CABLING & CABLE MANAGEMENT FEATURE TAMING THE TIDE


Providing electrical, water and fuel connections to a jetty in a safe and productive way is challenging at the best of times. However, when that jetty is floating in rough seas and an 11 metre tide, the problems are compounded. igus energy chains were employed in a situation just like this at a wind farm just off the rugged south west coast of England


C


ameron Forecourt installed a floating pontoon for DONG Energy that is


used to service its wind farm just near Barrow-in-Furness. The 90MW Barrow Offshore Wind Farm, developed by DONG Energy and Centrica, is located in the East Irish Sea approximately seven kilometres south west of Walney Island. The wind farm consists of 30 3MW turbines covering an area of approximately 10km². The annual production is around 305GW/h, enough to meet the demand of around 65,000 British households. Electricity generated by the wind farm is delivered to the National Grid at a substation in Heysham, Lancashire, via 27km of buried subsea transmission and onshore cables. Dennis West, manager at Cameron Forecourt, explained, “Our traditional approach to such floating pontoons would be to run all the cabling and service pipes along the side or floor of the access ramp. The arrangement is both unsightly, and more importantly could present safety issues. There has to be enough spare cable on the floor at the bottom of the bridge to allow for the movement of the pontoon between low and high tides. This cable and piping is often coiled at the foot of the walkway and as the pontoon rises and falls the cables can become untidy and present a trip hazard. When you consider that the tide at Barrow-in-Furness is 11 metres, so at high tide the pontoon raises 11 metres - that is a lot of slack hose.”


Above: the energy chain guides and protects hoses and cables from the often violent movements of the pontoon as it rocks with the tide and is buffeted by the waves crashing into the harbour wall


WHAT A DRAG igus energy chains were called upon to meet the aesthetic, safety and operational challenges of this application. The energy chain cable carriers (also known as drag chains) became the umbilical cord of the operation. West continued, “By using the igus energy chains all the services are accommodated in one place in a very neat, professional and safe arrangement.” This track was fastened at both ends - on the harbour wall at the top, fed from a 60,000 litre double skin bunded tank, and on the pontoon at its lower end. When the pontoon lifts with the tide, its movement is accommodated by the curve in the track. “All the wires, cables and piping were


enclosed together within the energy chain, safe from damage and presenting no hazards for those working on the pontoon or boarding the ships,” West continued. The services within the energy chain


were two feed lines for the two dispensers that allow the boats to be loaded, a water hose, a bilge hose for the sewerage and the cabling required for the pontoon for lights and electric hose reels. Also included within the enclosure was a 100mm thick fuel line of double contained marine pipework with leak detection on the outer pipe.


Right: installing the energy chains was also a trouble-free operation. All the cabling and amenities were fitted into the track on the harbour side before it was swung into position and fastened to the pontoon


INSTALLATION The installation of the energy chains was also a relatively simple procedure. All the cabling and amenities were fitted into the track on the harbour side before it was swung into position and fastened to the pontoon. The length was set to accommodate the low tide position, approximately an 18 metre run. As the tide comes in and the pontoon rises, the flexible e-chain doubles back on itself. By doing this the energy chain guides and protects the hoses and cables from the often violent movements of the pontoon as it rocks with the tide and is buffeted by the waves crashing into the harbour wall. The modular nature of the energy chains


means they can be assembled quickly and can be easily accommodated into any length of travel, which enables engineers


/ ELECTRICALENGINEERING


igus www.igus.co.uk T: 01604 677 240


Enter 209 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING | NOVEMBER 2014 19


to save installation time. They are tested against the environmental elements, high loads, high speeds and noise. Being corrosion resistant and self lubricating they reduce down-times whilst increasing the service lives of the cables and hoses. Commenting on the energy chains, igus


director Justin Leonard said, “They are unique in that you can have any mix of services such as electrical, hydraulic or fibre optic all together in one compact system. In addition, you can quickly add or replace services whenever you need without changing the system itself.” Cameron Forecourt’s managing director,


Barry Jenner, is convinced that the use of energy chains has delivered a safe and cost effective solution in a very challenging application. “The installation has made the servicing of the pontoon far more professional and removed any safety hazard. It has also allowed the cables and pipelines to be fully enclosed which offers protection from accidental damage, giving us confidence that whatever the environmental conditions, the installation can continue to service our client’s boats and keep the power flowing back to land from the offshore wind farm.”


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