Testing has begun on the recently installed rotor sails on the MV Maersk Pelican. The two large cylinders installed on the deck of the 110,000 DWT Long Range 2 product tanker may not look much like sails but may represent the future of sail assist technology in commercial shipping. The 30 meter tall and 5 meter in diameter rotors, the world’s largest, are a modern version of the Flettner rotor developed in the 1920s. When the rotors are spun in a wind, they develop lift which can be used to propel a ship or to reduce the fuel consumed by the main engines. The rotor sails on the Maersk Pelican are expected to reduce fuel consumption by 7 to 10% on average.
The rotor sails were provided by Norsepower Oy Ltd., working with project partners Maersk Tankers, Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and Shell Shipping & Maritime.
“This project is breaking ground in the product tanker industry. While the industry has gone through decades of technological development, the use of wind propulsion technology onboard a product tanker vessel could take us to a new playing field. This new technology has the potential to help the industry be more cost-competitive as it moves cargoes around the world for customers and to reduce the environmental impact,” said Tommy Thomassen, Chief Technical Officer, Maersk Tankers.
Maersk Pelican is the third ship with Norsepower Oy rotors installed. In 2015, Bore Line had a single rotor installed on its Ro/Ro MV Estraden. Pleased with the results, they had a second rotor installed in 2016. This year the LNG powered cruise ferry Viking Grace became the first passenger vessel to install a rotor sail.
The longest running modern rotor ship is the 10,000 DWT Ro/Lo E Ship 1, owned by Enercon. With four rotors, fuel savings averaging 25% have been reported.
I spotted the Estraden off the coast of Norfolk as we sailed north to Scotland in the spring of 2017. I had to explain to my two crewmates about Flettner rotors as none of us had seen them in action before. Only upon reading this article have I become aware that she was the first modern ship to use the rotors.
In the 30’s PSE&G built one Land Based Madaras rotor prototype, at their Burlington power plant: 90′ tall 22′ diameter @ 200rpm This system was similar to a ship’s Flettner rotor system.
PSE&G was supposed to build 20 of these rotors
atop rail cars, on a circular track with a 20 mph railcar velocity and harness this rotational energy to make electricity. Alas the vagaries
and intermittent nature of wind power proved overwhelming
and this project was abandoned at one rotor
-Souce The Energy People a history of PSE&G by Conniff
First used on a ship in 1926.
Spinning metal sails
could slash fuel
consumption,
emissions on cargo
ships
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/09/spinning-metal-sails-could-slash-fuel-consumption-emissions-cargo-ships