Connected to the propeller shaft between the vessel’s main engine and the propeller, the PM generator allows for direct-drive between engine and propulsion, bypassing heavy and expensive electrical equipment, saving weight and maintaining high efficiency throughout the entire engine rev range.
Fuel savings from the technology can amount to 20-30% “depending on how you calculate it,” according to WE Tech Solutions md Mårten Storbacka.
The first four Lloyd's Register-certified PM direct-drive marine shaft generators will be delivered by WE Tech Solutions to a series of post-panamax ro-ro carriers under construction in China, with the first vessel due for completion in Q4 2015. “This is the next big thing in marine,” said Storbacka. “Since this technology lowers the need for installed power on a ship, energy generation and weight are reduced significantly, thereby lowering fuel consumption and the need for maintenance.”
Bench testing of the PMM 1000 direct-drive marine shaft generators in Vaasa demonstrated efficiency of 97% over the entire speed range, “even surpassing our expectations,” according to Mika Koli, business development manager of marine at The Switch. “What’s unique about our bench test setup is that we can immediately do full-power testing to check the efficiency across the entire speed range. In fact, we carried out extremely comprehensive testing to receive certification from Lloyds, one of the top authorities in the marine sector. This has indeed been worth the effort, because we strongly believe this product will be seen on many ships in the near future.”
Additional orders have been placed by WE Tech for delivery to Terntank Rederi AS of Denmark and Torvald Klaveness of Norway.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.
