ABB’s winch control program enables the ABB ACS800 variable frequency drive range to be used in different winching control configurations found on board ships, offshore oil or gas platforms and in harbours.

Dedicated drives for marine and offshore applications ABB variable frequency drives are certified for marine applications, enabling stepless speed and torque control of anchor and mooring  winches; Ro-Ro (roll on, roll off) quarter ramp winches, and towing winches.

In these applications, ABB variable frequency drives with built-in brake chopper can be used as well as low harmonic or regenerative industrial drives. Built-in brake choppers connect the DC bus voltage to an external resistor, where the braking energy is converted to heat. Low harmonic drives help to maintain power supply quality and meet the strictest harmonic standards without any need for additional filtering  equipment. Regenerative drives can recover energy from a process and feed it back into the network, thus saving energy.

A key feature of the ABB variable frequency drive is its motor control platform, direct torque control (DTC). DTC enables the drive to achieve full torque at zero speed with or without the need for a feedback encoder. This is an advantage, because the harsh environment on a vessel’s open deck can often damage an encoder or interfere with the feedback signal to the motors.

Eliminating hydraulic system inefficiencies

Together with the winch control program, ABB variable frequency drives replace traditional and costly hydraulic winch controllers, thereby eliminating high maintenance costs and performance inefficiencies, whilst improving overall system reliability.

Compared to the hydraulic control of winch systems, an AC drive provides substantial power and energy savings when continuous running of the hydraulic pump is not required.

Power control

The power control function, limits the speed of the winch according to the load. With a very light load, for example, the winch can run at high speed whereas if there is a high load then the speed can be limited. The speed is adjusted according to a series of cross points located on the forward power curve and reverse power curve. These cross points, each of which has a speed and torque connection, can be identified by the user, by way of power control parameters within the winch control program.

See our range of ABB inverter drives