Paper

Heavy E-STREAM: Design of the Next Generation of
Underway Replenishment Systems
Michael J. McLachlan
ABSTRACT
Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Port
Hueneme Division (PHD) engineers, along with
their industry partners, have developed and placed
into service two working prototypes of a new
Underway Replenishment (UNREP) system, known
as Heavy Electric - Standard Tensioned
REplenishment Alongside Method (E-STREAM).
The new system increases the rate at which cargo
can be transferred between ships at sea as well as
doubles the nominal maximum load that can be
transferred. These capabilities are made possible by
utilizing technologies, such as, Variable Frequency
Drives (VFD), Programmable Logic Controllers
(PLC), and varying sensing devices to monitor and
control the transfer of cargo. Currently, there is one
prototype system installed at the Port Hueneme landbased UNREP test site and another deployed on
USNS ARCTIC (T-AOE 8).
The Heavy E-STREAM system has so far been an
unprecedented success in the design and deployment
of a naval ship system. The leap in technology and
integration as well as the relatively short time to
reach the fleet coupled with its early success are not
often seen in military acquisition. The following
paper is an account of the design of Heavy ESTREAM system and the overall philosophy and
UNREP experience that drove it.
The Heavy E-STREAM system is not necessarily a
replacement for the existing Navy Standard
STREAM system but a fulfillment of specific
requirements that allowed for the maturation of new
technologies to be leveraged for what will be the
next generation family of UNREP systems using ESTREAM technology and architecture. Heavy ESTREAM system development, at a conceptual
phase, began in June 2008 and as of April 2014 the
first installation of the system onboard ship has
returned from deployment where it successfully
carried out the mission of resupplying the USS
HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75).
BACKGROUND
U.S. Navy Underway Replenishment, commonly
known as UNREP, is the process of transferring
fuel, ammunition, food, and stores from a supply
ship to a warship while the two ships are underway
and holding station between about 140 and 200 feet
of ship separation. The current system (see Figure
1) is operable in up through Sea State 5. The transfer
of cargo between two ships has evolved over the
past 100 years in response to operational necessity.
(Reference 1)
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Navy has been working on a new
Underway Replenishment system to support the
solid cargo transfer throughput requirements of the
GERALD R FORD (CVN 78) class aircraft carrier
since 2001. The system that started out as Heavy
UNREP became Heavy E-STREAM in June 2008.
Instead of utilizing the technology of its predecessor
system, known as Navy Standard STREAM, the ESTREAM system was to be designed using modern
control system components to replace hydrostatic
transmissions and active slipping clutches.
Figure 1. Carrier and Cruiser replenishing from TAOE supply ship that carries fuel, ammo and stores.
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The first UNREP requirement was to replenish
battleships with necessary coal to maintain a
blockade during the Spanish-American War. Later,
fuel oil was then required for destroyers in order to
transit to Europe in World War I. During World War
II, air launched ammunition replenishment at sea
was required for aircraft carriers. (Reference 1)
The first system that resembled the method by which
UNREP is conducted today was known as the Fast
Automated Shuttle Transfer (FAST) system. This
system was in service in 1965 and was capable of
supplying surface-to air missiles from the supply
ship cargo hold to warship magazine. Unfortunately,
FAST was too complicated for its time, both
mechanically and electronically, and was drastically
simplified eight years later into the STREAM
system that exists today. The STREAM system has
evolved through multiple generations of equipment
to reach the Navy Standard system that is deployed
on all active UNREP ships today (4 T-AOEs, 15 TAOs, & 14 T-AKEs). (Reference 1)
In 2001, an opportunity arose to begin design on a
new UNREP system because CVN 78 required a
significantly larger replenishment rate than what was
currently possible (150 tons/hour vs. ~75 tons/hour
per station). This goal could be achieved by some
combination of two factors: increasing the speed and
the lift capacity of the system. After attempting to
increase the speed and capacity of the Navy
Standard system, in June 2008 NSWC PHD
engineers, along with sponsorship from Operational
Logistics Integration (OPLOG) Research and
Development, decided to move forward with a new
design paradigm where STREAM’s increasingly
obsolete hydrostatic transmissions, mechanical
controls, multiple speed motors, and active slip
clutches would be replaced by state-of-the-industry
VFDs, electronic controls and PLCs.
NAVY STANDARD STREAM
SYSTEM
STREAM is a family of send and receive systems
capable of transferring fuel and solid cargo between
ships. Both types of stations on delivery ships rely
on a tensioned wire rope known as a highline (cargo)
or spanwire (fuel) to support the load or fuel hoses.
Each system’s main components in operation are
illustrated in figure 2. Receiving ships have sliding
padeyes to which the highline is attached, allowing
the load to be raised or lowered to/from the deck.
The highline and spanwire winches on the delivery
ship are driven by an electric motor coupled to a
hydrostatic transmission that provides variable speed
and direction control by porting hydraulic fluid from
a hydraulic pump to a hydraulic motor. A
mechanical push/pull cable couples the transmission
to a control handle through which the operator
commands the winch. A large multi-purchase,
hydro-pneumatic device known as a ram tensioner
maintains tension on the highline or spanwire when
connected to another ship. The ram tensioner
passively allows for the ships to move relative to
each other without the highline/spanwire becoming
slack or over-tensioned. An Anti-Slack Device
(ASD) is used when rigging to maintain tension on
the winch drum. The ASD helps with spooling and
prevents “bird-caging” of the wire rope on the drum.
A STREAM fueling station uses three saddle
winches to control three bights of hose along the
spanwire. The saddle winches rely on multi-speed
motors (multiple sets of windings) to haul in and
payout wire rope, keeping the hose bights equally
spaced and out of the water.
Figure 2. STREAM is the current UNREP system,
which is a simplified version of the FAST system.
A STREAM solid cargo station transfers cargo
between the two ships using a trolley riding along
the highline. The trolley is controlled by two
tensioned hauling wire ropes, inhaul and outhaul.
The inhaul wire rope is attached to the trolley on its
inboard side and the outhaul wire rope is fairlead
through a pair of pulleys, known as the traveling
Standard Underway Replenishment Fixture (SURF),
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attached to the receiving ship and attached to the
outboard side of the trolley. The trolley is controlled
through a method of differential tension in the inhaul
and outhaul wire ropes.
The Navy Standard hauling winch is a double drum
winch that utilizes two steps in its mode of control.
The speed and direction of the winch is controlled in
the same manner as the highline/spanwire winch
where a mechanical push/pull cable controls a
hydrostatic transmission. The second step is the
control of the air clutches located inside the winch
drums. Another control handle is connected to a set
of proportional air valves via a mechanical push/pull
cable. The air valves port air to one clutch or the
other, depending on the command. Adjusting the
pressure in the air-clutches creates the differential
tension. Friction material on the air clutch is
engaged with the hauling winch wire rope drums. In
order to transfer loads, the transmission control
handle, known as the speed handle, is locked in the
haul in direction causing both drums to maintain a
minimum tension (1,500 lb) by the clutches inside
slipping. When the handle controlling the air valves,
known as the T-handle, is given a command, one
drum pulls harder than the other. This is due to the
differential pressure in the clutches that causes the
trolley to accelerate in the commanded direction
(See Figure 3 for a simple visual representation of
the air clutch system).
and forth to essentially brake the trolley, while also
attempting to account for ship motion. This requires
a great deal of concentration and training. Even
experienced operators will crash a load into the
receiving ship sliding padeye occasionally.
The final major components in the solid cargo
transfer system are the sliding block on the delivery
ship and the sliding padeye on the receiving ship.
They are both used to raise and lower the load
to/from the deck. The transfer head is attached to the
sliding block and is the interface point for the
trolley. All of the wire ropes pass through the
transfer head on the way to the receiving ship. The
sliding block is chain-driven device coupled to a
two-speed electric motor via gear reducer. The
sliding padeye is basically a large linear actuator
powered by an electric motor coupled to a ball
screw. The carriage, containing the ball-nut
assembly, contains a built-in attachment point to
which the highline is connected.
HEAVY E-STREAM SYSTEM
Figure 4. Heavy E-STREAM trolley transferring
12,000 lb test load at speeds up to 25 ft/sec during atsea qualification trials.
Figure 3. STREAM air clutch hauling winch.
The disadvantage to this type of control paradigm is
that it controls trolley acceleration, not speed. In
order to slow the trolley down before crashing into
the target ship, the T-handle must be “jogged” back
The Heavy E-STREAM system is the first of a
family of next generation UNREP systems. It
utilizes electronic controls to sense, operate,
monitor, and diagnose the system and VFDs to
provide the motive power for the winches and
sliding block. The heavy system is capable of
transferring loads up to 12,000 lbs at a top speed of
approximately
33
ft/sec
(2,000
ft/min),
corresponding to about 50 loads/hr. (Figure 4 shows
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the Heavy E-STREAM system transferring 12,000
lbs during testing.)The system is capable of
operating in either STREAM or Heavy modes
(20,000 vs. 40,000 lbs nominal highline tension and
5,000 vs. 6,500 lbs maximum hauling tensions). By
using payout information from hauling line sensors,
the control system automatically slows the trolley
and load to an acceptable docking speed (2 ft/sec)
when approaching the target ship. The docking
speed was determined through early testing as the
optimum speed where the trolley does not impact
too hard but also is not too slow that it becomes
difficult or unstable to control. This eliminates the
need for “jogging” the T-handle to avoid crashing
the load into either ship as is required when
operating the Navy Standard STREAM system.
Design Requirements
The fundamental system design requirement was
derived by the sortie replenishment rate requirement
in the CVN 78 Operational Requirements Document
(ORD). Distilled to a requirement for UNREP; ‘the
system shall be capable of transferring 150 tons/hr
per UNREP station’. This high throughput
requirement pushed design engineers toward
electronic controls vice the mechanical controls of
the system’s predecessor. It would be impossible to
move and land a load between two ships without
improved system control utilizing sensor feedback to
achieve the required throughput.
on existing UNREP ships. (Figure 5 shows
representative aircraft engine transfer testing taking
place at the Port Hueneme test site.)
Design Philosophy
NSWC PHD engineers instituted multiple design
philosophies to dictate the direction of the
machinery and control system designs. They are as
follows:
1) Eliminate all possible known high
maintenance items in the Navy Standard
system from the machinery design.
2) Design for fail-operability, that is, the failure
of no small, low cost component shall
prevent the system from performing its
designed objective.
3) To the extent possible, the operator interface
shall look and feel similar to that of the
existing Navy Standard system, while still
taking advantage of the controllability
benefits provided by modern control
systems.
4) Maintain
physical
and
procedural
compatibility with existing UNREP delivery
and receiving systems. The way UNREP is
performed shall not change in any
significant way.
5) To the extent possible, Port Hueneme
engineers will provide design direction and
upon completion, design will be Navy
owned. All drawings will have NAVSEA
numbers and be owned and maintained by
Port Hueneme into perpetuity.
6) Where
applicable,
utilize
common
components throughout the system, with the
intent of minimizing logistic footprint.
Figure 5. Heavy E-STREAM system transferring T-56
Aircraft Engine container at the Port Hueneme Test
Site.
Design Team
In the last couple of years the need to transfer a Joint
Strike Fighter (JSF) engine power module at sea has
become another potential driver for the Heavy ESTREAM design and, more importantly, installation
The Heavy E-STREAM design was led by a small
group of engineers from the Underway
Replenishment Design Branch at NSWC PHD. The
majority of the machinery was designed and
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manufactured by Oldenburg Group Inc. (OGI). The
control system and drive system were designed and
manufactured by D&K Engineering and Rockwell
Automation.
Port Hueneme UNREP engineers were deeply
involved in the design throughout the entire process.
As the lifecycle managers for Underway
Replenishment, it is important to the government
team to maintain control of the system for its whole
life, from concept to decommission. The mix of
expertise in UNREP with expertise in machinery
design and manufacture or electronics and controls
helped make a very effective team. The UNREP
engineers were able to apply practical
shipboard/UNREP experience to provide the Navy
with what they really need by directing the teams of
contractors while maintaining constant contact to
ensure the direction is understood. This also allows
for short decision loops and provides flexibility
when unknowns in the Research and Development
(R&D) process become apparent and require a
decision. This development program was fairly
unique in the world of government acquisition, in
that the government subject matter experts own the
design and therefore have a much larger role in the
development than simply handing off a performance
specification.
Design Timeline
Figure 6. Heavy E-STREAM design, manufacture,
installation, and testing schedule.
As shown in figure 6, the completion of an Analysis
of Alternatives (AoA) led to the design of the Heavy
E-STREAM system, beginning in June 2008. The
major system design took place during calendar year
2009 and early 2010. The first prototype system was
manufactured in 2010 for installation at the Port
Hueneme test site in 2011. The second prototype
system was manufactured in 2011 for installation on
USNS ARCTIC in 2012 at Detyens Shipyard in
Charleston, SC. Endurance testing is ongoing at the
PHD test site to identify weaknesses within the
system. The second prototype deployed with USNS
ARCTIC July 2013.
System Components
Figure 7. Representation of Heavy E-STREAM main
system components.
The Heavy E-STREAM system consists of mainly
the same functional components as the Navy
Standard STREAM system, as illustrated in figure 7.
The highline subsystem continues to utilize a
highline winch, ram tensioner, and Anti-Slack
Device (ASD) to support the trolley and load
between the two ships. The highline winch is similar
to its predecessor, but it does not use a hydrostatic
transmission for motive power. Instead, the Heavy
E-STREAM highline winch has an electric motor
directly coupled to the gearbox. The motor is driven
by a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD). The ram
tensioner is also very similar to the Navy Standard
ram, but larger to accommodate the higher required
tension (40,000 vs. 20,000 lbs nominal) and the
larger wire rope (1-3/8” vs. 1”). The ASD no longer
uses an active slipping clutch to transmit torque
from the electric motor to the squeeze sheave. A 15
HP VFD, powered by a shared DC bus with the
highline winch VFD, controls the ASD motor based
on the command of the highline winch. When the
highline winch is commanded, the ASD is then
automatically commanded at a slightly higher speed,
with a prescribed torque limit, to maintain tension on
the winch drum. The nominal rated speed of the
highline winch is 240 ft/min, the same as the Navy
Standard highline winch.
Unlike the Navy Standard STREAM system, there
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are two identical hauling winches in the Heavy ESTREAM system, inhaul and outhaul. They can be
operated independently for rigging the system or
cargo boom operations or in conjunction for UNREP
operations. The hauling winches are controlled by
similar VFD enclosures as the highline winch, but
they utilize more compact, water-cooled, permanent
magnet motors in order to minimize inertial effects
due to required high-speed direction changes. They
each have an associated ASD to maintain tension
during rigging and boom operations; they also
operate under the same control paradigm as the
highline ASD. When operated independently, the
hauling winch drives are controlled via speed
command. However, when they work in conjunction
to transfer a load between ships, they are controlled
via torque command. This is similar to the way the
Navy Standard hauling winch active slip clutches
control the trolley, although the Heavy E-STREAM
control system uses feedback to control the trolley
speed by varying motor torque instead of open-loop
acceleration control. The maximum transfer speed of
hauling winches is approximately 2,000 ft/min,
double the speed of the Navy Standard System.
The sliding block is also quite similar to the Navy
Standard version, but utilizes the same VFD as the
three winches to eliminate the two-speed motor,
which is an increasingly obsolete type of motor
construction. The sliding block is also significantly
heavier than its predecessor, in order to counteract
the significant upward force applied by the highline
when under heavy tension. The sliding block was
designed this way so that the motor and drive could
be the same size as the highline winch. The rated
speed of the sliding block is 200 ft/min, which is
double that of the Navy Standard sliding block.
Although there are many significant components to
the E-STREAM control system, the inclusion of
VFDs is a leap forward in technology for underway
replenishment. It is essentially the replacement for
the hydrostatic transmission and multi-speed motors.
A VFD, in its most simplified form as is illustrated
in figure 8, consists of three main components:
active converter, DC bus, and inverter.
The active converter regulates voltage over the DC
bus using six power transistors arranged with
flyback diodes. Electronics built into the converter
senses voltage in the three incoming AC phases and
over the DC bus. It adjusts the duty cycle and timing
at which the transistors turn on and off to regulate
current flow between the DC bus and the AC lines.
Current flows toward the DC bus when the DC bus
voltage is lower than its set point. When the voltage
is above its set point, current flows toward the AC
lines. The switching frequency is fixed at 4 kHz.
Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are used in
this application for fast switching of high currents
and voltages. (Reference 2)
The DC bus consists of a set of capacitors and
filtering components arranged to store electrical
energy between the active converter and the inverter.
It is equivalent to a single 16,200 microfarad
capacitor rated for 850 volts. The active converter
keeps the DC bus voltage between limits centered
around 650 VDC. The exact limits are based on AC
line voltage and software parameter settings.
(Reference 2)
Figure 8. Simplified diagram of the active converter,
DC bus, and inverter inside a VFD.
The inverter performs the central function of the
drive. It uses six power transistors arranged with
flyback diodes to convert 650 VDC power from the
DC bus to variable frequency 3-phase motor power,
at up to 440 VAC and 650 A. At regular intervals,
the drive compares its current motor speed command
from the Main Drive PLC with the actual motor
speed, based on feedback from an encoder or
resolver. It also senses voltage and current in each
motor lead. The drive uses this information to
compute how much motor current is required to
fulfill the speed command. It adjusts the duty cycle
and timing at which the transistors turn on and off to
achieve this current. The switching frequency is
fixed at 4 kHz. Insulated gate bipolar transistors
(IGBTs) are also used in this application for fast
switching of high currents and voltages. (Reference
2)
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Control System Architecture
The central component(s) of the E-STREAM control
system consist of a redundant pair of identical
Rockwell Automation ControlLogix PLCs located in
the PLC enclosure. The PLC enclosure is essentially
the brain of the system, where the main control
program software resides. The two PLCs are
mutually redundant. That is, one is in charge of the
control system while the other is held in reserve. If
the PLC in charge fails, the other unit takes over.
Together, these two PLCs are called the Main PLC.
The Main PLC monitors operator and sensor inputs
from throughout the control system. The Main PLC
controls all lamps, displays, and audible indicators,
as well as the seven motors and six ASD air-actuated
mechanisms in the Heavy E-STREAM station.
Control of motors, brakes, and ASD mechanisms is
indirect, however, in that the Main PLC
communicates with drive PLCs in the drive
enclosures, which in turn directly power and control
the equipment. (Reference 2)
upon by the Main PLC. Almost all operator
commands and status indication from the local
control enclosures are relayed through the I/O
enclosures. The Master Control Console (MCC) is
both an operator command station and an I/O
enclosure in the lower section. The Master Power
Panel (MPP) enables the machinery and provides
status and diagnostics to the operator.
The drive system branch serves as the muscle of the
E-STREAM system. The drive system also contains
an enclosure for each subsystem. The VFDs in each
enclosure provide the motive power to the motors
and brakes based on commands from the PLC. The
power to each drive is provided by an isolation
transformer, which is supplied by the main ship
power system. The isolation transformer is a one to
one delta-delta transformer whose purpose is to
prevent stray harmonics from the VFDs from
reflecting back to the main power system. See
Figure 9 for an architectural view of the control
system.
Aside from the Main PLC, a Rockwell Automation
DriveLogix PLC is incorporated in each of the seven
drives. These drive PLCs control the drives and
other components in each drive enclosure as
commanded by the Main PLC.
In the case of Main PLC or network loss, the system
possesses an Emergency Run capability that allows
each piece of machinery to be independently
operated in a reduced capacity. When the
Emergency Run selector switch, located inside each
drive enclosure, is switched to Emergency, the drive
PLCs take over control of the equipment set based
on inputs wired directly from operator controls. Each
of the drive enclosures (sliding block, highline,
inhaul, and outhaul) can be independently set for
Emergency Run. So if communication is lost with a
single drive enclosure, only that drive enclosure and
corresponding equipment need be set for Emergency
Run operation.
The Input/output (I/O) branch, which could be
considered the nervous system, of the control system
contains four field enclosures, one for each major
subsystem, and two winch booth enclosures. All of
the sensor information and operator commands are
collected and placed on the network inside said
enclosures. This information is relayed to and acted
Figure 9. Control system architectural diagram.
Two Rockwell Automation ControlNet data
communication
networks
provide
the
communications backbone of the Heavy ESTREAM Control System. Network 1 links the
Main PLC with I/O modules in the MCC, with the
Touch Screen Display (located in the MPP), and
with the seven drive PLCs located in drive
enclosures. Network 2 links the Main PLC with I/O
modules in the four I/O enclosures. Each ControlNet
network uses a pair of redundant cables to transmit
signals between components. Communication
succeeds as long as either one of the two cables
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functions correctly. Figure 10 shows how devices on
the two ControlNet networks are connected.
(Reference 2)
Console (MCC) is shown in figure 11 pointing out
the various operator interface components.
Figure 11. Master Control Console (MCC).
Like the Navy Standard system, the trolley is
controlled by a differential tension between the two
hauling wire ropes, but the T-handle controls trolley
speed, not acceleration. The E-STREAM control
system is able to do this by measuring the wire rope
paid out by each winch with multiple sets of
resolvers. The ship separation is the sum of the two
payouts divided by two and the trolley position,
simplistically, is either the inhaul payout or the
separation less the inhaul payout, depending on the
frame of reference. The trolley will automatically
slow down as it approaches the target ship if the
operator does not slow the trolley down manually,
via T-handle command. Figure 12 displays the
trolley speed command and actual to illustrate how
the system responds to command.
Figure 10. ControlNet network arrangement
Operator Interface and Controls
The operator interface was modeled after the Navy
Standard controls, both in relative location and basic
function. The purpose of this was to minimize the
training required to operate the system and to
prevent confusion between the two systems on the
same ship. This design philosophy also kept a safety
protocol that was already in place with respect to
emergency situations. The procedures for retrieving
the rig in an emergency situation, for example, do
not change. The layout of the Master Control
Figure 12. Transfer cycle data collected during at-sea
test of the Heavy E-STREAM system.
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The highline system operates very similar to the
Navy Standard system. The winch responds to the
control handle, located in a similar location as in a
Navy Standard control booth. There are seven ram
indicator lights instead of six, one extra for
indicating dead center. The Automatic Ram Control
(ARC), from the operator’s perspective, works just
as the Navy Standard ARC works. When the ram is
too high or too low the winch automatically hauls in
or pays out, respectively. Instead of using a series of
micro-switches that indicate ram position and cause
the hydrostatic transmission to respond by paying
out or hauling in, the E-STREAM system relies on
redundant resolvers coupled to a draw wire to
determine the position of the ram. With this
information provided to the PLC, the PLC uses the
highline winch to keep the ram in a center band
(within three green lights on ram position indicator
section of the MCC).
The sliding block is also controlled similarly to
Navy Standard using the control handle on the
MCC, in the same relative location as in the Navy
Standard control booth. When designing the sliding
block system, lever-arm limit switches were
identified as a weakness in the Navy Standard
system, so the E-STREAM system utilizes normally
closed proximity switches instead. The switch
indicates iron is present by opening. The normally
closed aspect allows for simpler troubleshooting.
The primary method of position control, the geared
limit switch assembly, was also replaced with triple
redundant resolvers. The three resolver design is
used in a few places of the control system, where at
least two must agree in order for the control system
to “believe” the output.
conflicting commands from different locations, the
selector switches on the MCC (five position switch
for hauling winches and two position switch for
highline winch) must be set to “LOCAL” and
control must be taken by the local control enclosure
using a pushbutton on the enclosure. Control may
not be taken back by the MCC until control is
released by the local control enclosure via another
pushbutton.
Each control handle is equipped with two or three
encoders. At least two encoders must be functioning,
and their position signals must agree with each
other, for the control handle to be considered good.
If these conditions are not met, the control handle is
considered to have failed. Whether the handle
mechanism contains two or three encoders, depends
on the criticality of the particular control handle. The
highline handle on the MCC, for example, has two
encoders because there is another control location,
the local control enclosure. The sliding block control
handle, on the other hand, contains three encoders
because there is no other place from where the
sliding block can be controlled.
Figure 14. Cut away view of sliding block control
handle to show the encoders and jog switches.
Figure 13. Local control enclosure.
Each winch has a local operator control enclosure to
allow for the winch to be controlled locally vice
from the control booth. In order to prevent
The sliding block control handle and the three winch
local control handle mechanisms each have two jog
switches. Both jog switches and encoders within the
sliding block control handle is shown as a cut away
view in figure 14. Jog switches are wired directly to
the corresponding drive enclosure. The jog switches
are only used in Emergency Run operation, where
the PLC and/or network are not functioning but
power is still available to the drive. The switches
detect when the handle reaches full forward and full
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back position. When one switch is tripped, the motor
jogs (rotates slowly) forward. When the other is
tripped, the motor jogs in reverse.
The Master Power Panel (MPP), shown in figure 15
is located in the control booth and it contains a touch
screen display, load selector switch, and ON/OFF
pushbuttons for the seven motors.
allowing or preventing the drive from supplying
power to the motor. These pushbuttons are not
traditional ON/OFF buttons, as a motor does not
begin turning when the ON button is pressed, it
simply allows the drive to provide power to the
motor when commanded. Although the MPP looks
similar to the STREAM Power Panel in the Navy
Standard system the function of the ON/OFF
pushbutton is subtly different.
Manufacturing
Oldenburg Group Inc. (OGI) manufactured the
majority of the machinery, for the two prototype
systems, in their facilities in Michigan and
Wisconsin. OGI has years of experience building
Navy Standard winches for new ship construction.
They made every effort to utilize said experience
when designing the Heavy E-STREAM to ensure
ease of manufacturing.
Figure 15. Master Power Panel (MPP).
The touch screen display provides detailed system
and component status information, including
information about any CAUTION or TROUBLE
warnings. It is also used to perform and display
results of overload clutch tests performed during
System Operability Testing (SOT) and to perform
engineering functions such as encoder and pressure
sensor calibration. Finally, it provides backup input
in case an operator input device such as a selector
switch or pushbutton fails.
The load selector switch allows the user to choose
between STREAM, HEAVY, and TEST modes.
This essentially sets the torque limits of the winch
motors to correspond to the wire rope tension
requirements of these three modes.
The ON/OFF pushbuttons are linked directly to the
associated Drive PLC to enable or disable the drive,
D&K Engineering assembled the control system
enclosures in their facility in San Diego, CA and
oversaw the fabrication of the custom enclosures
associated with the control system. Fidelity of the
enclosure drawings was verified during assembly. If
a mistake or inconsistency was identified, work
would stop, on that particular part, until a new
revision was supplied. This prevented the assembler
from “doing the right thing” and making what was
on the drawing correct in application without
identifying the deficiency in the drawing. This
method had a two-fold benefit: it validated the
design for assembly and ensured the drawing
package captured the intent of the design.
Rockwell Automation assembled the drive
enclosures and oversaw the production of the
isolation transformer in their facility in Twinsburg,
OH. An interesting thing that the Marine Group at
Rockwell will do when building these particular
drive enclosures for the Navy is, they will purchase a
fully assembled commercial enclosure and
cannibalize it. The Navy has strict EMI requirements
along with harsher environmental requirements than
a typical commercial application. However, most of
the main components are the same; they just need to
be packaged differently. This turns out to be the
most efficient and inexpensive way to build a
custom drive enclosure that meets the Navy’s
requirements.
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Installation
systems.
Installation of the first Heavy E-STREAM delivery
system began in September 2010 at the UNREP test
site in Port Hueneme, CA. It took about a year to
complete. The old Navy Standard machinery and
motor controllers were removed. New structure was
required under the machinery to support the
increased tensions of the new system. A larger
transformer and switchboard was installed to support
the increased electrical loads, as well. Old
machinery foundations were removed and new ones
fabricated and welded down to the deck. All new
cable trays were installed to carry over one hundred
separate power and controls cables between the
control system components. Each electrical
connection required careful workmanship and strict
attention to detail to land individual conductors in
sometimes very intricate connectors. Proper
treatment of shielding was also paramount in
minimizing Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI).
Although there were many challenges to overcome
during this installation, in the end, it was a total
success. The collaboration between Port Hueneme
engineers and technicians, MSC port engineer staff,
and Detyens Shipyard was extraordinary. Whenever
a new issue arose, it was identified and solved with a
path forward identified, usually, within a week. All
future back-fit installations of the Heavy ESTREAM system will apply all of the lessons
learned on this first one.
Local contractors, out of Ventura, CA, were hired to
carry out the installation at the Port Hueneme test
site. B&R Fabrication was hired to complete the
mechanical and welding portions of the installation.
Oilfield Electric was hired to perform the electrical
portion of the job.
During the whole process, the installation drawings
were being proven out or modified based on lessons
learned when attempting to follow the drawing. The
process became somewhat iterative as the NSWC
engineers worked very closely with the team
installing the system. When discrepancies between
the drawing and reality were found, the engineers
and contractors would work together to find a
solution and implement it immediately. The design
engineers outside of NSWC were also heavily
involved in this process at times, most specifically
when the electrical connections were being made.
Detyens Shipyard in Charleston, SC performed the
installation of the Heavy E-STREAM system on
USNS ARCTIC. The job began in February 2012
and was completed in the middle of September
2012. As with the test site, the Navy Standard
equipment was removed. New structure was
installed below the winch deck and on the kingpost
to support the higher loads. A new space was built
on the 03 level to house the drive and cooling
Testing
Each prototype Heavy E-STREAM system was
subjected to a specific test regimen at various points
during development. The machinery was structurally
and operationally tested in the factory and again
post-installation. Once installed, the software was
tested on a functional level and then operational
level. In other words, the functions were verified
through individual functional testing followed by the
validation of the overall software by testing the
system under all operational scenarios. Early
software development and testing was performed in
a representative lab, known as System #0, built at
D&K Engineering.
Over the past two years, Port Hueneme engineers
have been conducting a system endurance test that
has uncovered a handful of weaknesses in the system
that have since been corrected and implemented on
the ARCTIC system.
Figure 16. At sea testing of Heavy E-STREAM system
during Tropical Storm Andrea, June 2013.
In June 2013, the Heavy E-STREAM system
installed on ARCTIC was tested at sea for the first
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time. While at sea, the Heavy E-STREAM system
successfully transferred loads over 1,200 times. This
is equivalent to between four and six aircraft carrier
uploads/downloads. Two-hundred of the 1,200 loads
transferred were 12,000 lb loads and all loads 6,000
lbs and under were transferred at a rate of roughly
fifty per hour. The system operated as designed in
various operational environments, including 100
transfer cycles at night and 200 transfer cycles in
Tropical Storm Andrea (Sea State 4), with loads that
varied between 3,500 lbs and 6,000 lbs (Reference
3). Figure 16 shows a wave coming over rail as the
trolley is returning to ARCTIC while testing during
the tropical storm and the summary data from this
test period is shown in table 1.
# of Cycles
90
Load
Rig Sent/Retrieved
In Port
0 lbs
85
185
100
~3500 lbs
~6000 lbs 6 times to ROBERT E. PEARY (T-AKE 5)
~12000 lbs
460
1304 tons
At Sea
155
530
320
200
1205
widespread than Heavy E-STREAM, from which
only an aircraft carrier outfitted with the proper
sliding padeye can fully benefit.
0 lbs
~3500 lbs
~6000 lbs 6 times to WILLIAM MCLEAN (T-AKE 12)
(without power assist)
~12000 lbs
3
times
to
ROBERT E. PEARY (T-AKE 5)
3088 tons
Table 1. Cycle and load data from the in port and at
sea test of the Heavy E-STREAM station on ARCTIC.
Figure 17. First UNREP with CVN 75 using Heavy ESTREAM delivery system in 5th Fleet on September 1,
2013.
The first deployed Heavy E-STREAM system has
completed a full nine-month deployment on
ARCTIC with no issue. The system sent cargo to
HARRY S. TRUMAN and various other UNREP
ships, on average, once a week for the majority of
the deployment. There has been positive feedback
about the system from both the ARCTIC and all of
the other ships that have received the Heavy ESTREAM rig.
Looking Forward
The E-STREAM system, which will be a direct
replacement for the current STREAM UNREP
system, is mostly in the manufacturing and
environmental testing phase for a fueling-at-sea
system to be installed at the Port Hueneme test site
in 2015. This system is intended to be the UNREP
system of the future and is currently slated to be the
installed on T-AO(X). Along with Heavy, the ESTREAM family will consist of a Fueling-At-Sea
(FAS) and Replenishment-At-Sea (RAS) system,
which have the same capabilities as the existing
STREAM system. The technology developed for
Heavy E-STREAM is heavily leveraged for the
standard E-STREAM systems therefore the
development risk was very low when it was
determined to move forward with this design for TAO(X). It is expected that the standard capability ESTREAM systems will be significantly more
Figure 18. Heavy E-STREAM trolley transferring cargo
from USNS ARCTIC to USNS RAINIER (T-AOE 7) on
September 27, 2013 for USS NIMITZ (CVN 68). This was
the last UNREP with the Heavy E-STREAM station
witnessed by embedded Port Hueneme engineer before
leaving the ship and turning the system completely over
to the ARCTIC crew.
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A Port Hueneme design engineer, who also happens
to be the author of this paper, was embedded on
ARCTIC for the first three months of the
deployment to support the Heavy E-STREAM
system. During that time, the system was sent to
various ships, mostly HARRY S. TRUMAN,
approximately 7 times with an average of about 150
pallets of cargo per UNREP. Figures 17 and 18 are
photographs taken during this time onboard of the
Heavy E-STREAM sending pallets of stores to
HARRY S. TRUMAN and RAINIER.
The successful deployment of the Heavy ESTREAM system on the ARCTIC marks the
beginning of the next generation of Underway
Replenishment for the U.S. Navy while also proving
the interoperability between the new system and the
existing receiving ships, without additional training.
E-STREAM has the potential to increase safety of
operation through operator controls improvements,
reduce total ownership cost by eliminating high
maintenance items, and maximize fleet readiness by
minimizing alongside time.
The
design
is
relatively
complete;
the
implementation and fleet introduction has only just
begun.
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REFERENCES
1. Miller, Marvin O. and McLachlan, Michael J.,
Underway Control Systems, October 2007.
2. NAVSEA TM S9571-CJ-MMA-010, Heavy ESTREAM Control System Technical Manual,
Preliminary, September 2012.
3. McLachlan, Michael J., In Port and At Sea
Technical Evaluation of Heavy E-STREAM
System Onboard USNS ARCTIC, June 2013.
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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Michael Mclachlan is the Lead Design
Engineer at Port Hueneme for Underway
Replenishment Control Systems.
Mr.
McLachlan holds a Master of Science Degree in
Combat Systems Engineering from the Naval
Postgraduate School and a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Mechanical Engineering from
Rutgers University, The School of Engineering.
He has been working in various roles related to
Underway Replenishment systems for almost 12
years. Michael was heavily involved in the early
development efforts to integrate a control
system into existing UNREP machinery, prior to
leading the development efforts for the Heavy
E-STREAM program. He returned from a three
month deployment on USNS ARCTIC, in
October 2013, where he introduced the new
UNREP system to the fleet.
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