PropelWind wingsails
Actiflow worked with Propelwind during three years of research and development
Propelwind is an innovative company, founded by seasoned professionals in the shipping industry, using sailing technology from the well-known America’s Cup Ocean Race. Propelwind’s ambition is to demonstrate that wind can be used as main propulsion for cargo vessels, with commercially viable performance and considerable reduction of fuel consumption.
Case details
The Challenge
Actiflow worked with Propelwind during three years of research and development, and the results are encouraging: the basic design is ready and the limitations of the concept have been identified, leading to positive reactions from the industry. The proposed approach is unique because of the use of sailboat racing technology from the America’s Cup Ocean Race, along with established ship-building technology. In addition, Actiflow used its expertise to make a highly aerodynamic design for the wing sails, taking into account all interferences between the different wing sails on the ship.
Results
Besides developing a conceptual design of a ship that uses wind as main propulsion, we proved that a wing can be used to achieve a 30% reduction in fuel consumption for “standard” engine driven ships (assistance to propulsion). Thanks to this research, Propelwind is now recognized by the industry as one of the experts in wind propulsion.
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