FAQ
Wind Propulsion
Wind propulsion technologies harness instant, free and renewable wind energy to propel vessels, reducing power demand by 20% and potentially reducing up to 63% with route optimization. They can be retrofitted and even folded away to ensure seamless and safe operations. When a ship is designed with wind as the main propulsion, the wind can provide > 80% of the ship’s energy requirements, depending on the ship’s profile. Source: Zestas
FAQs
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How does thrust from the wind propel a vessel?
How does thrust from the wind propel a vessel?
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What are Flettner rotors and how do they work?
What are Flettner rotors and how do they work?
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What are suction wings and how do they work?
What are suction wings and how do they work?
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What are towing kites and how do they work?
What are towing kites and how do they work?
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What are rigid/hard wing sails and how do they work?
What are rigid/hard wing sails and how do they work?
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What are soft wing sails and how do they work?
What are soft wing sails and how do they work?
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What are soft sails and how do they work?
What are soft sails and how do they work?
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What wind conditions are suitable for wind propulsion?
What wind conditions are suitable for wind propulsion?
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What is route optimisation?
What is route optimisation?
What are soft wing sails and how do they work?
These wind propulsors are similar to the rigid wing sails that are described above, the difference is that they do not have a rigid wing coverage surface material but a more soft one, so that Furling and adjusting of variable camber of the wing profile is possible.
The material of the soft sail is normally made of composite (polyester sailcloth or similar) for endurance in a marine environment, having certain flexibility for being compressed and reefed appropriately.
When the wind becomes unfavourable then instead of retracting, the wing sail is reefed and furled to reduce their exposure to the wind.
The aspect ratios per wing can vary from heights of 30-40m and width from 10-15m, depending on the design and the available space on board.
The requirements for the soft wing sails regarding the installation are mainly similar to the rigid wing sails as described previously, it would be expected an extra auxiliary mechanism to be installed for the furling of the sail cloth, either that be electrical or hydraulic or even pneumatic depending on the provider.
One differentiation regarding maintenance compared to rigid wing sails would be expected to be the soft cloth strength and durability, since such would be related to the operational hours on wind force exposure but also to environmental conditions, such as sun radiation, heat, cold, ice and humidity.
– Information courtesy of Konstantinos Fakiolas’ book ‘Wind Propulsion Principles’, Edition 1 –
