowing a smooth start. The electric driving capacity of each winch is up to 352 kW which is produced by 4 motors of each 88 kW. By us-ing 4 motors capacity reserves are increased on the one hand, and on the other hand the distribution of the load into the gear allows a compact construction.
To dissipate the heat arising in the electric motors water cooling has been pro-vided, contrary to the usual air cooling.
The incorporated high performance guiding rolls, also supplied by HATLAPA, lead the ropes from the working deck to the winch room in the ship’s interior. The sin-gle ropes can be deviated to different winches allowing high flexibility in working. Changing the stored research ropes on the various rope drums is possible during sea service with the assistance of a special rewinding winch.
During operation the paid-out rope length, pull and speed are measured con-stantly by special measuring instruments on the winch and are indicated electroni-cally to the operator at the control pedestal.
The design and construction of this research platform was a challenge for the Kröger-Werft, because geologists, oceanographers, meteorologists, and biologists are to utilize the ship to its utmost for their work. The demand was for an “eco-nomical, reliable, vibration-free, silent, and quiet hydro-acoustic ship, which can fulfil all scientific requirements for the next 20 to 30 years”.
HATLAPA Uetersener Maschinenfabrik is proud to be able to participate with their products in this vision.