Winches

Winches are devices used to pay out, pull in, and store cable. They consist of a movable drum around which a cable is wound so that rotation of the drum produces a drawing force at the end of the cable. Winches can be powered by diesel, hydraulic or electrical power. A reel is essentially a hand powered winch. Winches are selected by cable capacity, line speed, strength (line pull), and material (typically steel or aluminum). Options include remote controls, level winds, variable speed drives, brakes, clutches (for free spooling), cable counters, and heave compensation. There are many special types of winches for specific applications including those for ROV umbilicals, diver hoses, and CTDs. Slip Rings are used with winches to transfer electrical power, are explained in their own section in this guide. Other related devices include:

Traction Winches - used for tensioning the cable so there will be no spooling problems due to slack line

Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) – used for ROVs, AUVs, and submersibles.
Linear cable engines (LCE) – can pull any size cable, chain or pipe and can pull the material to be deployed from a storage tank or even from an organized "pile" on the deck of a ship. They have the ability to grip nearly any surface and pass or "climb over" joints or other objects

Tether Management Systems (TMS) – are essentially under winches used with ROVs, particularly in deeper water. A heavy duty lifting cable connects the TMS to the surface allowing a lighter weight umbilical to be used with the ROV.

Information on several types of commercially available products can be found here.

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