Ulstein Today no 1, 2005 - Ulstein Group

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Student project in Ulstein Elektro
Student prosject in Ulstein Elektro
New control system for valve actuators
A good partnership between Ulstein Elektro’s automation department and
Aalesund University College has provided two students with a realistic and meaningful
project, and Ulstein Elektro with a new product.
“A while ago we developed a solution that
can control up to 31 valves using a twin
wire cable. New technical solutions from
the producer of the valve actuator meant
that, together with them, we could develop
a new and bigger version that can control
up to 127 valves via one cable. We regarded
this as development work that would make
a suitable project for a couple of students,”
says Ulstein Elektro’s technical manager, Geir
Haddal. The company has worked closely
with Aalesund University College for many
years, and when the students were presented
with a range of projects a few months
ago, Ståle Fure and Tom Jørann Giske chose
the actuator project. The product is now as
good as ready.
INSTRUCTIVE
“Few students get a chance to carry out a
project in a company, and working with a
concrete product that will be on the market
has been very interesting and instructive,”
report the two students, who are taking
Bachelor’s degrees in automation technology.
For around three months they have spent
three days a week at Ulstein Elektro and,
together with their supervisor in the
company, Arne Johan Helle, they have run
the entire process from concept to finished
product. The newly-developed actuators
will save an enormous amount of cabling in
vessels. Earlier solutions have often involved
one or more cables for each valve, while the
newly-developed solution requires no more
than one control cable for a circuit of up to
127 valves.
“We expect a lot of the product,” says
Geir Haddal. “Even before the product is
finished, we have signed several contracts
with yards in Turkey and are expecting more
orders soon.” The actuators are supplied
by Lyng Motor in Trondheim, usually as
package solutions with the valves already
mounted. Lyng Motor and Brødrene Dahl
market the products both nationally and
internationally.
“Ulstein Elektro will be responsible for
production and system adaptation. We have
developed the system for Brødrene Dahl on
U L S T E I N T O D AY N O . 1 / 2 0 0 5
Exciting development work at
Ulstein Elektro. From the left:
student Ståle Fure, supervisor
Arne Johan Helle of Ulstein
Elektro, and student Tom
Jørann Giske.
purely commercial terms, but have retained
the rights concerning use and adaptation
for our own vessels and own designs, and
package solutions. We hope this will help
to simplify installations by reducing the
amount of cabling and installation time for
our own vessels,” says Haddal.
VITAMIN BOOSTER
“Being able to work with Aalesund University
College and the students in this way is
very good for us,” continues Geir Haddal.
“We can utilise the college’s resources, gain
an insight into the students’ capabilities,
and can carry out concrete, practical projects
with a greater breadth than a normal
project would permit. Getting young
colleagues to come here is also a vitamin
boost for us,” he points out.
Ulstein Elektro’s automation department is
experiencing a period of growth and needs
new staff. The cooperation with Aalesund
University College on the actuator project
has been so successful that both students
have been offered jobs with the company.