Hull air lubrication has been round for fairly a while. Now Alfa Laval thinks it has discovered a greater manner of easing a hull extra easily by means of the water on a carpet of bubbles. It has accomplished its acquisition of Marine Performance Systems B.V., a Rotterdam-based maritime know-how firm that has developed the primary fluidic air lubrication system available on the market.
Having acquired a minority stake in Marine Performance Systems B.V (MPS) in 2021, Alfa Laval has now taken the ultimate step to totally combine the corporate below its personal model. The acquisition will speed up the development and introduction of the patented fluidic air lubrication system, FluidicAL into the market to help vessels to sail sustainably.
A ship’s friction when crusing is probably the most vital driver of its gas consumption representing as much as 60% of a vessel’s working expenditures, says Alfa-Laval. The superior fluidic air lubrication system from MPS combines fluidics and air lubrication applied sciences to supply vital reductions within the ship’s friction when crusing.
The system is exclusive in its use of fluidics to generate micro air bubbles with a excessive diploma of management, sustaining an air layer that covers the total flat backside space of the vessel for optimum effectiveness. The discount of frictional resistance engaged on the ship’s hull leads to lowered gas consumption.
“By adding air lubrication system into our portfolio, we are thrilled to further expand our offering of energy-efficient and sustainable solutions to our customers,” says Anders Lindmark, Business Unit President Heat & Gas Systems, Alfa Laval. “Since 2021, we have been closely supporting the development of MPS’ air lubrication technology and we are impressed with the performance of the fluidic air lubrication systems, we have installed on board vessels.”
The patented FluidicAL system requires no structural modifications or vessel recertification, which makes it nicely suited to retrofitting in addition to for newbuilds. Having a minimal footprint and most flexibility, the system may be configured and optimized to the particular vessel’s design and operational profile guaranteeing integration with current onboard know-how seamlessly.
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