A third type of cable engine is a linear, tracked cable
engine. These cable engines consist of 30” – 36” long
belts or track drives that close down on the cable in
pairs and provide the necessary holding force for
payout and pickup. The belt or track pair machines
provide a larger surface area for holding cable and are
more suitable for large diameter cables. The belts are
typically 8” – 10” wide gripping surface vs. tire pairs
which are 3” – 4” gripping surface.
Any of the above machines are fully capable of
deploying power cables. However they do have their
limits. Standard submarine cable machinery has a
maximum cable diameter of 150mm and deployment
SWL of 25mt for the CDE. Deployment SWL of the
LCE or tracked engines depends on the number of
wheel pairs. A good rule of thumb is 1 metric ton for
every wheel pair and 2 – 3 metric ton for each tracked
pair.
4 Meter Cable Drum Engine
There are endless deck configurations which can be
accommodated for cable deployment. The most
critical is deck length for separation of the machines
from the cable tanks and the vessel stern chute.
There must be sufficient deck length to provide for
cable minimum bend diameter between the cable tank
and machine. Room is also required for fitting of
cable stoppers or other rigging to the cable aft of the
Track /