An upstanding surf riderHeave compensation

July 2011
Barge Master BV, a Dutch company, has installed Rexroth heave compensation to enhance the
usefulness and deployability of offshore cranes.

Heave compensation uses a moving platform to neutralize the roll, yaw and heave caused by the waves.

Wind farms at sea, drilling platforms far from the coast. Offshore installations are experiencing a
real boom, all around the orld. Construction costs play a major role here. One reason is that there
was really no convincing crane technology available in the past. Right now, standard floating
cranes encounter difficulty with waves cresting at thirty centimeters. Safe crane operation can no
longer be guaranteed, is how Jan-Paul van den Bos explained the challenge. Even at minor
swaying of just two to three degrees, the tip of the crane, carrying the load, moves by four to five
meters and endangers the crew, Martijn Koppert adds.

These are the two men who founded the Dutch firm, Barge Master BV. The companys mission
was to solve this problem. Working together with Rexroth, Barge Master developed a
comprehensive solution including all the necessary drive and control components. The system is
suitable for all kinds of standard marine vessels and cranes, and drastically reduces the
manufacturing costs and operating expenses for offshore projects.

Mastering five times the swells

This development also does the exceptional in terms of technology. With Rexroth heave
compensation we have expanded the application window for the floating cranes handling waves
of up to 150 centimeters, van den Bos points out proudly. The heave compensation system
engineered by Rexroth uses a moving platform to neutralize roll, yaw and heave. Here three
hydraulic cylinders, affixed vertically, attach the crane to the hull of the ship by way of joints
incorporating ball bearings. Connection rods with limited mobility freeze the remaining three
degrees of freedom so that the cylinders movements can compensate for wave action.

The controls are the heart of the solution. Special sensors deliver motion data, which are used to
calculate target values for the compensatory movements that keep the platform stable. Barge
Master thus considerably expands the use range for standard floating cranes. Even at irregular
swells, with crests of 1.5 meters and frequencies of six to twelve seconds, we can neutralize 95
percent of the motion, Koppert calculates. At mid-2012 the C400 Barge Master will be ready for
use with cranes weighing about 400 tons and payloads of up to 160 tons. Jan-Paul van den Bos is
confident that with this step the company will be significantly expanding the utility of standard
cranes.