HeaveMate® control panel (photo: Seatools)

Based on Seatools’ extensive experience and knowledge regarding heave compensation systems, the company introduces an intelligent active heave compensation module: HeaveMate®. This active heave compensator is an easy-to-integrate system for both new as well as existing offshore and subsea equipment such as winches, cranes, and LARS systems.

HeaveMate® can be delivered either as an OEM package with the essentials for heave compensation (black box controller with sensors and software) or as part of a complete turn-key system, including mechanical and hydraulic hardware. In any case, Seatools’ simulation capabilities are applied to ensure proper performance of the overall system in any sea condition and situation (incl. failure cases), and pre-tune the controller prior to commissioning, thus saving valuable vessel time.

Jan Frumau, Managing Director at Seatools, says, “I think the combination of HeaveMate, our extensive experience, and our advanced simulation capabilities results in an appropriate and strong value proposition. We are able to deliver, in a very short time frame, highly reliable active heave compensation for any kind of task, while requiring minimal commissioning times.”

Sieds Tamsma, Senior Research & Development engineer, continues, “In addition to the risk and time reduction yielded from the application of simulations, we have incorporated auto-tuning functionalities that allow us to reduce commissioning times. Moreover, the controller adapts itself to actual wave conditions, which optimises performance while avoiding potential resonance problems. We believe built-in intelligence of this type is a considerable operational advantage.”

The system is currently deployed in a retrofit project in which a passively compensated LARS will be upgraded towards an actively heave-compensated LARS.

Tags: Seatools