Compared to other vehicles, ships are ton for ton the most environmentally-friendly means of transport and, from the current perspective, indispensible for great tonnage and long distances. On the other hand it cannot be denied that harmful emissions from ships contribute to air pollution and climate change. Alternative engines based on renewable energy can make an important contribution here to fuel savings, and thus to the reduction of CO2 and pollutants, particularly as a great number of the ships still use heavy fuel oil with a high sulfur content.
Sail rotors in current use are based on the principles of rotor technology developed by Anton Flettner in the 1920s. Here there is still much room for improvements, some possible examples of which are explored in the project being carried out by Innoven GmbH (Bremerhaven). Within the framework of a “concept study” various possibilities for optimization were examined and evaluated. As a result some variants were chosen which, through aerodynamic calculations using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), produce a basis for the construction of a functional model with possible variations. Finally these were metrologically tested in a wind tunnel with regard to their efficiency and stability. Using the wind tunnel test results, the constructive design of a sail rotor for use on transport ships was developed as representing the best concept.
