Anchor-Handling and Towing
Assembly of 2 triple-drum winches (pull 325t) simultaneously in one workshop at HATLAPA-Germany
AC driven AHT winch with line pull of 200t
Claw clutch for AH drum drive
HATLAPA-SLIPSAFE° inner-friction clutch
Towing winches, research winches, and winches for other special purposes, which are developed and built in exact accordance with customer requirements, have formed a firm part of the HATLAPA product offer. Depending on the demands and customer requirements either low-pressure hydraulic, high-pressure hydraulic or electrical drives are installed.
Yet another step into mutual partnership is the international “joined forces” with OIL STATES SKAGIT SMATCO. OIL STATES is an internationally very well known US offshore service company. HATLAPA and OIL STATES joined their capacities for the production of large towing winches with up to 6000 kN line pull. In doing so, HATLAPA goes “back to the roots” tying up to their own offshore history back in the early ‘80s.
Starting with the North Sea oil discoveries and as these wells were developed to go on stream, many offshore supply and support vessels where designed and built in Germany for which HATLAPA built the towing and anchor handling winches. This know-how –especially with regard to the high power low pressure HATLAPA hydraulic motor– has been taken into consideration as OIL STATES was looking for a partner in producing offshore winches. The current range is offering winches with line pulls of 100t, 225t, 300t, 400t (double-drum waterfall design) and 325t, 450, 500t and 600t (triple-drum).
Both companies in combination represent more than 140 years of know-how and expertise here and abroad, in the North Sea and the Gulf. The unique combination of SMATCO strength and HATLAPA power is a very strong alliance in terms of innovation, capacity, experience and expertise tying two strong partners to be even more than just adding the individual parts.
In addition HATLAPA delivers a range of AC driven AHT-winches, the HATLAPASTEPLESS° drive, including inner-friction clutch technology for safe under-load release, the HATLAPA-SLIPSAFE°.
Currently double-drum winches with line pulls of 100t, 200t and 300t are working in the field. Further triple-drum winches in waterfall-design with line pull of 500t create the next step in the e-stepless range.
The hydraulic and therefore indirect way of driving an AHTS winch usually requires a genset for power generation, electrically driven pumps on a power pack and hydraulic motors to run the winch. The linkage of efficiency factors, starting with a given power generation, is decreased by the overall pump and hydraulic motor efficiency end up with an overall efficiency of some 75 to 76%.
As for an electrically driven winch, the overall efficiency of the complete system is about 18 to 20% higher (provided that electric power generation is set at a similar value and the gear box efficiencies apply comparably in both drive concepts). In addition electric drive allows faster responses to monitoring and control systems and are well suited for stepless drive, tension and load control systems.
For anchor handling and related tasks the traditional customer requirements most commonly call for a “fixed” connection of the drivetrain, shafts and the drums, usually leading to a claw (or jaw) clutch.
The claw clutch provides one with a reliable fixed and stiff connection between the driving motor, shafts, gear and drums. It usually is designed as a solid block material which by machining, drilling and related shaping fits its counterpart with the same raw “tooth-shape”. They are driven by high pressure hydraulic cylinders moving the loose part on the slide area of the shaft into and out of the fixed part. On one hand a strong, reliable and stiff means to ensure connection of drive trains, the claw clutch on the other hand lacks easy disconnection under high loads.
To disconnect a drive train under high loads and in order to create a reliable means to declutch, one has to choose a non form-fit (non-interlocking) type of clutch. Especially in difficult situations as are mostly given with high loads and tight or short ropes with low flexibility a friction-locked power train or transmission is the safer choice.
To solve the problem, one way is to shift know-how from one business field to the other. A different business field is the foundation for experience with non-interlocking clutch technology: Escorting –as one of the daily tug boat operations– requires fail-safe “underload” release. In order not to have the escorter drought under water, a tug master is likely to have his hands on the emergency relase button. Under high loads and with high tension on the wire, one has to rely on a system for sure freeing the tow drum.
As a meanwhile fix scope of these supplies, various SECONDARY WINCHES have been delivered with line pulls up to 170t and drum capacities taking more than 5.000m of 76mm wire.
Different designs of secondary winches are in use with all offered drives, low-pressure hydraulic, high-pressure hydraulic and AC driven HATLAPA-STEPLESS°.