Cable guide of a maritime power supply system

Cable guide assembly of a maritime power supply system for guiding a power cable assembly from and to a reel, the cable guide assembly comprising a reel for storing a power cable assembly thereon; and a cable guide having a first end and a second end. The cable guide comprises first and second support elements arranged parallel to each other; and a plurality of rolls arranged between the support elements for supporting and guiding the power cable assembly between the first and second ends.

INTRODUCTION

The present invention relates to a cable guide assembly of a maritime power supply system (MPS).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The environment in ports all over the world is becoming more and more of an issue. In the last 15 years, increasing attention has been paid on how to reduce pollution coming from the diesel engines of ships which traffic, in ever increasing numbers, the ports and terminals. Container, RoRo (roll-on/roll-off), cruise or other M/V (motorized vessel) ships often remain docked in a port for several days and keep their engines running while docked to ensure the functioning of refrigerated containers and life aboard the ship through air-conditioning, controls, etc. It is clear that this constitutes an important pollution issue, which has to be avoided. It has therefore been proposed to supply power to such ships via cables running from the dock to the ship, thereby allowing the engines to be turned off.

One problem with supplying such docked ships with power is the need for a high voltage and high amperage power supply, which has often made it necessary to use up to 10 cables in parallel. Due to this large number of cables it was not possible to connect and disconnect rapidly and safely, not to mention that they also had to cope with uneven loads between the cables. Also, the amount of cables was rather untidy and also dangerous. Furthermore, it is often not possible to align the ship-based power inlet with the dock-based power supply, which means that the cables run alongside the ship either on the dock or on the deck of the ship, causing further obstruction and danger.

The wharf or dock is generally supplied with 6600 V and a significant part of the current shipping fleet is supplied with between 230 V and 660 V, hence the necessity for using step-down transformers and/or converter sets.

A maritime power supply (MPS) system has been proposed wherein a cable management system having a cable reel with a power cable assembly mounted thereon is provided. Such a cable management system can be mounted on the ship, wherein one end of the power cable assembly on the cable management system is connected to a ship-based power inlet. The opposite end of the power cable assembly can be unwound from the cable management system and lowered onto the dock for connection to a dockside power supply. Since the voltage, frequency and amperage of the dockside power supply do not necessarily correspond to the ship's needs, a step-down transformer and/or converter has to be installed between the dockside power supply and the ship-based power inlet.

One problem associated with such systems is that the power cable assemblies are rather heavy and are therefore not easy to lower down to the dockside power supply. More importantly, such power cable assemblies may be damaged if they are repeatedly dragged along the floor, and in particular when dragged over the edge of the ship.

One solution is to use lifting equipment, such as a crane or the like, to lower the power cable assembly to the dockside power supply. A drawback of this solution it that such lifting equipment is not always available and that it does not efficiently prevent the power cable assembly from rubbing on the edge of the ship.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a means for safely and easily transport a power cable assembly between a ship-based power inlet and a dockside power supply.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a cable guide assembly of a maritime power supply system for guiding a power cable assembly from and to a reel, the cable guide assembly comprising a reel for storing a power cable assembly thereon; and a cable guide having a first end and a second end. The cable guide comprises first and second support elements arranged parallel to each other; and a plurality of rolls arranged between the support elements for supporting and guiding the power cable assembly between the first and second ends.

Such a cable guide assembly can be mounted on board of a ship and allows to safely guide the power cable assembly over the edge of the ship down to the dock, thereby preventing the power cable assembly from being dragged over the edge of the ship, which could damage the power cable assembly. It further eliminates the need for cranes or the like to be used for transporting the end of the cable assembly to be connected to the dockside power supply.

Preferably, the cable guide assembly further comprises a base for supporting the cable guide and the reel, wherein the cable guide is pivotably mounted with the first end on the base, and wherein the cable guide is pivotable between an active position, in which the cable guide is able to guide the power cable assembly over an edge, and a rest position, in which the cable guide is retracted. When not in use, the cable guide can hence be retracted and a more compact configuration can be obtained.

The cable guide assembly advantageously further comprises at least one piston connected between the cable guide and the base for pivoting the cable guide between the active and rest positions and preferably at least one hydraulic pump for operating the at least one piston. Such a hydraulic pump can e.g. be hand operated or motorised.

The cable guide can, at its second end, further comprise a guiding element including two rolls, the two rolls being spaced apart so as to receive and guide the power cable assembly therebetween. Preferably, the guiding element further includes two lateral rolls, the two lateral rolls being spaced apart so as to receive and guide the power cable assembly therebetween. By means of such a guiding element, it can be ensured that, as the power cable assembly is wound onto or unwound from the reel, the power cable assembly is always supported at the second end and is always prevented from being dragged over the edge of the ship.

According to another embodiment, the cable guide comprises three support elements with a first plurality of rolls arranged between the first and third support elements and a second plurality of rolls arranged between the third and second support elements. By means of the third support element, the structure of the cable guide is further strengthened and the cable guide is divided into two separate zones, wherein two separate power cable assemblies can be guided over the edge of the ship independently from each other.

The cable guide assembly according to the invention is in particular suited for use with a maritime power supply (MPS) system for supplying power to the ship when docked. Such an MPS system comprises at least one cable management system15having a power cable assembly16wound on a reel18. The power cable assembly16has, at a first end, first connection means (not shown) for connecting the cable management system15to the ship and, at an opposite second end, second connection means22, preferably 6600 V electrical connectors, for connecting the cable management system15to a dockside power supply. The reel18is arranged such that the power cable assembly16can be wound thereon and wound therefrom as needed.

The MPS system further comprises a pivotable cable guide40arranged near the dock-facing sidewall of the ship. The cable guide40is pivotable between an active position as shown inFIG. 1and a rest position as shown in dotted lines inFIG. 1. The cable guide40is arranged such that, when it is in its active position, it is capable of guiding the power cable assembly16over the edge of the container ship. Damage to the power cable assembly16by dragging the latter over the edge of the ship can thereby be prevented. When not in use, the cable guide40can be retracted and be brought into its rest position, whereby a more compact configuration of the MPS system can be obtained.

If the rotational axis of the reel18is perpendicular to the dock-facing sidewall of the ship, the MPS system further comprises a support and guide system (not shown) for leading the power cable assembly16from the reel18to the cable guide40and for bringing the power cable assembly16in line with the cable guide40. If the rotational axis of the reel18is parallel to the dock-facing sidewall, the cable guide40is preferably arranged directly in line with the power cable assembly16, such that no support and guide system is necessary. In such a case, the cable management system15and the cable guide40preferably form a reel-guide assembly, wherein the cable management system15is mounted on a base42and the cable guide40is pivotably connected to the base42. A cable management system15of this type is generally shown inFIGS. 1 and 2.

The cable guide40comprises first and second support elements44,46. These support elements44,46are arranged parallel to each other and are made from strong material such as e.g. metal. Indeed, the cable guide40must be capable of carrying very heavy load and resist damage in very adverse weather conditions.

A plurality of rolls48are arranged between the first and second support elements44,46for supporting and guiding the power cable assembly16. These rolls48are preferably also made from strong material such as e.g. metal.

According to an embodiment, the cable guide40can comprise at least a third support element70between the first and second support elements44,46. A first set of rolls72is then arranged between the first and third support elements and a second set of rolls74is arranged between the third and second support elements70,46. By means of the third support element, the structure of the cable guide40is further strengthened and the cable guide40is divided into two zones, wherein two separate power cable assemblies can be guided over the edge of the ship independently from each other.

The cable guide40is pivotably connected with a first end50to the base42and at least two pistons52,54are arranged between the cable guide40and the base42for pivoting the cable guide40between the active and rest positions. The pistons52,54can be operated by a hydraulic hand pump56. However, it is also possible to couple the cable guide40to a motor.

At a second end58of the cable guide40, the latter comprises a guiding element60for guiding the power cable assembly16from the cable guide40down the side of the ship. Such a guiding element60preferably comprises the last one of the rolls48and an additional roll62at a distance therefrom so as to receive the power cable assembly16therebetween. The distance between the last one of the rolls48and an additional roll62is sufficient to also pass the connector22of the power cable assembly16therebetween. The guiding element60can further comprise two lateral rolls64,66. Such a guiding element60allows the power cable assembly16to be always guided from the dock onto the cable guide40.