Propulsion system for aquatic vessels

• US 9,394,043 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2014
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Norsepower Oy Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Norsepower Oy Ltd.
• Inventors: Riski, Tuomas, Levander, Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US14/897,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20160121986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 114/39.29, 114/39.3, 440/79, 290/44, 290/55, 603/98, 703/3, 416/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 49/00 Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/213 Levers or the like for controlling the engine or the transmission, e.g. single hand control levers
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 9/02 using Magnus effect
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/5236 Renewable or hybrid-electric solutions

Abstract

A propulsion system for an aquatic vessel is provided. The propulsion system includes one or more Magnus-type rotors that are operable to rotate about their respective substantially upright axes. The propulsion system also includes a drive arrangement for rotating the Magnus-type rotors, and a control arrangement for receiving one or more measured apparent wind speeds and for controlling the drive arrangement to vary a rate of rotations of each of the Magnus-type rotors, for example, as a function of the measured apparent wind speeds. Moreover, the control arrangement is additionally provided in operation with future route information for the aquatic vessel, together with weather forecast information for use in controlling the drive arrangement for improving propulsion provided by the Magnus-type rotors.

Claims

1. A propulsion system for an aquatic vessel, wherein the propulsion system includes one or more Magnus-type rotors that are operable to rotate about their respective substantially upright axes, a drive arrangement for rotating the one or more Magnus-type rotors, and a control arrangement for controlling the drive arrangement for varying a rate and/or a direction of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors,

wherein the control arrangement is operable to receive one or more measured apparent wind speeds and/or one or more measured apparent wind directions, and is additionally provided in operation with one or more forecasted wind speeds and/or one or more forecasted wind directions,

further wherein the control arrangement is supplemented with one or more predicted wind speeds and/or one or more predicted wind directions derived from one or more weather models for use in controlling the drive arrangement for improving propulsion provided by the one or more Magnus-type rotors, wherein the one or more weather models are operable to determine the one or more predicted wind speeds and/or the one or more predicted wind directions depending on the one or more measured apparent wind speeds and/or the one or more measured apparent wind directions and the one or more forecasted wind speeds and/or the one or more forecasted wind directions.

2. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control arrangement is additionally provided in operation with future route information for the aquatic vessel.

3. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the future route information includes a route to be used by the aquatic vessel, and wherein the one or more weather models are operable to divide the route into a plurality of route segments, and to determine the one or more predicted wind speeds and/or the one or more predicted wind directions for one or more route segments from the plurality of route segments.

4. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the one or more weather models are operable to compare the one or more measured apparent wind speeds and/or the one or more measured apparent wind directions with the one or more forecasted wind speeds and/or the one or more forecasted wind directions for current and/or past geographical locations of the aquatic vessel, to improve predictions for future geographical locations of the aquatic vessel along the route.

5. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the one or more weather models are operable to vary the one or more predicted wind speeds and/or the one or more predicted wind directions within a route segment as a function of place in the route segment and/or as a function of time.

6. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control arrangement is operable to predict rates of rotations of the one or more Magnus-type rotors to be used along the route, using a target vessel speed, the one or more predicted wind speeds and/or the one or more predicted wind directions, in a manner that the propulsion provided by the one or more Magnus-type rotors is improved.

7. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the rates of rotations to be used are predicted in advance, thereby allowing the control arrangement to have ample time to control the drive arrangement for varying the rate of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors.

8. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control arrangement is operable to control the drive arrangement to not accelerate or only partly accelerate the rate of rotations, when a total power required to accelerate the rate of rotations is higher than a predefined threshold value.

9. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the propulsion system includes one or more sensors for measuring one or more of:

the rate of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, the direction of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, an angular acceleration and/or deceleration of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, a power applied to the drive arrangement to rotate each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, a thrust generated by each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, an apparent speed and/or an apparent direction of wind, a speed and/or direction of the aquatic vessel, and/or a geographical location of the aquatic vessel, wherein the one or more sensors are operable to generate one or more corresponding measurement signals for the control arrangement to use when controlling the drive arrangement to vary the rate and/or the direction of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors.

10. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more Magnus-type rotors are spherical, ellipsoidal or cylindrical in form.

11. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors has an elongate length in a range of 12 meters to 36 meters, and a diameter in a range of 2 meters to 6 meters.

12. The propulsion system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more forecasted wind speeds and/or the one or more forecasted wind directions are communicated to the control arrangement via a satellite communication link.

13. A method of operating a propulsion system for an aquatic vessel, wherein the propulsion system includes one or more Magnus-type rotors that are operable to rotate about their respective substantially upright axes, a drive arrangement for rotating the one or more Magnus-type rotors, and a control arrangement for controlling the drive arrangement for varying a rate and/or a direction of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors,

wherein the method includes:

providing the control arrangement with one or more measured apparent wind speeds and/or one or more measured apparent wind directions;

additionally providing the control arrangement in operation with one or more forecasted wind speeds and/or one or more forecasted wind directions;

operating one or more weather models to determine one or more predicted wind speeds and/or one or more predicted wind directions depending on the one or more measured apparent wind speeds and/or the one or more measured apparent wind directions and the one or more forecasted wind speeds and/or the one or more forecasted wind directions; and

supplementing the control arrangement with the one or more predicted wind speeds and/or the one or more predicted wind directions derived from the one or more weather models for use in controlling the drive arrangement for improving propulsion provided by the one or more Magnus-type rotors.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the method includes additionally providing the control arrangement in operation with future route information for the aquatic vessel.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the future route information includes a route to be used by the aquatic vessel, and wherein the method includes operating the one or more weather models to divide the route into a plurality of route segments, and to determine the one or more predicted wind speeds and/or the one or more predicted wind directions for one or more route segments from the plurality of route segments.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the method includes operating the one or more weather models to compare the one or more measured apparent wind speeds and/or the one or more measured apparent wind directions with the one or more forecasted wind speeds and/or the one or more forecasted wind directions for current and/or past geographical locations of the aquatic vessel, to improve predictions for future geographical locations of the aquatic vessel along the route.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the method includes operating the one or more weather models to vary the one or more predicted wind speeds and/or the one or more predicted wind directions within a route segment as a function of place in the route segment and/or as a function of time.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the method includes operating the control arrangement to predict rates of rotations of the one or more Magnus-type rotors to be used along the route, using a target vessel speed, the one or more predicted wind speeds and/or the one or more predicted wind directions, in a manner that the propulsion provided by the one or more Magnus-type rotors is improved.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the rates of rotations to be used are predicted in advance, thereby allowing the control arrangement to have ample time to control the drive arrangement for varying the rate of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors.

20. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the method includes operating the control arrangement to control the drive arrangement to not accelerate or only partly accelerate the rate of rotations, when a total power required to accelerate the rate of rotations is higher than a predefined threshold value.

21. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the method includes:

providing the propulsion system with one or more sensors for measuring one or more of;

the rate of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, the direction of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, an angular acceleration and/or deceleration of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, a power applied to the drive arrangement to rotate each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, a thrust generated by each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors, an apparent speed and/or an apparent direction of wind, a speed and/or direction of the aquatic vessel, and/or a geographical location of the aquatic vessel; and

operating the one or more sensors to generate one or more corresponding measurement signals for the control arrangement to use when controlling the drive arrangement to vary the rate and/or the direction of rotations of each of the one or more Magnus-type rotors.

22. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the method includes communicating the one or more forecasted wind speeds and/or the one or more forecasted wind directions to the control arrangement via a satellite communication link.

23. A software product recorded on non-transitory machine-readable data storage media, wherein the software product is executable upon computing hardware for implementing the method as claimed in claim 13.