Energy efficient dredge features Danfoss drive solution

Written by Marine Log Staff
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DEME DREDGE SCHELDT RIVER

Built at Royal IHC’s shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel, the Netherlands, for Belgium’s DEME Group, the 7,950-cubic-meter dual-fuel (diesel and LNG) hopper dredge Scheldt River features a Danfoss drive solution designed to boost an inboard dredge pump and increase energy efficiency with a small footprint, minimum weight and low volume—while being robust enough to withstand the harsh marine environment.

The modular Danfoss VACON 3000 drive kit met IHC’s requirements for suitability for the marine environment, minimum weight, small footprint and low volume. The drive kit also contributed to the vessel’s overall green performance and offered the flexibility of design required by IHC’s engineers and technicians. The power module design was well-suited to the harsh environment, being equipped with specific measures to avoid dust and pollution contaminating the semiconductors during ship construction.

As an independent low-voltage (LV) and medium-voltage (MV) drives supplier, Danfoss could offer this MV kit that enabled IHC to make their own customized, integrated solution, the IHC MV drive.

The boosting of the vessel’s dredge pump with an AC drive was made possible through power take-in (PTI) technology, which allowed load sharing between the VACON 3000 and the main dual-fuel engine. This resulted in significantly higher energy efficiency.

Using transformer-less AFE technology employing normal water-cooling, the VACON 3000 drive can run on lower supply frequency and voltage, for constant output power. Energy is saved in the auxiliaries by reducing the engine speed. VACON NXP LV drive modules are employed for other applications including pumps, thrusters and active filters. The switching of drive control between the inboard dredge pump and the submersible dredge pump of 1,700 kW is performed by a medium voltage switchboard, where the required sinus filter is located.

A second vessel of the same type ordered by DEME at IHC, the Meuse River which was launched in November last year, utilizes the same VACON 3000 drive kit.

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