ThorPlas-Blue bearings in place within the Aloft prototype. Credit: Thordon Bearings
Thordon Bearings is supplying its grease-free, self-lubricating ThorPlas-Blue bearing materials to a novel containerized wind propulsion system designed to scale back gas consumption and fossil gas emissions throughout all industrial ship sorts.
The inflexible sail system—developed by entrepreneurs Miles Keeney-Ritchie and Satchel Douglas, co-founders of Boston, Mass.-based start-up Aloft Systems—is a inflexible aluminum and composite airfoil housed in a 16m (53ft) transport container that deploys mechanically when the wind is enough to propel the vessel alongside.
Four ThorPlas-Blue bearings have been machined and put in on a ¼ scale prototype to permit the sails to fold, rotate 360 levels and pivot to optimize wind situations. Thordon will provide the fabric to full-scale items as soon as the entrepreneurs have partnered with a shipowner with whom to trial the system.
Aloft Systems’ Head of Engineering Satchel Douglas mentioned: “We contacted a number of bearing manufacturers, but decided on the Thordonmaterial as it’s as robust and low maintenance as you can get. We needed a fit-and-forget solution capable of withstanding high loads and pressures. And with ThorPlas-Blue there’s no maintenance, no grease, no corrosion. It was exactly what we were looking for.”
Jason Perry, Thordon Bearings’ Regional Manager – North America, mentioned: “Aloft Systems aligns completely with our mission statement and ethos on environmental sustainability, so we are delighted to be part of this innovative and important project from the outset. The flat-out ingenuity of something like this has the potential to get the entire global shipping industry moving to wind power. Aloft has hit the sweet spot.”
At full scale, two Aloft sail items, every containing a pair of 15 meter (49.2 toes) lengthy, 3 meter (9.8 toes) vast folding sails, can cut back gas consumption and emissions by not less than 6%. Depending on vessel dimension and configuration extra items may improve the gas financial savings.
The sails tower 18.3 meter (60 toes) above deck when absolutely prolonged.
“The goal is not to replace the ship’s existing propulsion system, rather reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and help shipowners meet their emissions targets without taking vessels out of service to do so,” mentioned CEO Keeney-Ritchie.
“The beauty of it, is that vessel owners can change the number of units on their vessels for each voyage to optimally balance fuel savings with the cargo requirement. It’s not a fixed installation, the sails can be moved from ship to ship.”
While wind propulsion expertise is maturing, the business can not wait and requires a system at present that may be simply put in and dropped into current vessels to satisfy the gamut of emissions laws.
The modular, autonomous excessive thrust propulsion system Aloft Systems has designed does simply that. It might be simply lifted on to the deck of any vessel with out the necessity for structural modifications, pipework, wiring, or drydocking.
“If shipowners want to make a difference right now, if they want to save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions right now, then it is wind power that’s going to get them there fast and more cost effectively than any other form of renewable propulsion,” mentioned Keeney-Ritchie. “We’re designing for a 25-year life span, with an ROI directly related to the cost of fuel we save. Where our solution stands apart is the installation cost will be essentially nothing whereas the installation cost for other systems can be the almost as much as the unit itself (so nearly doubling the effective cost).”
Craig Carter, Thordon Bearings’ VP Business Development, furthered: “As a member of the International Wind Ship Association (IWSA), we are keen to support new developments in sustainable propulsion technology. Wind is currently the only zero-emission means of propulsion and Aloft Systems has found a way of making that energy available for all vessels.”
Having efficiently demonstrated the expertise on land with the ¼ scale prototype, Aloft Systems is now actively participating with ship operators to trial a full-scale model on an ocean-going pilot vessel.
