THE REALITY OF TESTING DIRECT STEEL WIRE REPLACEMENT WITH A FIBRE ROPE ON A CONVENTIONAL DRUM WINCH MOUNTED WITHIN A SUBSEA UTILITY CRANE

Summary

As lifting operations continue to expand into deeper waters with heavier payloads the need to reduce the weight of the suspended rigging and ropes becomes more critical. One option is to directly replace the wire rope with a synthetic fibre rope, minimizing the additional CAPEX required. However, there are concerns regarding the potential for increased loading on the existing system from synthetic ropes and the impact that rope shape change has on spooling, especially within a multi-layer system. Realistic testing was carried out on a multi-layer winch design used offshore to determine spooling quality and drum loadings when replacing a steel wire with a fibre rope on plain and LeBus shelled drums.

Author(s): R. Craig and D. Cannell