Delta Prototypes - Low fuel consumption – Lower water transport costs

Low fuel consumption – Lower water transport costs

Watercraft’s fuel consumption will be several times smaller. As a result, the costs of transport will be significantly lower and, consequently, the competitiveness of the prices of products exported on waterways will increase.

High efficiency, whatever the direction of motion – A safer water transport

High efficiency of the drive, irrespective of the direction of liquid flow, makes it possible for the watercraft to quickly accelerate, change direction and stop when there is a danger of collision. Even in the case of engine failure, the system allows for creating a large amount of braking force by locking the propeller in one of its working positions. The resulting head resistance effectively reduces the speed of the watercraft.

Considering the fact that the braking distance of a large cargo vessel or a tanker can be as much as a dozen kilometres (or more), equipping the ship with my propeller can definitely decrease the risk of collision in large-mass transport. The driver is able to accelerate and stop a watercraft within a distance many times shorter than in the case of a classic propeller screw.

A decrease in the speed of the exploitation of natural resources – Greater energy safety of our planet

Faced with the depletion of natural resources of our planet and growing environmental pollution caused by the process of fuel combustion, it is becoming increasingly unjustified to waste energy by using the propeller screw drive. Watercrafts using standard propeller screw are subject to considerable limitations of overall hydrodynamic efficiency. This is due to a high head resistance of the propeller and energy losses caused by the cavity.

These limitations will not be overcome until a new generation driver are introduced. Delta Prototypes is currently working on such a solution. Such a radical reduction of fuel consumption will entail a decrease in the rate of exploitation of oil accumulations, thus increasing our energy safety.

Harmless to water fauna and flora – Access to nature reserves

Do you need access to areas protected as nature reserves? My vehicles will be totally neutral to the surrounding environment of the nature reserve. They will not have propeller screws, which, when working, threaten water fauna and flora. Wave propellers work very quietly, so they not harm the creatures living in the water by causing undue stress.

These can be manned electric watercrafts of automated watercrafts supporting research on protected ecosystems. Given the efficiency of these propellers, if equipped with solar cells, they can be energetically self-sufficient. In case of unfavourable weather conditions, they can be powered from batteries

Low cavitation coefficient – Quiet operation

Unlike currently used screw propellers, my drive is characterized by low level of generated turbulence, which makes it quiet. This characteristic, along with high hydrodynamic efficiency of driver system, enables us to use it to build quiet, non-invasive, eco-friendly (no rotating elements) manned electric watercrafts insensitive to pollution of the liquid medium or automated watercrafts which can enter quiet zones and support research on nature reserve ecosystems.

A reduction in exhaust fumes discharge – Less environmental pollution

A significant reduction of water transport’s demand for petroleum products translates directly into a considerable reduction in the emission of exhaust fumes.

Adjusting water transport to the new technology is a challenge we all have to rise up to if we want to bring about a significant improvement in the condition of the environment on a global scale.

TECHNOLOGY

The advances in watercraft propelling technology have focused mainly on the sources of propelling energy rather than converting it effectively into the thrust force.

The application of solutions occurring in nature is a modern trend in structural design of machinery. The development of a new propeller family was inspired by the observation of the swimming technique of cephalopods. The outcome of this research is an innovative wave propeller system, which significantly reduces energy loss in the drive of a watercraft. As demonstrated by prototype tests, the propelling technology can seriously reduce the fuel consumption of a watercraft compared to currently used solutions! (See: hydrodynamic efficiency diagram below.)

The innovative geometry and the novel way of controlling the propeller are essential to achieving such high efficiency. Thanks to these factors, turbulence in my propeller is much lower. Water "slides" on it much more easily, which, in addition, makes the drive quiet. Looking at the front of the prototype, we can see that the frontal surface and, consequently, the resistance of the operating wing are reduced to a minimum. .

The future lies in wave propellers.

Diagram based on data from the Kalmar SL1 prototype tests on water.

Such diagrams are used for cross-comparison of hydrodynamic efficiency of watercrafts. For the sake of comparison, the diagram includes positions occupied by contemporary vehicles with screw propellers (the submarine) and representatives of marine fauna, including the dolphin, whose manner of movement has so far been an unattainable ideal for designers in terms of energy efficiency. There is a general rule saying that the more vertical the line between the (0,0) point and the point of watercraft performance, the more closer the vehicle to perfection in terms of energy efficiency. Now it is quite clear to what extent my design outclasses the conventional drive as far as fuel consumption is concerned!

MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND HIGHER EDUCATION AWARD FOR DELTA PROTOTYPES, WARSAW 2008

At the 10th of March 2008, during XV Polish Inventions Exhibition that took place at Museum of Technology of Polish Federation of Engineering Associat...

GOLD MEDAL WITH DISTINCTION FOR DELTA PROTOTYPES! BRUSSELS INNOVA EXPO, 22-25 November 2007

Brussels Innova Expo is the biggest Summit of Innovation and New Technologies in Europe. The main subject of the Brussels exhibition was energy and ...