Dutch maritime research institute Marin has verified that efficiency levels modelled for the ABB Dynafin propulsion concept will convert to real-world ship performance gains, following tests at Marin’s Concept Basin.
The enhanced efficiency has been found to correlate to substantial fuel savings and significantly lower ship emissions compared to conventional propulsion set-ups.
Launched in 2023, after a decade of development, ABB Dynafin is said to offer a fresh perspective on ship propulsion. Its main electric motor powers the rotation of a large horizontal wheel which supports vertical blades – each controlled by an individual motor to mimic the motion of a whale’s tail. Combined, the motions simultaneously propel and steer the ship to optimise thrust and positioning precision.
In comprehensive open water tests, Marin’s measurements and data analysts, working together with specialists from ABB Marine & Ports and ABB Corporate Research in Sweden, confirmed the positive effects for efficiency and performance. Tests verified ABB Dynafin at 18 knots speed achieves up to 81% open water efficiency in full scale.
Jie Dang, Marin Senior Project Manager and Principal Investigator, said: “At Marin, we measure hydrodynamic forces and moments, and determine hydrodynamic efficiency. All mechanical and electric losses have been subtracted from the test set-up.”
René Bosman, Senior Specialist Mechanical Measurement, Marin, added: “We placed a shaft torque and an rpm transducer, as well as a six-component force frame, which was calibrated here at Marin, to measure the overall unit forces and moments. We calibrated also the fin servos with the six-component shaft transducer of our torque motor.”
Janne Pohjalainen, Global Product Line Manager ABB Dynafin, ABB Marine & Ports, said: “ABB Dynafin is all about extremely high efficiency, and this model scale testing gives a good platform for our customers to verify its performance. Our testing has been really successful and what we have seen fully aligns with our expectations from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis.”
ABB’s capabilities on robotics control have contributed to the dynamic performance of ABB Dynafin.
Bin Liu, Senior Principal Scientist, ABB Corporate Research Centre, said: “We have integrated ABB’s leading robotics expertise into the ABB Dynafin propulsor and achieved exceptionally strong, fast and accurate motion control performance.”
Marin’s evidence supplements findings from an earlier independent study of ABB Dynafin by OSK-ShipTech, which concluded that a passenger vessel would save 22% in propulsion energy consumption using the solution compared to a conventional shaftline. The open water tests verify the readiness of ABB Dynafin for market. Initial plans focus on medium-sized and smaller vessels, including ferries for passengers and vehicles, small cargo, offshore support vessels and yachts, in the power range of 1MW–4MW per unit.
As the shipping industry is seeking to meet the IMO targets to phase out fossil fuels by targeting net-zero GHG emissions around 2050, with milestones to cut emissions by 70%-80% by 2040, ABB Dynafin was recognised in Spain’s Retina ECO Award 2024, as a ‘technological innovation with a positive impact on sustainability and climate change’.
Image: Marin tests verify efficiency gains of ABB Dynafin propulsion (credit: ABB)
