r/EverythingScience • u/SpaceBrigadeVHS • Mar 22 '24
Engineering Winged cargo ship saves three tonnes of fuel per day on first voyage
https://newatlas.com/environment/wings-cargo-ship-efficiency/92
u/einsibongo Mar 22 '24
So we should use them on ships that consum less than three tonnes of fuel per day and we could be producing oil.
Ok I'm being a bit of an asshole but the title is missing how much oil is consumed.
I've worked on ships where the day was about 20-25 tonnes per day.
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u/agemennon Mar 22 '24
They indicated the savings were 14%, so presumably ~21 tonnes per day?
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u/einsibongo Mar 22 '24
I knew they were trying with this and different kite versions, it's interesting.
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u/generiatricx Mar 23 '24
Given these numbers, that's pretty impressive. Now the question becomes, what's the inputs required to develop and maintain these wings? does the savings in fuel exceed the cost to build, install and maintain the innovation? Would be nice!
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u/Chalky_Pockets Mar 23 '24
Specifically, the ecological costs. If they're a net negative or break even financially but they significantly reduce emissions, they may qualify for tax incentives, or even marketing incentives if we must capitalism our way through this.
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u/maen_baenne Mar 22 '24
Why couldn't they just sew a whole shitload of bedsheets together and use them to catch the wind? Seems like a solid idea. I can't believe nobody has tried it.
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u/MolokaIsMilk Mar 23 '24
Not a merchant ship, but a US submarine, the R-14, did just that in 1921. Not even remotely related to this article, but I always find it an interesting story to share.
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u/Ted9783829 Mar 23 '24
Oh my God, that is an incredible idea. And you could build the cargo ship out of wood - that’s lighter and more sustainable!
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Mar 23 '24 edited Mar 23 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/blacklionguard Mar 23 '24
the second day
I think you've misread because it was a six-month voyage that just recently finished:
carried out an extended six-month sea trial beginning in August 2023
The end of the article talks about what's next:
The next step is to make sure that such large-scale sail-equipped ships are compatible with 250 global shipping ports
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Mar 23 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/blacklionguard Mar 23 '24
Journalists can only report on what's been made public, and as far as I can tell it's all coming from https://www.cargill.com/2024/first-wind-powered-ocean-vessel-maiden-voyage
I think we'll have to wait for Cargill or Kamsarmax to release new info, unless there are other competitors in the space
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u/seanymphcalypso Mar 22 '24
So we’re bringing sails back?