WE Tech Solutions has received an order to deliver its direct-drive permanent magnet (PM) shaft generator solution to two 17500 DWT IMO class II chemical tankers owed by Bergen-based Norwegian ship owner Rederiet Stenersen.
The direct-drive PM shaft generator solution from provides the vessel’s electrical network with up to 1500 kW electrical power in Power Take Out (PTO) mode. In Power Take In (PTI) mode, the WE Drive™ technology is used as an auxiliary propulsion drive when the main engine is out of operation. It converts auxiliary generator power to propulsion power by employing the PM shaft generator as an electrical motor.
Due to the modular design of the WE Drive™, the solution has been extended to include shore connectivity and will utilise the common DC-link for energy-efficient DC power distribution in the bow thruster.
Rederiet Stenersen have said that the “WE Drive™ technology provides the advantage of being able to run their two-stoke main engine at variable speed, resulting in significant fuel savings compared with fixed speed.
They also said that the operating hours of the auxiliary generators are dramatically reduced, due to the use of the We Drive™ and that they don’t need to run the auxiliary engines when using variable speed for the main engine. There is lower mechanical loss from the main engine to the propeller when using the direct-drive PM shaft generator instead of a standard tunnel gear solution and this results in a decreased power requirement from the main engine and lower fuel consumption, they stated in a recent press release.
The tankers will be built by the Chinese shipyard Taizhou Kouan Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The delivery from WE Tech to the first vessel is scheduled in Q2 of 2017.
Ship Efficiency Review News
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