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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - YawSTOP (First stabilisation device to enable rotation-free and rotation-controlled lifting and loading of cargo and goods by cranes or helicopters to make transportation more efficient, reliable and safe)

Teaser

Summary

YawSTOP

During lifting operations, several factors increase the risk for personnel injury and damage to equipment. Some of these factors are eliminated, but horizontal rotation around the vertical axis (so called Yaw) still constitutes a problem. Until now, there has been no practical solution for controlling the yaw-motion of a cargo. A common solution to this problem is to use taglines, which requires personnel in the lifting zone.
YawSTOP is a device controlling and stabilizing rotation around a vertical axis. With its retrofit design, it can be mounted between the crane wire and the cargo without any modifications to existing lifting equipment. The YawSTOP is powered by batteries and will continue to control the cargo as long as the system has enough energy. The batteries will provide power for a full shift, and then the crane operator can dock the YawSTOP in the docking station, replace the batteries, thus making the YawSTOP fully operational again.
In offshore lifting operations cranes mounted on a rig must compensate for motions created by the waves, current and wind. There has been developed solutions that compensate for nearly all of these motions. If an offshore crane is fitted with a HEAVE compensator and the supply boat has a dynamic positioning system, a lifting operation can be performed with a significantly reduced risk for damage to equipment or personnel. However, today, the yaw is controlled by taglines requiring personnel in the lifting zone or by stopping the rotation on the rails of the vessel risking damage both to the vessel and the cargo.
By adding the retrofit YawSTOP to the lifting equipment, this final risk is eliminated. As part of the YawSTOP project special requirements within the off shore industry is met by adding additional optional equipment.

YawSTOP will improve work safety and working conditions in both offshore and in general the work safety and conditions for all kinds of lifting and loading operations in other industries such as construction or manufacturing. By eliminating workers within the dangerous areas by remote-controlled rotation of the cargo, the number of accidents and fatal injuries will be reduced. By reducing the overall time for lifting and loading operations, YawSTOP will contribute to environmental savings by reducing CO2/NOx/SOx emissions from the supply vessels and cranes at sea and reducing energy consumption (less fuel). The YawSTOP solution will improve transportation and especially the lifting and loading of cargo and goods by sea and in rural and remote areas along the European coast and islands. Thus, YawSTOP will contribute to the European transport and mobility goals defined in the 2011 Transport White Paper by increasing the efficiency of transport and infrastructure, supporting the EU becoming world leader in safety and security of transport.

The objective of the YawSTOP project is to bring to the market the first stabilisation device for lifting operations that allows rotation-free and rotation-controlled lifting and loading of cargo and goods. The YawSTOP will provide a solution that enables the crane operator to control the cargo and remove the need for taglines.
The objectives can be grouped into 3 categories and achieving them will bring us global market uptake.
1) Technology maturation objectives to optimize YawSTOP.
2) Pilot and validation objectives to demonstrate and validate the commercial potential of the YawSTOP in actual end-user operating environments. The piloting activities will elevate YawSTOP.
3) Market maturation, communication and innovation management objectives enabling us to successfully bring YawSTOP to market and reach sales transactions during or post project.

Work performed

The YawSTOP concept was conceived many years back by Kolberg Caspay Lautom AS (KCL), the project owner. The present project, supported by the European Unionâ€™s Horizon 2020 programme, commenced October 1st 2017.
The project has been divided into several work packages which again are divided in to tasks. Each work package was given a specific completion date and a plan for what the product of the work package should be. As all development projects, YawSTOP is a dynamic, and not static project. However, overall the scheduled plans are kept. The development work during the first year comprise
â€¢ develop test plans
â€¢ requirements and specifications for the YawSTOP system
â€¢ mechanical development of the YawSTOP load bearing construction and mechanism
â€¢ development of electrical components and control system, and test and validation in near real environment
Although exploitation and dissemination I scheduled for the 2nd year of the project, pre-launches have been made e.g. at the ONS in Stavanger, Norway in August 2018. The objective of the pre-launch was to get solid feedback from potential end-users. The feedback received has been of significant value.

Final results

The technology behind the YawSTOP project is in general based on gyro control. However, a number of factors have made it needed to develop special and unique solutions. By try and failure a functional device is being developed. The standard 20 tonnes capacity version will be commercially ready late spring 2019. From that point down- or up-scale versions will be available with a range of capacities. Special challenges related to off shore applications have been solved, e.g. the requirement for forerunner (a wire or string under the lifting hook saving the crew in the loading zone from impact injuries). The KCL/YawSTOP forerunner is a separate KCL project bringing YawSTOP to beyond the state of the art. All solutions are patented or with patents pending.
It is expected that line production will start (for the standard unit) 3rd or 4th quarter 2019. The project has a considerable impact in the local area. The R & D department of KCL has recruited most of the developers from the local area (situated about 90 km south of Oslo, Norway). The post project production will require between 20 â€“ 30 new employees, which in Norwegian terms is a considerable impact. The wide and strong Norwegian expertise particularly within the offshore industry has been a favourable factor for the development.