Design and operational performance of a standalone passive heave compensation system for a work class ROV

The design, testing and operational performance of a passive flying-sheave type heave compensator are discussed. The design process relied heavily on computer simulations of the system dynamics. The paper presents a simple dynamic system model that has sufficient detail to predict the performance of the heave compensator and to guide the design process. The factory testing and operational performance of the heave compensator, as well as a possible extension to a hybrid active-over-passive system, are described.