Service 02 of 06
Drives and SCR systems on vessels and rigs, diagnosed and repaired on site
A drive that trips is rarely just the drive. I configure VFDs, find the actual fault and repair high-power units where they stand, for vessel owners, drilling contractors and industrial operators.
What I do
The whole chain, from supply to motor
A frequency drive sits between the switchboard and the motor, and between the power engineer and the control engineer. When it faults, each supplier looks at their own box. I look at the whole chain: the supply, the drive, the motor, the control signals and the code that sends them. Then I fix the part that is actually broken.
On drilling rigs I also service and repair the SCR systems from Ross Hill and NOV. Most suppliers will not touch a high-power unit on site. I repair it where it stands, with tooling from my own workshop when needed.
- VFD configuration: parameters, motor data, control mode, ramps and limits set for the application, not left at factory defaults
- Fault diagnosis on drives that trip, overheat or behave differently from one day to the next
- Field repairs on high-power drives and SCR units, on the vessel or the rig
- Replacing drives during a refit or after a failure, and programming the new unit so the equipment behaves as it should
- Optimising existing drives, for instance from speed limiting to torque control, so a thruster responds faster and the generators see less load stress
Platforms
When to call
Three situations where I get the call
Not every drive problem needs an outside specialist. These three usually do.
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A drive trips and nobody can say why
The fault code points at the motor, the motor supplier points at the drive, and the PLC shows an alarm that explains nothing. I measure the supply, read the drive, check the motor and follow the control signals until the cause is found. Often it is not where the fault code says.
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The supplier will not repair a high-power unit on site
Swapping the whole unit means a long lead time and a vessel or rig that waits. I diagnose the unit itself and repair it on site where that is sound engineering. If a replacement is the right answer, I install and commission it.
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An SCR system on a drilling rig needs service
I know the Ross Hill and NOV SCR systems and fault-find them on the rig. I travel on short notice.
In the field
Drive work, without the names
Client and vessel names stay confidential. The work itself I can show: a grid converter, a new bow thruster drive and a fleet refit with new drives.
Marine · Grid converters
50 to 60 Hz grid converter
50 Hz is used in most parts of the world, but not everywhere. This grid converter reliably supplies 10 kW at 208/120 V, 60 Hz, with a minimal footprint and minimal losses.
Read more
Marine · Power drives
New bow thruster drive
One of the vessel's two bow thruster drives had failed. I installed a new drive and improved the response of both by moving from speed limiting to torque control.
Read more
Marine · Government fleet
10-year refit: new VFDs
Six government fleet vessels received their 10-year refit. I replaced and programmed all drives on each vessel and optimised the drive settings to improve the behaviour…
Read more
Services
Other services
Drive problems rarely stop at the drive. These are the five other areas I work in.
01
PLC programming & automation
Siemens Step7 and TIA Portal, Allen Bradley, WAGO, Praxis. Troubleshooting legacy logic, rewriting code blocks, commissioning new platforms.
Read more03
Commissioning & servicing
Electrical, mechanical and hydraulic commissioning of new installations and revamps. ATEX commissioning, structured handovers, documented test protocols.
Read more04
EMS & PMS integration
Propulsion, energy management and process control, integrated over Modbus, Profibus, NMEA, J1939 and Ethernet, so the bridge sees what the engine room is doing.
Read more05
VFD houses & top drive systems
Tesco, Varco, ABB and Canrig top drives and the VFD houses that feed them. Rig moves, re-commissioning, panel rewires after fires.
Read more06
Battery-powered & hybrid vessels
Charging systems, energy management and propulsion control on battery-electric and hybrid ferries, water buses and crew transfer platforms.
Read more01 to 06
All services
The six areas I work in, and where they overlap.
See the overview
System down?
Call. The phone is faster than the form.
+31 6 838 507 23I answer personally and can be on site at short notice.
Have this at hand when you call
- Make and model of the drive or SCR system
- The fault code and what the display shows
- Where the vessel or rig is now, and where it will be
- Who I can reach on site
Talk to me about your drives
Tell me the make of the drive or SCR system, what it does and where it is. I respond personally, usually within one working day.