Kongsberg Dual Redundant Dynamic Positioning System
The K-Pos DP-21/22 dynamic positioning - DP system consists of a dual DP controller unit and operator stations. The controller unit and the operator station communicate via a dual high-speed data network. The DP-21 provides a direct interface to the propellers, thrusters and rudders, and includes the necessary interfaces to power plants, position-reference systems and sensors. The DP-22 is designed for integration with K-Chief (marine automation system) and K-Thrust (thruster control system) via a dual Ethernet LAN. Dual redundancy is also built into the interface units for connection of sensors and position reference systems. Integrating all the functions for monitoring and control of a vessel provides a real benefit both technically and economically. Functions are integrated to reduce the overall need for hardware and software functions and to reduce interfacing requirements. This leads to less demand for special software, cabling and testing. Furthermore, integrated systems offer a far greater degree of redundancy, and therefore increased system availability and operational performance. No single point failure. The system is designed to avoid total system failure if a single failure occurs. If one system component fails, the other components will not be affected. The working part of the dynamic positioning system will detect a failure, allowing corrective actions to be taken. If the on-line computer in the system fails, a successful switch-over to the hot standby computer occurs automatically. The K-Pos DP-21 and 22 dynamic positioning systems meet the Equipment Class notation for Class 2 DP systems. The flexible nature of K-Pos systems allow them to be upgraded to Equipment Class 3 if/when required.
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Common issues
- Position reference system dropout or degraded signal (DGPS, HPR, laser) affecting DP status
- Sensor disagreement/voting alarms between redundant gyro or VRU units
- Network switch or serial line faults causing loss of communication between the DP computer and thrusters
- Software/firmware version mismatch after a partial upgrade causing instability
- UPS or power distribution faults compromising a redundancy group
- Operator station (joystick/trackball) response lag or freeze
Inspection checklist
- Verify DP status display for active alarms or degraded (yellow/red) status
- Check position reference system health and current reference weighting
- Confirm redundancy group independence (power, network) still matches the FMEA/class documentation
- Test manual backup and joystick control changeover
- Check UPS battery condition and autonomy test result
- Verify installed software/firmware versions against the class-approved configuration
- Review the DP incident/alarm log since the last check
- Confirm annual DP trials are current
Service intervals
| Annual DP trials (class/flag requirement) | every 12 months |
| UPS battery test | typically every 6-12 months |
| Position reference system calibration/check | per the maker's schedule, typically annually or after major maintenance |
| Software/firmware configuration review | at each planned maintenance window or after a class-required upgrade |
Critical spares
- Operator station keyboard/trackball unit
- Network switch matching the installed redundant network type
- UPS battery set
- Position reference sensor interface card - must match the as-fitted configuration; do not order by a guessed part number
Safety
- Loss of position keeping during DP operations can lead to collision, allision, or damage to risers/pipelines on DP-critical operations
- Blackout risk if redundancy groups are not electrically independent as designed
- Unauthorized software changes can invalidate the vessel's FMEA and DP class notation
- Confirm the correct DP operating class is set before starting a critical operation
Class survey
DP class notation (e.g. DP2/DP3) requires annual DP trials verified per class rules, an FMEA that the trial results are checked against, and records of any change to the redundancy concept; class checks that the as-fitted configuration still matches the approved FMEA.
Components & Design
Component data being added…
Technical Data
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