Advanced Thruster Control and Protection (ATCAP)

Contact us for improved, reliable and predictable performance in your Advanced Thruster Control and Protection (ATCAP) projects.

Overview

Aspin Kemp & Associates’ (AKA) Advanced Thruster Control and Protection (ATCAP) system comprises innovations designed to improve load response and behavior. ATCAP eliminates many of the complexities and removes many of the possible fault conditions of conventional loads. These new intelligent loads independently modify power consumption based on actual power plant conditions and contain enough control capacity to carry out this reduction independent of a supervisory control system.The ATCAP is a major element of one of the subsystems making up AKA’s high reliability power plant suitable for DP3 closed bus operation.

Features

Increased thruster autonomy.

Simplifies the interface to other equipment by removing requirement for any control interface other than

• Thruster ON and Off
• Azimuth and thruster command.
• Thrust command

Removes dependence on common infrastructure.

• Programmable devices have self-diagnostic capabilities for early detection
• Utilizes bus voltage and frequency as primary power management system interface between machines.
• Removes central communications infrastructure allowing autonomous control of machines.
• Independent auxiliary power
• local UPS units and control logic PLCs (distributed intelligence)
• UPS units maintain control logic at a local level to respond predictably
• Increased thermal capacity to operate longer without saltwater or air conditioning systems with modified cooling system such that it has the capacity to operate for a significant time (10 minutes) without seawater cooling.
• Allows cooling to be done with plain water, with standard treatments, not “fine water” (de-ionized non-conductive) water.

Eliminate dependence on bus capacity.

• Eliminates the high current transient seen on connection of the load to the main bus (Transformer and capacitor inrush) through pre-magnetize transformers and capacitors to eliminate inrush loads.
• Completely verify that the thruster is healthy and will not cause a disturbance when connected to the main bus. (ensure all components are at rated voltage and in good order before connection to the main bus)
• Health of the transformer is verified before main power is applied
• Health of Drive is verified before main power is applied
• Modify the time to connect a thruster to the main bus and use it (DP control) from existing times of a minute or more down to several seconds (3 seconds max)
• Battery brings thruster drive to full operation before connection to MV bus
• Thrusters re-connect on detection of stable bus
• Multiple thruster starts
• Incorporate into thruster controller autonomous feed forward overload protection control in the Thrust. This is similar to “phase back” but engages before an over load occurs.