Patent Application
20130341144
The electrical energy required on board ships in harbor is generally generated by diesel motor generator units on board. During the operation of such diesel motor generator units not insignificant quantities of diesel waste gases are produced, which contain among other things carbon dioxide and nitrous gases and are harmful to the environment.
Consideration is currently being given to supplying a ship in harbor with electrical energy from the land by means of a flexible power supply line, known as a cable line. Such electrical energy (electric power) is supplied by means of an electrical power supply network disposed in the harbor and transferred to the ship by means of the power supply line. It is possible here to transfer a section of the power supply line provided with a plug from land to ship to connect the power supply line to a socket disposed on board the ship.
The object of the invention is to specify an apparatus, with which the electrical energy supplied on land can be transferred in a simple and safe manner to the ship.
According to the invention this object is achieved by a power supply device as claimed in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of such a power supply device are set out in the dependent claims.
This power supply device for a ship stationed at a harbor mooring, in particular a cruise ship, comprises a land-based carriage that can be displaced horizontally (in particular along the mooring), on which a power supply line with a plug is disposed to supply the ship with electrical energy. The power supply line here can be or is connected electrically to a land-based power supply network. A plug-side section of the power supply line is disposed in a vertically displaceable manner on the carriage. The power supply device is a cable supply system, with which the plug-side section of the power supply line can be displaced/moved vertically and horizontally.
It is particularly advantageous here that the power supply line or the section of the power supply line provided with the plug is disposed in such a manner that it can be moved along the mooring and therefore along the ship stationed at the mooring. The plug-side section (e.g. the plug-side end) of the power supply line can thus be moved to the point of the mooring where it is required for the ship stationed there in each instance. This is particularly advantageous as a very wide range of different ships can be stationed at a harbor mooring, for example ships of very different sizes and structure. With each of these ships the power supply line provided with the plug may be required at a different point of the ship, as the associated socket on the ship may be disposed at a different point on the ship in each instance. The horizontal movement of the power supply line to the socket on the ship advantageously avoids the power supply line having to lie loose and unprotected over long distances on the mooring quay. A power supply line lying unprotected over long distances of the harbor area in this manner would represent a considerable source of danger, as vehicles driving in the harbor could drive over the power supply line, thereby damaging it, or because passengers could trip over the power supply line. The fact that the carriage can be moved horizontally along the mooring means that the power supply line can be transported to the ship over the shortest possible distance, specifically for example at a right angle from the carriage to the land-side outer wall of the ship.
The power supply device is advantageously also embodied so that the plug-side section of the power supply line is disposed in a vertically displaceable manner. This means that the plug-side section of the power supply line can also be displaced vertically, in additional to the horizontal movement or alignment, for example to the level at which the plug is required on the outer wall of the ship. (There may be a hatch for the passage of the power supply line at this point on the outer wall). This allows the power supply line to be fed to the ship in a suspended and protected manner above the heads of harbor workers or above vehicles driving round the mooring. This avoids the risk of accident. The vertically displaceable arrangement of the plug-side section of the power supply line also advantageously allows compensation for vertical movement of the ship due to the tides.
The power supply device can be embodied in such a manner that the plug-side section of the power supply line is disposed in such a manner that it can also be displaced in a perpendicular direction to the plane spanned by the movement direction of the carriage and the vertical. This allows the plug-side section of the power supply line advantageously to be displaced toward the ship stationed at the mooring or back from the ship in the direction of the quay. It is thus possible in a simple and safe manner to transfer the plug of the power supply line to the ship when establishing the power supply line and move it over to the land when removing the power supply line.
The power supply device can also be embodied in such a manner that the carriage is disposed on rails, which run along the mooring. These rails allow precise horizontal movement of the carriage along the mooring, in other words along the ship stationed at the mooring.
The power supply device can also be embodied in such a manner that a first crossbar linkage is disposed on the carriage and can be moved out in a vertical direction to displace the plug-side section of the power supply line vertically. Such a crossbar linkage allows the plug-side section of the power supply line to be moved out over corresponding (extensive) vertical paths, which can be matched to the requirements of the respective ship type and the respective quay (for example over a vertical travel path of 4 meters). This first crossbar linkage also advantageously allows compensation for any vertical movement of the ship due to the tides.
The power supply device can also be embodied in such a manner that a second crossbar linkage is disposed on the carriage and can be moved out perpendicular to the plane spanned by the movement direction of the carriage and the vertical. This second crossbar linkage advantageously allows the plug-side section of the power supply line to be displaced over extensive paths perpendicular to said plane, in other words toward the ship and from the ship.
The power supply device can also be embodied in such a manner that the power supply device has a circuitless socket, into which the plug can be plugged when not in use. This circuitless socket (so-called blind socket), into which the plug can be plugged when not in use, advantageously protects the contacts of the plug from dirt when the power supply device is not in use and holds the plug in a defined position, thereby avoiding damage to the plug. This blind socket is provided with an electric heater (shutdown heater), by means of which the plug is protected from condensation and/or other external environmental influences when at rest.
The power supply device can also be embodied in such a manner that it comprises a parking chamber so that the carriage can be parked in a protected manner when not in use. The carriage can be moved into said parking chamber when not in use, so that the carriage can be parked in particular in such a manner that it is protected from environmental influences.
The power supply device can also be embodied in such a manner that the parking chamber is let into the surface of the mooring quay. The arrangement of the parking chamber let into the surface of the quay advantageously allows the carriage to be parked without impeding the loading and unloading traffic on the quay, in particular without impeding cranes.
The power supply device can also be embodied in such a manner that the power supply line is passed within a chain (so-called cable chain), which comprises movably connected chain links and which limits the minimum bending radius of the power supply line during carriage movement. The passage of the power supply line in such a chain provides mechanical protection for the power supply line and also limits the minimum bending radius of the power supply line, so that the power supply line cannot be kinked in an impermissibly sharp manner during carriage movement, thereby preventing damage to the power supply line.
The power supply device can also be embodied in such a manner that the chain is let into the surface of the mooring quay. The arrangement of the chain let into the surface of the mooring quay represents a particularly advantageous arrangement of the chain, as the ship loading and unloading operations taking place on the quay are not impeded by the chain and the power supply line running therein. The let-in cable chain here is covered with a steel plate cover (so-called Panzerbelt cover), which can withstand a 40 t load. This means that even telescopic cranes or similar vehicles required for example for repair purposes can drive over or stand on the cable chain.
The invention is described in more detail below based on an exemplary embodiment, to which end:
The mooring has a quay wall 3, which delimits a water-filled harbor basin 2. A fender 4 is present on the quay wall to protect a ship 5 mooring at the mooring. The ship 5 is moored to bollards 6 disposed on the quay wall 3; the fender 4 ensures a protective distance between ship 5 and quay wall 3.
The quay wall 3 forms part of the land-based quay 7. Rails 8 are fitted on the quay 7, extending parallel to the quay wall 3 (perpendicular to the image plane in the diagram in
Disposed on the carriage 9 is a first crossbar linkage 17, by means of which the power supply line 11 and the plug 15 can be displaced vertically. The vertical displacement is indicated by means of an arrow 18. Such a crossbar linkage 17 is also referred to as a Ruthmann loader and can be embodied in the manner of an aerial platform or a snake fence. When the first crossbar linkage 17 is retracted (i.e. folded up), the power supply line 11 with the plug 15 is in a position as shown in the center part of
A second crossbar linkage 19 is also disposed on the carriage 9 and can be extended and displaced in a perpendicular direction to a plane spanned by the movement direction of the carriage 9 and the vertical. This extension or displacement is indicated by an arrow 20.
When the second crossbar linkage 19 is in the retracted (folded in) state (not shown in
The power supply device 1 also has a circuitless socket 21 (i.e. a socket that is not connected, a so-called blind socket), into which the plug 15 can be plugged when not in use. This protects the contacts of the plug 15 from dirt and the end 13 of the power supply line 11 with the plug 15 is in a defined position when the power supply device 1 is not in use.
The power supply device 1 has a parking chamber 23 so that the carriage 9 can be parked in a protected manner when the carriage 9 is not in use. In the exemplary embodiment this parking chamber 23 is let into the surface of the quay 7 of the mooring, preferably at one end of the rails 8. To retract the carriage 9 into the parking chamber 23, parts of the rails 8 are lowered together with the carriage 9, until the carriage is in the underground parking chamber 23. The parked carriage is shown with broken lines in the lower part of
The parking chamber 23 can also be disposed above ground and be embodied in the manner of a garage for example.
The power supply line 11 (only shown schematically in the figures) is passed within a chain (so-called cable chain), which has movably connected chain links and limits the minimum bending radius of the power supply line 11 during horizontal carriage movement. The chain 25 is let into the surface of the quay 7 of the mooring in the exemplary embodiment, as shown on the right edge of
The power supply line 11 can be or is connected electrically to a land-based power supply network 32, in particular a medium voltage network. The electrical energy supplied by the medium voltage network 32 can therefore be transferred by way of the power supply line 11 and the plug 15 to the ship stationed at the harbor mooring. The power supply line 11 here can preferably be connected by way of a cable connection box 34 (or alternatively by way of a transition sleeve (not shown)) to a medium voltage cable 36 of the medium voltage power supply network 32. The medium voltage cable can be laid here in the harbor area in an empty tube system or in a cable shaft in the ground. Control lines and/or communication lines (e.g. fiber optic cables) can be passed from the power supply network to the plug 15 together with the power supply line 11 (cable line), to establish a communication link between harbor-side facilities and the ship.
A power supply device 1 for a ship stationed at a mooring of a harbor has been described. This power supply device has the structure of a flexible and movable installation on the quay wall or quay. The power supply line 11 here is passed safely on an aboveground or underground support system 25, 9, the power supply line being kept away from the danger area of the quay and thereby being protected from damage due to transport, loading and unloading traffic on the quay. The end of the power supply line 11 provided with the plug 15 can be moved or displaced in all three dimensions with the power supply device. As a result it is possible to approach for example any outer hatch in the land-side outer wall of the ship to be used for the land-based power supply precisely with the plug-side end of the power supply line. The power supply device can be operated manually, fully automatically or remotely, as required. The power supply line is fed safely to the ship from the land side and introduced through the outer hatch in the ship's wall into the ship. The plug is then plugged into the socket on the ship with strain eliminated and mechanically and/or electrically locked. The ship can then be supplied with electric power supplied on the land side from the power supply network.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2011 004 992.4 | Mar 2011 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2012/053044 | 2/23/2012 | WO | 00 | 9/11/2013 |
