{"id":380137,"date":"2022-06-27T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=380137"},"modified":"2022-06-27T06:30:00","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T04:30:00","slug":"the-less-polluting-ships-are-the-ones-that-can-fly-over-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/the-less-polluting-ships-are-the-ones-that-can-fly-over-the-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Less-polluting ships are ones that can fly over the sea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The bay of San Francisco was the first to witness a flying<\/em> sailing boat. It was in 2013, for the 34th edition of America\u2019s Cup<\/a> – the world’s most prestigious sailing competition. The Oracle team<\/a> competed with a 22-meter-long vessel, that could fly <\/em>over the water thanks to hydrofoils<\/em> – wing-like platforms that are attached to the bottom of the hull. More boats started to use them since then. A Swedish team has now come up with a method to design them as efficiently as possible, enabling ships to cut fuel consumption by no less than 80 percent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chalmers University of Technology<\/a> and SSPA<\/a> – a maritime knowledge-based company – partnered up to conduct research on the interaction hydrofoils have on fluids. After a year and a half of studies and tests, they found a method that allowed them to design better ship wings.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hydrofoil technology is nothing new. Its origins trace back to the 1960s when they used to be made of steel. However, the material\u2019s weight and the maintenance it needs hindered its mass use. Current hydrofoils are made of carbon fiber, a lighter yet resistant alternative. <\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>
<\/div><\/div>
An ammonia-powered ship could be sailing as early as 2022, but is it good for the environment?<\/div>
If it were up to billionaire Andrew Forrest, an environmentally friendly ship that uses ammonia rather than fuel oil to sail will be on the water by 2022, an environmentally-friendly solution for a polluting sector. And it is not the only one, because in Rotterdam there are also many initiatives for clean shipping.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Lower drag, less energy needed <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Laura Marimon Giovannetti – former member of the British Sailing Team – is a senior researcher at SSPA. \u201cHydrofoils are similar to airplane wings, but they are smaller because they work in water – which is 1000 times denser than air. They are designed to reach the so-called takeoff speed<\/em> which lifts the hull out of the water. At that point, the only resistance is the drag of the foil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Laura
\u00a9 Chalmers <\/figcaption><\/figure>

Laura Marimon Giovannetti<\/h3>

Senior researcher at SSPA<\/h4>

Her area of expertise is Computational Fluid Dynamics. She has a past as a sailor in elite competitions. Laura is now a research and development adviser for Sweden’s Olympic committee. <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Reducing that kind of resistance is what improves the efficiency of a vessel. The smaller the force it has to counteract, the lower the amount of energy it needs for sailing. Current and future boat technologies can thus leverage the Swedish model, as they know what to expect from this key component and ultimately from the boat itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking into account all variables <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The computational model looks at the foils as a flexible body. Consequently, the design must make sure that the same degree of lift is guaranteed in every scenario. Otherwise, the vessel will not be stable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the foil is deflected, the amount of lift that we get is not the same as when it is not. The boat might lose the advantages it has from being able to take flight,\u201d underlines Arash Eslamdoost, professor of applied hydrodynamics at the Chalmers University of Technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Arash
\u00a9 Chalmers<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Arash Eslamdoost<\/h3>

Professor at Chalmers University of Technology<\/h4>

In addition to teaching applied hydrodynamics, he’s also working on a project redesigning hydrofoils’ propellers. <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The boat\u2019s features and payload are some of the most crucial aspects that have been looked at. In addition to the forces boats have to withstand, the nature of carbon fiber poses one more challenge. The material is made up of several layers, ultimately influencing the behavior of the foil. This factor also influences the lift-to-drag<\/em> ratio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rethinking ships<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

SSPA\u2019s cavitation tunnel was the main testing ground for the foils. There, circulating water is set at the desired speed. High-speed cameras record the images of the foil operating in the cavitation tunnel and measure the amount of deflection over time. \u201cThis way, we were able to measure all the forces involved and to balance the different components,\u201d Marimon adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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