Thordon Bearings is supplying its grease-free, self-lubricating ThorPlas-Blue bearing material to a novel containerized wind propulsion system designed to reduce fuel consumption and fossil fuel emissions across all commercial ship types.
The rigid sail system – developed by entrepreneurs Miles Keeney-Ritchie and Satchel Douglas, co-founders of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based start-up Aloft Systems – is a rigid aluminum and composite airfoil housed in a 16m(53ft) shipping container that deploys automatically when the wind is sufficient to propel the vessel along.
Four ThorPlas-Blue bearings were machined and installed on a ¼ scale prototype to allow the sails to fold, rotate 360 degrees and pivot to optimize wind conditions. Thordon will supply the material to full-scale units once the entrepreneurs have partnered with a shipowner with whom to trial the system.
At full scale, two Aloft sail units, each containing a pair of 15m(49.2ft) long, 3m(9.8ft) wide folding sails, can reduce fuel consumption and emissions by at least 6%. Depending on vessel size and configuration more units could increase the fuel savings.
The sails tower 18.3m(60ft) above deck when fully extended.
While wind propulsion technology is maturing, the industry cannot wait and requires a system today that can be easily installed and dropped into existing vessels to meet the gamut of emissions legislation.
The modular, autonomous high thrust propulsion system Aloft Systems has designed does just that. It can be easily lifted on to the deck of any vessel without the need for structural modifications, pipework, wiring, or drydocking.
Having successfully demonstrated the technology on land with the ¼ scale prototype, Aloft Systems is now actively engaging with ship operators to trial a full-scale version on an ocean-going pilot vessel.