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beyond thehorizon

Rolls-Royce advanced design and technology opens up a new age of adventure tourism

Pages 20-23

The Rolls-Royce marine magazine Issue 28 • September 2016

Customer focusOn board a fish farm

vessel powered by LNG

Leading innovationSafe transfers to

offshore wind turbines

Latest projectsRadical developments

in contra-rotation

Latest technology‘Power by the Hour’ service reduces risks

About Indepth magazine People© Rolls-Royce plc 2016. The information in this publication is the property of Rolls-Royce plc and may not be copied, communicated to a third party, or used for any purpose other than that for which it is supplied, without the express written consent of Rolls-Royce plc. While the information is given in good faith, based upon the latest information available to Rolls-Royce plc, no warranty or representation is given concerning such information, which must not be taken as establishing any contractual or other commitment binding upon Rolls-Royce plc or any of its subsidiary or associated companies. Opinions expressed may not necessarily represent the views of Rolls-Royce or the editorial team. The publishers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. All photographs © Rolls-Royce plc unless otherwise stated.

Editor: Andrew RiceDesign: Renny Hutchison; Felipe Perez; Raymond FrancisContributors: Simon Kirby; Silke Rockenstein: Andrew Rice; Craig Taylor; Patrik Wheater; Richard White Production: Connect Publications Ltd

16CONTRA-ROTATIONDecades of experience in hydrodynamics and cavitation are vital in providing a radical propulsion solution for a hybrid superyacht

10WALK THIS WAYTransferring technicians safely and efficiently to offshore wind turbines

12QUESTIONS ANSWEREDKevin Daffy, Director Engineering & Technology, on challenges and opportunities

14PERMANENT MAGNETSRolls-Royce is expanding its range of permanent magnet thruster options

32REASSESS YOUR RISKRolls-Royce expands its innovative marine “Power by the Hour” service

34TRIED AND TESTEDThe new MTU marine gas engine successfully completes 3,000 hours of bench testing

28SUSTAINABLY FEEDING FISH LNG-powered vessels are playing a key role in keeping the fish fed in Norway’s vast aquaculture industry

30A DECADE OF NAVAL SUPPORTHow a small team providing in-service support to the Royal Australian Navy has evolved to become a leading provider of fully integrated material support

20INVESTING IN ADVENTURENorwegian shipping line Hurtigruten places an order for up to four new Rolls-Royce designed explorer vessels

Issue 28 • September 2016

ContentsLatest projects

Leading innovation Latest technology Customer focus

rolls-royce indepth magazine 03

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04 rolls-royce indepth magazine

upfront

nce again, the eyes of the shipping world will be on Hamburg this September, where the

SMM international maritime trade fair takes place.

With the rapid pace of technology development in our industry today, and the challenges many have faced because of low oil prices, this year’s SMM promises to be an eye opener for many reasons.

There’s no doubt that the digitisation of shipping is happening, and happening fast, so I expect that will be a hot topic once again. The wider availability of new cloud-based technology and big data platforms is going to have a dramatic impact on how the shipping industry manages information, not to mention how it will operate in future.

We’re seeing solid growth in the use of data, with owners wanting more real time information to better manage their assets.

For Rolls-Royce, it means a new way of thinking, and a new way of running our business. We’re nearing the completion of a major exercise to re-shape our business around the future market, and that of course means shaping our business around the future demands of our customers.

What low oil prices have taught us is that we need a business with more balance that can address the

future technology challenges facing our customers across all sectors, not only those involved in offshore. What our experience of offshore does give us though is a suite of proven technology that can be used elsewhere, in adjacent markets.

This year, we’ve been successful in landing a range of contracts that have involved us taking our technology into new and emerging markets, where the demands are surprisingly often quite similar to those of offshore operators.

One example is in offshore wind, where the trend is now towards larger turbines operating further out to sea, beyond the range of smaller workboats. So, what do you require to carry out these demanding tasks and ferry people and equipment safely to these offshore installations? The answer is a vessel with proven capability, excellent seakeeping and in-built systems to enable the safe and routine maintenance of a growing number of offshore windfarms.

EditorialDespite current economic uncertainties, Rolls-Royce is focused on navigating new markets arising from our experience in different industries and sectors

with mikael mäkinen

Thought leadership from our Executives

O

TOP: The Benetti Vivace 125 yacht Iron Man is the first to be fitted with Azipull Carbon thrusters [Image credit: Benetti/Quin Bisset]BOTTOM: Our vast experience in offshore is also benefitting renewable energy.


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We’ve recently won a repeat order for the latest adaptation of our classic UT design, specifically developed around the requirements of this evolving industry. The walk-to-work nature of these ships means maintenance crews can spend several days at sea, in relative comfort between shifts, much in the way those serving oil and gas platforms do.

The need to withstand harsh sea conditions, to operate efficiently, reliably and safely, underpins our product and systems philosophy. That’s meant that we’ve had to develop solutions that are mission critical and our customers can rely on.

Another new market opportunity is an exciting project for Norway’s Hurtigruten, who are developing a new generation of explorer cruise ships to operate in Arctic waters. It’s a destination growing in popularity with passengers who want an experience just that little bit different. Read more about it on page 18.

These vessels will incorporate a range of Rolls-Royce technology,

“The need to withstand harsh sea conditions, to operate

efficiently, reliably and safely, underpins our product and

systems philosophy”

much of which owes its existence to the demands of the North Sea. These ships will feature our wave-piercing bow, and the Unified Bridge, both originally developed with offshore in mind, but now finding favour across a range of ship types. It’s been many years since we designed a cruise ship, and we’re delighted to be involved in this very significant project.

Another area I expect to hear more about in future is the use of alternative materials and smart manufacturing techniques. Across Rolls-Royce we have access to an extensive range of know-how in these technologies, developed for numerous markets. The use of much lighter carbon fibre materials in our jet engines is quite advanced, and we’re now taking this to our marine portfolio.

This year we delivered our first Azipull Carbon thruster, a significant proportion of which is manufactured from carbon fibre. Aimed initially at the yacht market, its lightweight construction and hydrodynamic characteristics give us another exciting prospect for the future – you can read more on page 8.

The past 18 months have rocked many parts of our industry, but in some ways this period has created a much sharper focus on what lies ahead in technology terms. Successful navigation of such new opportunities will be the key to a brighter future. There will be challenges along the way, such as uncertainties in the world economy, but there is a clear drive to move shipping to a new age.

Digitisation is coming, and there is a growing demand for ships to be increasingly efficient – that will see more players adopting new digital business models. So there is no doubt about our industry being in transition, which could perhaps see more consolidation. Such transition is an exciting prospect, and if you’re prepared to embrace change, the opportunities will come.

www.rolls-royce.com/ products-and-services/marine

www.linkedin.com/ company/rolls-royce

marineinfo @rolls-royce.com

ABOVE: Rolls-Royce will design and equip explorer cruise ships for Norway’s Hurtigruten.

BELOW: Mikael Mäkinen


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The Rolls-Royce led Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA) published a white paper to coincide with its presentations at the Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium 2016 in Amsterdam. The white paper outlines the project’s vision of how remote and autonomous shipping will become a reality.

It explores the research carried out on the business case for autonomous applications, the safety and security implications of designing and operating remotely operated ships, the legal and regulatory dimensions and the existence and readiness of a supplier network to deliver commercially applicable products.

The white paper draws on a range of expertise from academic researchers from some of Finland’s leading universities: Tampere University of Technology; VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd; Åbo Akademi University; Aalto University, and the University of Turku. Industry input has been provided by leading members of the maritime cluster including Rolls-Royce, Brighthouse NAPA, Deltamarin, DNV GL and Inmarsat.

The project also has the support of shipowners and operators. The tests of sensor arrays are being carried out aboard the Finferries 65 metre double-ended ferry, the Stella. ESL Shipping Ltd is helping explore the implications for the short sea cargo sector.

Download the white paper at: www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/marine/services/ship-intelligence/remote-and-autonomous-operations.aspx

£44m investment in thruster manufacture

will allow us to plan for the future, enable us to efficiently produce our existing range and develop new and larger mechanical thrusters.”

The largest and most powerful thrusters are the ARC type, which power icebreakers such as Finland’s Fennica and Nordica. They are among the largest products produced by Rolls-Royce and each weighs up to 190 tonnes, providing 7.5Mw of power.

The work to transform Rauma will begin immediately and is due for completion in 2020.

(*Based on an exchange rate of €0.775)

Rolls-Royce is planning a major programme of investment in its azimuth thruster production facility in Rauma, Finland, consolidating assembly and test capability and modernising the operation to position the business for future growth opportunities.

The €57m* (£44m) project will include a major rebuild of existing facilities, the transfer of thruster assembly and testing on to one site from the existing two locations, and a significant investment in new equipment.

Rauma produces a wide range of mechanical azimuth thrusters for use across a number of applications, including semi-submersible drilling rigs and drillships, tugs and offshore vessels, to icebreakers and polar research ships.

Mikael Mäkinen, President – Marine, said: “Our azimuth thrusters are one of our most important products, providing mission critical power and propulsion for some of the largest floating objects on the planet. To be able to make this significant investment in Rauma not only prepares us for future growth in this market, but is a vote of confidence in the capability and expertise of our people.”

Olli Rantanen, Finland, Managing Director, added: “Since the first azimuth thruster was developed here in Rauma over 50 years ago, these products have become the standard choice for customers demanding very high levels of reliability, power and performance, often in extremely challenging environments. This investment

The latest developments across Rolls-Royce marine

ABOVE: Azimuth thrusters are among the largest products designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce and the range is extensive.

BELOW: Olli Rantanen, Managing Director of the Rauma site.

Vision for autonomous ships published


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First chemical tanker enters serviceThe first of four 15,000dwt chemical tankers ordered by Swedish tanker owner Terntank Rederi AS from the AVIC Dingheng Shipbuilding yard in China is scheduled to enter service in Europe during August, after successfully completing sea trials in May.

Named Tersund, the vessel will be deployed under a time charter with Finnish North European Oil Trade OY (NEOT), primarily distributing refined oil products from NEOT’s Gothenburg refinery

With a length of 147m and a beam of 22m, the tankers of Rolls-Royce NVC 615 CT design feature the slender hull and

wave-piercing bow design from the award-winning Environship.

The hull design offers up to eight per cent less hull resistance and improves vessel performance in a seaway, with less speed loss in heavy seas, less bow impact and

ABOVE: Ternsund, a Rolls-Royce NVC 615 design, on sea trials. BELOW: Bunkering for the first time in Rotterdam. (Credit: Port of Rotterdam)

slamming and lower accelerations in the fore of the ship. As they will operate in Northern European waters, the tankers satisfy Terntank’s demands for minimal environmental impact and will run efficiently on LNG as well as diesel.

The second tanker in the series, named Ternfjord, was delivered in August with the remaining newbuilds scheduled for delivery at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017. As well as the base design for the tankers, Rolls-Royce supplied tunnel thruster, deck machinery and steering gear.

Modifications to convert the 157m Aker Wayfarer to a deepwater subsea support vessel have been completed on schedule at the Kleven Myklebust Verft yard in Norway.

A major part of the work was the installation of a Rolls-Royce subsea module handling system.

This comprised a fibre-rope deployment system (FRDS) based on patented cable traction control unit technology, deck skidding systems and a subsea orientation equipment system. The system will enable the vessel to install and retrieve subsea trees and modules, including subsea structures and manifolds.

The modifications were undertaken so the vessel could perform subsea intervention services offshore Brazil for Petrobras.

The contract was with Ocean Yield ASA, and the vessel is under long-term charter with Aker Oilfield Services (AKOFS). The contract with Petrobras is set to start in the fourth quarter of 2016. Before moving to Brazil, the vessel was undertaking work in the North Sea.

A similar fibre-rope system was fitted on the AKOFS-operated subsea support vessel Skandi Santos in 2009, to install and retrieve subsea trees and modules in depths up to 2,200 meters. In 2014, the number of installations undertaken increased from 28 per cent to 44 per cent of Petrobras’s total. It found the vessel to be one of the most efficient and reliable in its fleet, reducing installation time by up to 50 per cent.

Subsea system installed

ABOVE: The tower for subsea module handling with fibre rope being installed on Aker Wayferer. [Image credit: Kleven/Tor Erik Kvalsvik]

© AVIC


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Rolls-Royce has signed a contract with the Italian yacht builder Benetti to deliver a new generation of high-performance, lightweight, steerable thrusters that make comprehensive use of carbon fibre material for the first time.

“Efficient and lightweight propulsion is key to reducing the environmental impact of a modern yacht,” said Vincenzo Poerio, Benetti CEO. “We have been working closely with Rolls-Royce on a journey towards an excellent propulsion system for our new line of exclusive megayachts. The successful result of this collaboration has been confirmed by facts; indeed, five units have already been sold and more units are already under construction to shorten delivery time and face the increasing demand for this model.”

The use of carbon fibre for load carrying parts has substantially reduced propulsor weight, facilitated a

ABOVE: Aimed at fast yachts and later passenger vessels and workboats, the Azipull Carbon brings to the market a lightweight, reliable and highly efficient propulsion system with very low noise and vibration levels.

better vessel lay out while maintaining high propulsion efficiency, excellent manoeuvring and easy maintenance.

The first thruster in this series, the AZP C65, has a power rating of 2MW and is fitted with a fixed pitch pulling propeller. The driveline is designed with two spiral bevel gear sets. Steering is hydraulic and integrated to a compact bearing arrangement and patented hull-fitting structure.

Total weight of each Azipull Carbon is 2,800kg (dry). The weight of the inboard part is 1,150kg (approx.) and the hydrodynamic underwater unit 1,650kg (approx.)

including propeller. The buoyancy in seawater is about 990kg, which makes the effective weight of the underwater unit approximately 660kg when the vessel is afloat.

The contract covers a number of thrusters, planned for delivery over the next three years to RINA Rules for Classification of Yachts.

The first yacht, a Benetti Class Fast Displacement Vivace 125’ called Iron Man, has been delivered. Hulls no. 2 and 3 are under construction and planned for delivery in the next few months. Two 1,965kW MTU 16V 2000 M94 engines provide the power.

Innovative propulsion for Benetti

The Republic of Korea’s first FFXII frigate of the new Daegu-class has been launched by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Engineering (DSME) at its Okpo yard in South Korea.

Slightly larger than the FFX Batch I Incheon class, with an overall length of 122m, the Batch II variant retains most of the main core ship systems, with the main difference being the propulsion arrangement.

Earlier FFX-I frigates have a CODOG mechanical propulsion arrangement that uses two propulsion diesels, four diesel generator sets for ships electrical power and two gas turbines for propulsion. The FFX-II CODLOG propulsion arrangement has two permanent magnet propulsion motors and four diesel generators plus a single gas turbine.

MTU 12V 4000 M53B diesel

generators will supply the ship’s power and propulsion needs with a single Rolls-Royce MT30 providing additional propulsion power for higher speeds.

This has reduced the number of power units per frigate from eight to five, an arrangement that offers significant cost, weight and space savings with reduced maintenance requirements. It also makes FFXII

First MT30 powered frigate launchedone of the most advanced frigates in terms of acoustic signature among western navies.

The configuration is similar to that adopted for the US Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyers, the Royal Navy’s QE class aircraft carriers and future Type 26 Global Combat Ship.

The MT30 gas turbine was built and tested in Bristol, UK and was then integrated into a compact steel enclosure, with air inlet, exhaust and ancillary equipment by local partner Hyundai Heavy Industries, Engine & Machinery Division.

Rolls-Royce also delivered the CP propellers and during 2016 will supporting commissioning of the propulsion system.

The first FFX-II carries the pennant number 818 and is named Daegu. It is scheduled for delivery to the RoK Navy in late 2017 with commissioning a year later.

ABOVE: The first Rolls-Royce MT30 powered FFXII Daegu-class frigate has been launched at DSME for the Republic of Korea Navy. [Image credit: DSME]

© Benetti Yachts


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Marine eventsSeptember6-9: SMM18-20: CFOA19-21: Marintec South America20-25: SNI28-1 Oct: Monaco Yacht Show

October17-21: Euronaval31-2 Nov: Seatrade Middle East

November5-9: Ft Lauderdale Boat Show7-10: ADIPEC29-2 Dec: ExpoNaval

December30 Nov-2: Workboat Show

Mooring the world’s first offshore fishfarmThe world’s first offshore fishfarm installation is now being developed for Ocean Farming AS, a subsidiary of the Norway’s SalMar Group, one of the world’s largest producers of farmed salmon.

Moving further offshore enables industry growth and harnesses environmental conditions that are best suited for healthy fish stocks. However, moving to deeper water also requires new technology.

Rolls-Royce has signed a contract for the construction and delivery of an eight-point mooring system that will secure the rig to the seabed at Frohavet, off the coast of central Norway.

The 68m high semi-submersible rig will have a diameter of 110m with a volume of 250,000m3 and is intended for installation in water depths of 100 to 300m.

The US Coast Guard’s barque Eagle, also known as ‘America’s Tall Ship’ is to be repowered with a Series 4000 MTU engine. The training ship was initially built for the German Navy in 1936.

With three-masts and a length of 59.4m (195ft) the Eagle can reach 17 knots under full sail. It will receive one MTU 8V 4000 marine propulsion engine for use when the cutter is not sailing. The repower will also include MTU Callosum – an integrated ship automation system that allows operators to monitor the propulsion plant, the on-board power supply and the entire ship.

Mike Rizzo, Government Naval Programme Manager at MTU America Inc., said: “The biggest benefit the US Coast Guard has in turning to MTU is consistency in its fleet. The US Coast Guard has many MTU-powered vessels.

By powering the Eagle with an MTU Series 4000 engine, cadets will be able to directly translate their experience on the training cutter to other MTU-powered vessels in the fleet.”

Knut Müller, Head of Marine and Defence business at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “MTU’s Series 4000 engines offer unrivalled power density in terms of volume-to-power and power-to-weight ratio, and are certified by the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) Naval Vessel Rules (NVR).

“The Series 4000’s advanced technology ensures security at sea with exceptional fuel efficiency and reliability. The engine’s low noise characteristics are attributed to a resilient mount system that comes standard on all MTU marine engines.”

The Series 4000 marine engine will be provided by a team led by

BMT Designers & Planners of Alexandria, Virginia. MTU distributor Johnson

& Towers will supervise installation and conduct

product training, while MTU will offer engineering programme support.

‘America’s Tall Ship’ repowered

ABOVE: A Rolls-Royce eight-point mooring system will moor the semi-submersible, rigid structure to the seabed. [Image credit: Salmar]

“This contract win shows how years of experience providing sophisticated mooring and deck machinery solutions in some of the world’s most difficult sea conditions can be applied in other areas of the maritime economy today and for the future,” said Asbjørn Skaro, EVP Deck Machinery.

“The technical solutions for SalMar’s pilot installation is based on the state-of-the-art technology Norwegian industry has to offer from both fields of aquaculture and offshore oil and gas.”

The eight-point mooring system from Rolls-Royce includes monitoring, fairleads, connectors and subsea load sensing system.

The new semi-submersible rig will be constructed at Qingdao Wuchuan Heavy Industry Co. Ltd in China.

Now 80 years old, the US Coast Guard cutter Eagle is to be

repowered with an MTU 8V 4000 marine diesel

propulsion engine.

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UT54010 rolls-royce indepth magazine

leading innovation

words: simon kirby

ow did you get to work today? Hopefully it did not involve crossing a gangway across

open sea to a small doorway some metres away. However, that’s the reality for the growing number of engineers and technicians servicing Europe’s offshore wind industry. Recent Rolls-Royce developments in DP systems have been centred on improving these working conditions and have contributed to the award-winning UT 540 service operation vessel (SOV), specifically designed for windfarm support activities in shallow waters.

The three-model UT 5400-series has been developed to serve as the base for wind turbine technicians while they perform maintenance. The first UT 540 was ordered in 2015 by Østensjø Rederi to support work on DONG Energy’s Race Bank offshore windfarm, 27km off the coast of Lincolnshire, UK. The company has now ordered a second

Walk this way

Transferring technicians and engineers across open sea to an offshore wind turbine can be a challenging operation. Rolls-Royce dynamic positioning systems and its UT design vessel are the perfect combination to ensure efficiency and safety

H

vessel to work on DONG Energy’s Hornsea Project One windfarm, 120km off the UK’s Yorkshire coast in the North Sea.

The 81m SOV can accommodate up to 40 wind turbine technicians and has to ferry six to eight maintenance teams to and from a similar number of wind turbines at the start and end of each shift. Therefore, there is only about 20 minutes for each delivery or collection. Technicians walk to work across a specially designed motion compensated gangway, which is hydraulically raised or lowered on a pedestal, to give safe and level access to the turbine platform at different states of the tide.

Optimum performanceTo enable safe working in close proximity to the turbine towers, the UT540 is equipped with DP2 dynamic positioning. But the role of the vessel and the consequent demands on the DP system are very different from those in the offshore industry.

“With only 20 minutes to

complete each collection or delivery, a DP system able to establish optimum performance very quickly on arrival is essential to fulfil the vessel’s design brief,” says Arnt-Ove Austnes, General Manager Sales – Electrical, Automation & Control.

By comparison, in the offshore sector there are often site specific operational guidelines which state a vessel has to be on DP for half an hour or so outside a 500m zone, before approaching the platform and conducting its mission. “In

ABOVE: The DP system is integrated with the operation of the gangway.

BELOW: Smaller support vessels use the SOV as a mothership.

UT540rolls-royce indepth magazine 11

effect,” adds Austnes, “for windfarm support we’re doing this twice as fast as we’ve done previously.”

“At the heart of a DP system,” according to Frode Bloch, Technical Product Manager – positioning and thruster controls, “is a complex mathematical model using a combination of data to position the ship. In the case of the Race Bank array, the vessel uses GPS and lasers fired from a spinning unit at the top of the vessel and reflected back from discs on the turbine together with weather and current information to carry out its role.

“This takes time and to meet the vessel’s schedule we had to speed up this process up while maintaining the system’s integrity using some additional mathematics.”

The DP system also needs to be integrated with the operation of the gangway.

As the gangway is not a permanent connection it cannot be used as a positioning reference, but still needs monitoring by the crew using a panel on the DP user interface.

Rapid change of functionOnce the turbine transfer operation is concluded, the DP system undertakes the vessel’s transit phase, moving to the next turbine at up to 13knots powered by four 4000-series MTU diesels. This requires a rapid change of function for the DP system, from station-keeping to navigation.

After deploying the maintenance teams, the vessel has to wait several hours while the work is done, before collecting them at the end of the shift. During that time, the vessel takes advantage of another DP function – ‘weather optimal positioning’. This automatically maintains the vessel’s ideal position using the minimum number of thrusters and

consequently saving fuel. According to Johan Rokstad,

Østensjø Rederi CEO, the UT 540 “enables us to expand our business into the renewable energy sector. We believe the sector holds further demands for similar vessels in the near future.

“When building a new vessel our focus is to make sure it is optimised for the operation it is set to perform. In choosing a partner, we look for someone who can incorporate innovative solutions, efficient hull design and positive environmental effects into the design. For this project we chose a Rolls-Royce design. The new vessel is the result of a positive collaborative process with the team there. Our requirements have been transformed into an SOV vessel that will provide a safe and efficient walk-to-work experience for our wind technicians.”

“At the heart of a DP system is a complex mathematical model using a combination of data to position the ship”

ABOVE: Vessels like the UT 540 are designed to accommodate and transport six to eight wind turbine maintenance teams.

See a simulation of the windfarm vessel in action on our digital edition of Indepth

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See a simulation of the windfarm

vessel by downloading

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More information email: [email protected]

leading innovation

Can you describe your career to date and how it has prepared you for your current role and shaped your approach?Before joining Rolls-Royce I gained experience in engineering and commissioning products for a lot of different industries, including steel, paper, mining, cranes and wind tunnels. This strong industrial background, which also included marine, means I am familiar with the types of products we supply and I have a good working knowledge of the marine requirements.

I started my career as a service engineer, commissioning automation and electrical equipment systems in steel rolling mills around the world for GEC Electrical Projects, before moving into engineering management. I was chief engineer for the electrical power and propulsion system of the Type 45 Destroyer programme on behalf of Alstom, a role that ensured I gained excellent commercial and project management experience. In 2002 I was promoted to become chief engineer for Alstom’s marine power and propulsion systems. So my early career gave me a broad engineering and delivery background.

In 2003 I joined Rolls-Royce and the newly formed Marine Electrical Systems Group based in Bristol, working predominately on Naval power and propulsion systems including those for the Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier. I spent time in Portsmouth as chief engineer for the former VT Controls Ltd, which Rolls-Royce acquired in 2003, and led a large engineering team delivering naval switchboards and Platform Management Systems.

During 2007 I left Rolls-Royce for a three year Ministry of Defence secondment as their chief marine engineer. Here I had two roles; firstly as a Naval Authority officer for Power and Propulsion systems, signing off warships to go to sea, and secondly as

the Royal Navy’s subject matter expert for Electrical and Control Systems. Spending time in a customer organisation gave me an awareness of what it’s like to be one of our customers on the receiving end of our products and services.

On return to Rolls-Royce I became head of the Electrical Power and Control Systems Group looking after the electrical and controls systems capability for the group, and in February this year I took on this role.

What are the main engineering and technology challenges facing the business? Product safety is our number one priority. We must ensure our customers and our own employees are safe when they install or use our products.

As a marine business, we need to get better at electrical systems. We’ve predominantly been a mechanical company – for example, mechanical propulsion and hydraulic deck machinery – but ships are becoming increasingly electric. We must supply more of the electrical systems and become a serious player in the market.

Ship Intelligence is beginning to disrupt how the marine industry is structured. There are three strands; health management, optimisation and remote/autonomous ships, all enabled through digital technology and big data. By helping our customers exploit the massive amount of available ship data, we will create new services to optimise operations or to help us guarantee availability of power and propulsion systems and offer Power-by-the-Hour contracts. Our aim is to use software and automation to build long-term relationships with customers that reduce their costs while generating service revenues, similar to our aerospace aftermarket business. We harness in-service product data to enhance our ongoing product development to improve reliability and efficiency.

Another challenge for our engineers is to strengthen the link between our development and manufacturing capabilities. For example, our Azipull Carbon has recently been introduced to the superyacht market. Customers see the value in having a lightweight but high power, low vibration product. As that demand increases we will need the manufacturing systems to volume build, but in a cost-effective, repeatable way.

What should our response be?We have access to some phenomenal resources at Rolls-Royce, which I want to harness more effectively. I want to harness the brainpower of our 15,000 engineers worldwide along with the expertise of our Fellows, University Technology Centres (UTCs) and the capability developed in other parts of the business, to help our 1,400 engineers in Marine develop and deliver the innovative products and services our customers need.

Some of the technologies we’re developing in Ship Intelligence are already exploiting that capability. They include Rolls-Royce Digital, the company’s Software Centre of Excellence, Strategic Research Centre and UTCs. As we develop production systems for our Carbon Azipull technology we’re also drawing on specialist resources in the Materials Group with access to the UK’s National Composites Centre in Bristol.

Given the range of Rolls-Royce technology, how do you decide what is important?It’s about having a complete and accurate picture of how the business can help customers increase revenue or save operating costs, and then tailoring our products and services to match. This will enable us to identify the right technologies. For instance, we know how hybrid-electric power and propulsion can save fuel and enhance operational

Marine engineering and technology at Rolls-Royce is led by Kevin Daffy, who took up the post following Hugh Clayton’s move to lead transformation across Rolls-Royce earlier this year. Indepth caught up with him to get his insight into the current challenges and opportunities

Questi ns answered



flexibility, so we are strengthening our electrical systems capability to include integrating large battery arrays and the continued development of our permanent magnet motor technology for thrusters and winches. We announced a 50 per cent increase in marine R&D for 2016 – how is this progressing?Even though our 2016 revenue is expected to be lower than 2015, our R&D spending has increased as proportion of revenue from 2.8 per cent in 2015 to 3.5 per cent in 2016. This is a significant investment in technology and products, but it’s right to do this when market conditions are tough.

We have several exciting product development programmes in progress such as the Next Generation Thruster, Compact Pod, PM winch, fibre rope crane, enhancements to the Unified Bridge and Next Generation Low Voltage Propulsion Drives. On Ship Intelligence, spending is considerable and we are deploying some 50 people to deliver the associated programmes.

What is the best part of your job?I travel a lot and I’m rewarded with great people at the end of every journey. I enjoy meeting people with different skills and backgrounds who are passionate about the marine industry, they’re passionate about our customers and they understand our customers’ operational challenges.

What do you do to unwind?I am a keen road cyclist. I recently completed the Velothon Wales, cycling 87 miles (140km) with more than 2,000 metres of ascents.

“On Ship Intelligence, spending is considerable and we are deploying some 50 people to deliver the associated programmes”Kevin Daffy

Send an email to [email protected]


leading innovation

words: richard white

Introducing the AZ-PM 1900…

The permanent magnet azimuth truster [AZ-PM] from Rolls-Royce combines a ring-type

permanent magnet electric motor, propeller and nozzle in a tightly integrated propulsion unit. It offers improved efficiency, simplicity and ease of installation compared to conventional geared azimuth thrusters with separate electric motors in the thruster room.

As the motor rotor forms a ring around the propeller blades and the advanced blade shape, cavitation is suppressed or eliminated. The motor stator is incorporated in the nozzle, which controls water flow and provides increased thrust over a wide speed range. The underwater unit can be rotated 360° to give vectored thrust in any direction. A steel structure carries the steering bearing and the unit is simply bolted into the hull. A small footprint with limited headroom is required in the thruster room as the only components there are the slip ring case and the compact electric steering motors. Speed control is by varying the frequency of the current supplied to the motor.

Motor efficiency is at 97 per cent or more over the load range, and the submerged motor means that no additional cooling is required, saving space and reducing installation cost. Simple bearings in the rotor hub carry all loads and are

Magnetic thrustEffectively harnessing the compact power of permanent magnet technology is expanding the number of Rolls-Royce thruster options

lubricated by EAL (environmentally acceptable lubricant).

Much of the technology and experience from development of permanent magnet tunnel thrusters (TT-PM range) transfers to the new AZ-PM 1900. The key development is integrating the motor stator into an efficient nozzle and designing an advanced propeller with maximum resistance to cavitation and low noise.

As with all Rolls-Royce propulsion products extensive CFD studies were undertaken to maximise hydrodynamic efficiency. The nozzle shape come from extensive research ensuring the AZ-PM 1900 can provide high efficiency at speeds from towing up to around 16 knots.

Two AZ-PM 1900 technology demonstrators were fitted for a long term evaluation programme on the research ship Gunnerus in 2015. They are rated at 500kW to match the test vessel’s available power, however the propeller diameter is generous for the loading, so a thruster with the same diameter nozzle can handle up to 1,100kW.

Since the conversion was from shaftlines and rudders to PM azimuth thrusters retaining the existing generator sets, exact comparisons can be made. Bollard pull has increased by 20 per cent and speed by about one knot for the same power. Course stability is good, and manoeuvrability greatly improved. Station keeping and propulsion thrust response are better. Noise readings are similar or lower. More than 1,500 hours have

ABOVE: The new AZ-PM permanent magnet azimuth thrusters have the motor stator incorporated into the nozzle, with the rotor forming a ring around the propeller blades. ABOVE RIGHT: Mounted on Gunnerus.


Magnetic thrust

All are in use on existing Azipull models. If a fixed pitch propeller is selected speed is controlled by varying the frequency of the current supplied to the motor. For a CP installation both rotational speed and propeller pitch can be varied with the Rolls-Royce combinator control system. The fully feathering version has the same merits as the CP propeller, but the ability to align the blades with the water flow to minimise drag when the thruster is not powered. This is advantageous for installations in multifunctional vessels and others such as double ended ferries, where the aft unit is normally powered, the other fully feathered.

Being introduced from 2017 is the AZP-PM 120, rated at 1,800 -3,500kW continuous. This will be

followed by two smaller frame sizes, 085 and 100, and one larger, the 150. They will be available in due course for powers from 900kW to 5,000kW and speeds up to 24 knots.

been accumulated troublefree.“Developing the AZ-PM 1900 has

involved engineers in many fields including electrical, mechanical, hydrodynamics and materials, and we are happy that the test programme with Gunnerus has validated the concept,” says Agathe Kalvatn, Technical Product Manager.

“The AZ-PM 1900 covers a power range from 0.5MW to 1.1MW, the type number denoting the effective propeller diameter. The team is now working on extending the size range to 2.6MW during 2017.”

…and the AZP-PM, L-drive

Azipull thrusters with pulling propeller and streamlined underwater skeg have proved

popular propulsion units since they were introduced in 2003. Over six hundred units have been manufactured to date with either direct mechanical transmission, or a separate electric motor.

From 2017 a new Azipull AZP-PM model will be added. It will have an L-drive configuration using essentially the same underwater

unit, but with a vertical shaft permanent magnet (PM) motor integrated into a new upper unit. Combined with the proven high propulsive and hydrodynamic efficiency of the Azipull, this will be winning combination. The PM motor maintains a very high efficiency over a wide speed range and space requirements in the thruster room are reduced. A compact PM motor fits within the diameter of the mounting flange giving a small footprint and eliminates an upper gearbox, thereby avoiding the complication of a coupling, foundations and motor for a conventional Z or C-drive.

Installation is significantly simplified with the introduction the new weld-in tube hull fitting. This is a cylindrical steel element with a conical section to the mounting flange, which is easy to weld into the vessel’s hull structure, especially for a thruster inclined in all directions.

Three propeller types will be offered for the AZP-PM, with the choice dependent on the vessel and its operation.

BELOW: The Azipull AZP-PM 120, L-drive is powered by a compact shaft mounted permanent magnet motor and is rated at 1,800 – 3,500kW. Its small motor size means it will fit within the diameter of the mounting flange.

For more information email: [email protected]


leading innovation

Decades of experience in studying hydrodynamics and cavitation are vital in meeting critical customer requirements, especially when they are on the edge of known knowledge

Contra-rotation

When Feadship asked us to provide the propulsion for their innovative new ‘Breathe’ hull design, requiring a number

of different propulsion modes for different conditions, we weren’t sure it could be done,” says Göran Grunditz, Manager of the Rolls-Royce Hydrodynamic Research Centre in Sweden. “We’d been researching contra-rotating propulsion on and off for more than 30 years, but we knew we had not delivered something this radical before and there

were still a number of risks to mitigate.” So began a five-year programme, which

combined state-of-the-art hydrodynamic research with the development and adoption of ground-breaking new design tools.

The result sits below a striking new superyacht, the 83.5m Savannah, which claims to be the first hybrid motoryacht. Featuring an eco-friendly blend of single diesel engine, three gensets, batteries, CP propeller, azimuth thruster and a streamlined hull shape, the vessel offers improved fuel economy of 30 per cent, quiet cruising at low speeds on battery power and extra speed when going flat

out. Further innovation includes a floating superstructure, an underwater lounge and ‘open’ aft deck areas.

Unique product combinationThe Rolls-Royce contribution to the vessel’s pioneering electromechanical propulsion platform was a unique combination of a number of existing but separate products in a new way.

A large CP propeller, rotating in a counter clockwise direction, when viewed from aft, was installed in front of an Azipull unit with its propeller rotating in the opposite, clockwise direction to create a

words: simon kirby

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contra-rotating propulsion system located along the vessel’s centreline. Operating in the rotational slipstream of the forward propeller, the aft propeller recovers energy from the swirl it creates. This energy would otherwise be lost, making the system more efficient than a conventional twin screw.

The Azipull also provides excellent low-speed manoeuvring so there is no need for a tunnel thruster in the aft skeg. That means less drag, further contributing to energy saving.

However, the skeg, located in

front of the forward propeller, also presents a design challenge. It creates a reduced water flow over the first propeller. This improves

the overall efficiency of the vessel, but the flow is non-uniform and

at the propeller causes noise and vibration. That meant a

special, bespoke propeller design was required to maximise efficiency with minimum noise.

“To develop the system we began by reviewing the existing research that had been done, going back

as far as the 1980s,” says Grunditz.A key challenge identified was the extent

of the dynamic loads the configuration placed on the aft propeller blades that operate in the slip stream of the forward one. They were identified as being at their worst when the Azipull is being used to steer. These dynamic loads could increase wear on internal bearings and gear wheels causing them to fail prematurely, and could even damage propeller blades.

One of the factors that helped solve this is that in contra-rotating mode at high speeds the Azipull does not steer – separate rudders

RIGHT: Göran Grunditz

Image © Feadship

“Rolls-Royce is probably the only company that could have developed and produced this ground-breaking system for this innovative vessel”


are used. The rudders also limit the freedom of movement of the Azipull at speed, further reducing the risk of high dynamic load.

At slow speeds and when operating in DP the yacht is manoeuvred using the 360° thrust vectoring of the Azipull, while the forward propeller is feathered. That provides excellent manoeuvrability with marginal impact from the forward propeller.

Designers also worried about the way in which the natural frequency of the Azipull corresponds to the blade pass speeds of the propeller. A contra-rotating propeller uses a lower than normal shaft speed and experiences different excitation frequencies compared to a conventional propeller. This means that the torque is higher for the same power, which can lead to lower safety margins of gearwheels when dynamic loadings are considered. In this case, investigations indicated that in some operational modes the blade pass rotational speed was quite close to the natural frequency of the Azipull, which could result in vibration and noise.

To mitigate this, Rolls-Royce designers

worked with the yard and another specialist supplier to mount the Azipull on robust custom-designed elastic supports, something never done before. The special supports reduced the impact of vibrations caused by the propeller and were confirmed as effective during sea trials. Studies found some resonances but they were all low in magnitude, so there was no need for any restrictions, such as RPM.

Research and design toolsRolls-Royce designers made extensive use of innovative Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) tools to design and validate the propulsion system.

“We developed a tool to evaluate the performance of the CRP set up, predicting efficiency for combinations of propeller pitch and RPM,” says Rikard Johansson, Senior Hydrodynamicist. “This tool was validated against model tests carried out in our own cavitation test facility in Kristinehamn. Conventional design tools could not do this because of the influence of the swirl. The combination of advanced CFD methods, validated by cavitation testing at model scale,

allowed us to estimate the optimum power distribution for the forward and aft propeller, optimum shaft speeds and propeller pitch for both, giving a starting point for detailed design.”

Another set of design tools were used for the detailed design, which took account of propeller interaction effects.

“CFD tells us a lot,” adds Johansson. “We found additional information from CFD simulations. We used it to explore the interaction between the hull and the contra-rotating propellers so dynamic loads on the Azipull could be predicted and understand the implications of swirl on the rear propeller. It also allowed us to go through multiple design loops before arriving at the optimum design, which was then model tested, saving time and money. Model testing validates the fundamental physics of the CFD model, which enables us to trust our simulation results. A particular strength of Rolls-Royce is our ability to combine CFD with testing.”

The number of variables explored in the design of the propulsion system and its complexity cannot be understated. The Savannah has a number of propulsion modes

leading innovation

The Azpull azimuth thruster is mounted on robust custom design supports to minimise vibration.All photos © Feadship


for different operations – boost, high speed, diesel-electric, manoeuvring and stationary. Therefore the control system was designed to switch between these modes seamlessly, ensuring passengers were not disturbed by any noise and vibration, which sea trials confirmed. Achieving this added significant complexity to both the control system and associated hydrodynamics, which had to be clearly understood before the system’s on-board controller could be programmed for optimum performance.

“Rolls-Royce is probably the only company that could have developed and produced this ground-breaking system for this innovative vessel,” says Grunditz. “It required an extensive primary research base built up over years, the ability to develop innovative computer design tools, undertake experimental validation and turn the design into a physical reality that could be manufactured, installed and operated.”

At the 2016 ShowBoat design awards, Savannah won no less than three prestigious awards.

The well laid out thruster room.



urtigruten, Norway’s world famous coastal shipping line, started in 1893 as a service carrying passengers and goods

from Bergen in the south to Kirkenes in the far north, providing a vital link to a total of 34 towns and villages along the way.

It still operates on the same route, but is now seeing a rising demand for adventure tourism, so the trip has become more of a tourist experience than an economic lifeline. One vessel leaves Bergen each day, taking 11 days to complete the round trip.

In recent years, Hurtigruten has extended its activities, with several of the newer ships

engaged in seasonal adventure cruising to Svalbard, north of Norway, Iceland, Greenland and in Antarctic waters. They can also operate the traditional coastal service. This year there are now four Hurtigruten ships engaged in this type of cruising, and from 2017 the company will offer explorer travel to additional new destinations such as the Amazon rainforest and Arctic Canada.

To meet the forecast rise in demand, Hurtigruten is expanding the adventure cruising side of the business significantly, with the largest investment in the company’s 120-year history. Rolls-Royce has signed a contract to design two new Hurtigruten ships for expedition cruising in polar waters, with options for two more. Following an international competition,

Norway’s Kleven shipyard in Ulsteinvik, a long-standing partner, has secured the contract to build the vessels.

“People no longer want to spend their holidays being passive spectators,” says Daniel Skjeldam, Hurtigruten CEO. “The new adventure traveller is looking for authentic experiences, which is why sedentary, standardised travel packages are becoming less popular and active adventure travel is booming. We offer real experiences in local environments, just steps away from wildlife.”

Rolls-Royce has worked closely with Hurtigruten and Kleven to develop the NVC 2140 design to meet the owner’s tough requirements and the polar weather conditions in which the vessels will operate. The new ships are designed specifically for adventure-rich expedition voyages in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, as well as traversing Norway’s long

Investing in adventure latest projects


H

Norwegian shipping line Hurtigruten has placed its largest ever order for up to four new 600-passenger explorer vessels, designed by Rolls-Royce and to be built by Kleven Verft


Investing in adventure

NVC2140“The new adventure

traveller is looking for authentic experiences,

which is why sedentary, standardised travel

packages are becoming less popular and active

adventure travel is booming”

Daniel Skjeldam, Hurtigruten CEO


coastline, and will be equipped with advanced environmentally friendly technology to minimise emissions, underlining

Hurtigruten’s commitment to sustainability.

Guests will be able to attend onboard lectures about the destinations, lead by experts in history, zoology, botany and environmental science. Experienced expedition teams will accompany passengers on educational excursions to isolated places only accessible by ships or smaller boats. Activities will range from climbing and kayaking to RIB-boat tours, whale and sea eagle safaris.

The new cruise ships will be around 140m long with 23.6m beam and 5.3m draught with accommodation and facilities for passengers and crew spread over nine decks. They will also have a cargo hold with side port loading for operation on the Hurtigruten Norwegian coastal service, which can alternatively house a fleet of RIB tenders to take passengers ashore on expeditions and wildlife observation excursions.

In addition to comfortable accommodation for up to 600 passengers in 300 cabins, plus crew and shore expedition leaders, there will be a top deck

with a large observation lounge, pool and saunas. On lower decks will be the main restaurant plus several fine dining areas, a gym and massage rooms, a shopping zone, a multi-purpose activity centre with lecture halls and an immersive science centre.

As the new ships will sail very long distances in the course of a year, some of it in ice infested waters, both strength and low propulsion power for a given speed are required from the hull design, which meets Polar code 6 ice class. The shallow draught will allow access to a wide variety of smaller ports and near shore anchorages. To provide a stable and easily propelled hull form, the patented Rolls-Royce Environship design principles were used, with a near vertical bow and integrated bulb to improve performance in a seaway and thereby enhance passenger comfort.

In addition to the innovative ship design with wave piercing bow, Rolls-Royce will

supply an integrated package of technology and equipment. Among the deliveries will be the award winning Unified Bridge, which represents a complete redesign of the ship bridge environment. Consoles, levers and software interfaces will have a common look and feel, resulting in a comfortable, ergonomic, clutter free and ultimately more safe and efficient working environment for the captain and his team on the bridge. A detailed overview of the other equipment selected for these advanced ships and how they will be built will feature in the next edition of Indepth.

The first of these new ships is scheduled for delivery during 2018 with the second following a year later.

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“Among the deliveries will be the award winning Unified Bridge, which represents a complete redesign of the ship bridge environment”

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Helge Gerde, Director, Rolls-Royce;

Ståle Rasmussen, CEO, Kleven; Erna Solberg, Norwegian Prime Minister; and Daniel Skjeldam,

CEO Hurtigruten at the contract signing.



NVC 2140 in numbers...Length (metres)

140

Beam (metres)

23.6

Draught (metres)

5.3

Decks

9

Passenger capacity

600

Number of cabins

300

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Holmøy is a 69m-long stern trawler fishing for cod, haddock and shrimp. It is the third vessel to join the Prestfjord

Havfiske fleet of Rolls-Royce design, and incorporates a range of new equipment. The new trawler’s design has been strongly influenced by analysing data from 30,000 hours of operation of the Rolls-Royce designed Prestfjord, which was built in 2010 and has 200 sensors on board.

“This data has been used in several ways,” says Einar Vegsund, Head of Fishing Vessel Design. “It provides information on

actual operations, allowing the owner and ourselves to work together to optimise hull, equipment and propulsion for Holmøy’s planned operating profile, both trawling and transit.”

Comprehensive data from fishing gear and onboard systems has also allowed the crews of Prestfjord to raise the efficiency of their vessel and use health monitoring to plan machinery maintenance based on condition and trend rather than inflexible overhauling by time interval.

Holmøy is an NVC 370 design, developed using operating experience with Prestfjord. The new trawler is 69.7m long with a 16m beam and about 5m longer than its predecessor, giving a slimmer and

easily propelled hullform. DNV-GL ice class has been specified: 1B generally and 1A* on the hull.

The catch is headed, gutted and deep frozen in blocks, loaded on pallets in the packing hold then transferred to the 1,400m refrigerated fish hold.

“We were the first to specify the Rolls-Royce trawl winch with high torque permanent magnet (PM) motor drive. Also the first with the newly introduced Bergen B33:45 diesel engine to go into service, together with hybrid shaft generator (HSG), shaftline with Promas and Innoduct propeller, and the Unified Bridge,” says shipowner Knut Holmøy. “We consider the risk as small, and the technical advance well

The Rolls-Royce-designed and equipped stern trawler Holmøy is one of the world’s most advanced fishing vessels. It has now entered service with the Norwegian fishing company Prestfjord Havfiske AS, and will be mainly operating in waters around Norway, Russia and Greenland

Net gain


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worth having in terms of both transit and fishing efficiency. We haven’t experienced any particular teething troubles with the new equipment. In fact the process of tuning up Holmøy has been what we would expect with a well built vessel with well proven equipment, rather than equipment that is new to the market.”

This season Holmøy will fish the Barents Sea and the North Sea basin. “Our new trawler has three quotas for fish,” continues Knut Holmøy. ”That is enough to keep Holmøy working year round. We can fish until the hold is full before returning to port.”

Propulsion machinery comprises a nine cylinder 5,400kW Bergen B33:45 engine that produces 500kW per cylinder and

normally provides all power needed on board, for trawling, fish freezing and the hotel load, with the HSG supplying the electricity. Under other conditions Holmøy can operate in diesel-electric mode using diesel gensets to provide propulsion power via the HSG power take in. The Promas system with CP propeller and Innoduct nozzle maximises propulsion efficiency, while the NVC 370 hull design combines excellent seakeeping with low resistance.

The new 50-tonne pull PM trawl winch joins two other AC electric trawl winches handling the double trawl. Other Rolls-Royce fishing gear includes eight 20-tonne sweepline winches, eight other auxiliary winches and a 20m-capacity

net drum. The trawls are controlled by the Autotrawl system. Holmøy follows the Unified Bridge concept, with layout of bridge consoles and controls based on the owner’s and skippers’ experience.

“Our new ship is quite a big investment, but we are confident that the experience that has gone into the design, the quality of construction and equipment, and the technical advances giving fuel and emissions savings and improved efficiency, will make it a good investment,” concludes Knut Holmøy.

The new 50-tonne pull trawl winch is powered by a compact

permanent magnet motor.

Normally providing all power required on board is a 9 cylinder Bergen B33:45 diesel rated at 5,400kW.

Shipowner Knut Holmøy

MORE ON DiGITALSee a gallery

of images from Holmøy

on our digital issue,

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e f f i c i e n t a g i l e

Once both of Scandlines’ new passenger vessels are in service between Denmark and Germany, the choice of Rolls-Royce propulsion

system will help to double capacity on a challenging route between Scandinavia and Germany

MF Berlin is the first of two new modern passenger and freight hybrid ferries to enter service

this year for the German-Danish ferry operator Scandlines.

When sister vessel MF Copenhagen enters service later this year on the Gedser-Rostock route between Denmark and Germany, the two new ferries – together with additional improvements at the terminals – will double the transport capacity on this vital route between Scandinavia and Europe.

That improvement is due in no small part to the innovative Rolls-Royce propulsion system that provides the ferries with efficient propulsion in transit and agile manoeuvring in harbour.

Berlin and its sister can carry 1,300 passengers in considerable comfort and the equivalent of 460 cars or 96 trucks. Both were designed specifically for the route and feature a centreline CP Promas propeller/rudder and two wing Azipull thrusters.

The vessel length of 169.5m with a draught of 5.5m is optimised for Gedser harbour at the Danish end of the route, and the design of the hull

has taken into account the shallow water on the entire 26 nautical mile run. Within Gedser harbour, the water depth is only about 7.5m, and the depth varies between 14 and 21m over the rest of the route.

Another complicating factor is the strong across current at the opening between the piers at Gedser.

The operating strategy is therefore to accelerate rapidly to nine knots astern when leaving Gedser, then turn the vessel once outside the port, proceed to Rostock, and turn again before entering berth stern first. On the return trip, the ferries will go ahead from berth to berth.

As part of the investment, the ferry piers and ramps have been rebuilt at both terminals to reduce turnaround times. Transit speeds that give optimum fuel economy can be adopted for the given departure frequency of 20 departures per day in a fixed two-hour cycle, which means around 19 knots for a 105-minute passage time.

This way of operating puts the focus on manoeuvrability and speed, and hence the design of Rolls-Royce propulsion solution. The two wing Azipull azimuth thrusters are in operation at all stages of the voyage, each driven by a 3,500kW electric

The new ferries will greatly increase the traffic capacity on the Scandlines route linking Gedser, Denmark with Rostock, Germany. © Scandlines

ABOVE: A centreline Promas CP propeller, flanked by two Azpull azimuth thrusters, was determined to be the best propulsion solution following extensive evaluation and tank testing.

words: andrew rice

+


motor. They enable large turning forces to be exerted on the vessel, whether it is stationary or moving.

When reversing off the berth and out between the harbour piers at Gedser and dealing with the cross currents, the Azipulls are rotated for full astern thrust to give precise course keeping and will accelerate the ferry from standstill to nine knots in less than three shiplengths. In transit, the thrusters deliver efficient forward thrust.

For manoeuvring and at lower speeds, the centreline CP propeller is feathered. Once the ferry’s speed reaches 17 knots, the propeller is set to the freewheeling pitch and clutched in. The centre shaftline then supplies the additional propulsion thrust needed for full transit speed, driven through a combining reduction gearbox.

Two generator sets, two main engines and a battery pack provide a total of 18MW to the propellers and the hotel load. The Helicon X3 control system adjusts propeller pitch and speed, and determines the power fed to the azimuth thrusters, to give the optimum power split of 40 per cent of the total equally divided between thrusters, and 60 per cent to the centreline controllable pitch propeller.

To maximise propulsive efficiency and reduce cavitation induced pressure pulses, the Promas system has a five-bladed propeller.

The rudder, with a Costa bulb and a twisted leading edge, recovers swirl energy in the propeller slipstream that would otherwise be lost, converting it into additional forward thrust.

The Promas is also a low-drag solution in the feathered position, and the five-bladed monoblock propellers on the Azipull units are designed to provide high propulsive efficiency up to 17.5 knots.

This innovative solution was designed after extensive mathematical modelling and test tank work, with input from Scandlines, Rolls-Royce and the test

tank establishment in Hamburg, HSVA. Model testing was also undertaken in Duisburg, where the tank could be configured to evaluate performance in shallow waters.

Small underkeel clearance can give rise to propeller wear

or damage. To minimise this, the thrusters are positioned

close up under the hull, the CP propeller diameter is

limited to 4.6m, and the bottom

of the hull is dished to give more clearance over the propeller. As the ships run at speed in shallow waters, cavitation and pressure pulses were analysed in detail to ensure they met passenger vessel noise criteria.

The propulsion system complies with Lloyd’s Register Ice Class 1C rules, and FEM analysis was used in propeller design, to meet the new Finnish/Swedish rules which require blade strength to be calculated against a stated ice loading.

Environmentally friendly power for propulsion and hotel load is provided by four diesel engines with combined scrubbers, one less than a non-hybrid design, integrated with a 1.5MWh energy storage system of lithium polymer batteries.

These new ferries now join the Scandlines fleet, which is the largest fleet of hybrid ferries in the world.

The ferries were completed in the Danish shipyard Fayard, and represent an investment of more than €140 million (£114m) per vessel. Together with the expansion of the port facilities, the ferries will complete Scandlines’ strategic focus on expanding the central and eastern transport corridor between the European mainland and Scandinavia.

BELOW: When the ferry Berlin was put into service Søren Poulsgaard Jensen, Scandlines CEO, said: “I am proud of the result we can present to our customers. The project has had its challenges, but walking around the ferry, I am happy we remained firm in our decision.”

© Scandlines

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With a coastline of 101,000km, Norway has innumerable cold clear fjords and island bays

that provide ideal growing conditions for farming fish, and one of the most popular is salmon.

To satisfy the appetites of the growing fish, ships transport feed pellets from the factory to the storage bins at the fish farms. Shipowner Egil Ulvan Rederi AS operates two specialised sister vessels dedicated to this business, With Harvest and With Marine, that went into service in 2014. The two 70m vessels are powered by Bergen C26:33 nine cylinder gas engines.

They are on long-term charter

to Marine Harvest ASA, one of the biggest names in fish farming, and were designed and built to meet their exacting requirements.

During a typical round trip, each vessel will deliver a total of 3,000 tonnes of feed pellets to between 15-20 fish farms along the west coast, from the feed factory at Valsneset north of Trondheim to as far south as the Ryfylke fjords, near Stavanger.

Indepth recently went on board With Harvest to evaluate the owner and crew’s operating experience after a year and a half of intensive operation, running about 6,000 hours a year.

“With the schedule we are running now, we usually bunker LNG once a week, taking 35-40 tonnes, but this can vary from season to season,” says Capt Blikø. ”We

FISH FACTS

bunker at the Marine Harvest base at Valsneset while we are loading fish feed pellets.”

On With Harvest, the 125m3 horizontal cylindrical LNG tank is under an enclosure above the cargo holds. A cabinet on the upper deck port side houses the bunkering connections and control valves. Bunkering is controlled from a station at the entrance to the forward superstructure, or from the engine control room. Both stations have screens showing system status and gas leakage alarms. This information includes the flowrate of gas, predicted consumption for a given voyage plan, and the amount of LNG remaining in the tank.

In addition to the

k e e p i n g t h e f i s h f e dThe aquaculture industry is a major part of Norway’s economy and farmed salmon is one of the country’s most important exports. LNG-powered vessels are playing a key role in sustainably feeding the fish

• Every day, 38 million meals of Norwegian seafood are eaten worldwide; 12 million come from aquaculture and 11 million are Norwegian salmon meals• A typical fishfarm consists of between six and ten cages holding 3-4,000 tonnes of fish. Cage diameters are usually 50m, as long as an Olympic- size swimming poolSource: Norwegian Seafood Federation

ABOVE: Ivar Ulvan, who runs the family owned shipowner Egil Ulvan Rederi AS that was founded in 1919.


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k e e p i n g t h e f i s h f e dmain 2,430kW Bergen gas engine that turns a CP propeller through a reduction gear and drives a shaft generator, With Harvest has two 570kW diesel generators plus a 100kW harbour set. The variable frequency shaft generator has a 1,900kW rating and the machinery can be run in several modes.

“We normally run on the Bergen gas engine at 70 per cent MCR with the shaft generator supplying the electrical loads,” says Capt Blikø.

“This gives us a service speed of 13 knots. The engine accepts load changes easily, and in practice I’m not conscious that it is a gas engine. If the weather is really against us and we need maximum power, we can start a genset to supply the hotel load, with all the main engine output driving the ship. I think this has only happened once, but if we had a main engine shutdown, we can use the diesel gensets to feed power to the propeller using the shaft generator as a power take-in, which gives us about 9.5 knots.

“But we don’t use gas and diesel engines together for propulsion; the main engine is stopped and declutched if the diesels drive the vessel.”

Egil Ulvan Rederi AS is a successful shipowner, founded in 1919 and now in its fourth generation of family ownership. As well as the two specialised fish-feed carriers, the company also owns and operates a number of coastal cargo ships. We asked Ivar Ulvan, who runs the company, about the background to building With Harvest and its sister With Marine.

“We developed the vessel design

in close co-operation with the charterer. Marine Harvest is very aware of environmental impact in all its operations, not least the ships. Clean class was specified, indicating minimum emissions to sea and air.

“Going for LNG was the natural choice as it significantly reduces CO2 and dramatically cuts NOx, with virtually no SOx emissions. The downside is the increase in capital cost due to the LNG tank, gas conditioning plant and safety systems, but this is offset with support from Norway’s NOx fund.

“As Marine Harvest already has LNG storage for the Valsneset feed pellet factory, that was available for bunkering. Therefore our two ships can bunker efficiently for the planned trip while loading cargo, saving time. We therefore avoid the

potential problem of a lack of LNG bunkering infrastructure.”

Having made the decision about LNG, the choice of a Bergen pure gas engine from Rolls-Royce was quite simple.

“We had already decided that the dual fuel route didn’t appeal as it is a compromise. We also wanted a medium speed engine suitable for mechanical drive to the CP propeller able to handle quick changes in load. For the power required, the nine cylinder Bergen C-series gas engine was the natural choice.”

The feeling is that designing an LNG installation is more demanding than diesel. Rules are strict on ventilation, double pipe systems and gas sensors, leading to extra equipment and the odd false alarm of a gas leak. On the other hand, there is less work in treating and changing lube oil than in a diesel installation, as the gas engine’s oil remains clean and in good condition. Bunkering is easy and has proved to be a straightforward operation.

With Harvest and With Marine are complex vessels from the cargo carrying aspect. Each has a capacity of about 5,000m3, corresponding to about 3,000dwt, and feature a closed loop loading and unloading system.

Feed pellets come in three sizes and require careful handling to prevent them from crumbling.

They are delivered to the ship through a boom conveyor. Six holds allow different sizes to be kept separate.

ABOVE: The compact and clean engine room with its single nine cylinder Bergen C26:33 gas engine.

BELOW: The two fishfeed carriers operated by Egil Ulvan Rediri are LNG powered and were designed to meet the stringent environmental requirements of charterer Marine Harvest.

© Egil Ulvan Rederi



customer focus

What started out little more than ten years ago as a small team providing in-service support to the Royal Australian Navy’s amphibious fleet has evolved to become one of the naval sector’s leading fully integrated material support providers

Together with strategic partner Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), Rolls-Royce Australia Services (RRAS) now has a

fully integrated team of more than 100 naval engineering specialists operating from a state-of-the art facility inside Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Garden Island naval base, in Sydney, providing critical engineering support to the Australian

Department of Defence (DoD).Rob Madders, Programme Director at

RRAS, takes up the story. “There’s been a Rolls-Royce presence in Australia since 1999, but it was in 2006, following the expansion of our 50/50 partnership with KBR, that our position as an organisation capable of minimising naval maintenance costs and improving a vessel’s operational availability was cemented.”

The Rolls-Royce and KBR team secured a long-term fully integrated materials support (FICMS) contract. Its aim was to

improve the through-life maintenance, logistics and technical ship management of four RAN vessels: the replenishment oiler HMAS Success, the amphibious landing ships, HMAS Tobruk, HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla. A key aspect of the agreement was to manage equipment obsolescence, identify upkeep requirements and establish equipment and maintenance baselines, a complex task as some of the vessels were commissioned 30 years earlier.

“In essence, this meant itemising every piece of equipment and component installed

a d e c a d e o f n ava l

s u p p o rtwords: patrik wheater

HMAS Adelaide is one of two LHDs supported by the Rolls-Royce and KBR team. All images: © Commonwealth of Australia


at the new-build stage, along with any subsequent changes made during refits before we could confirm the current status of the vessels and improve their maintenance baselines,” recalls Madders.

Hitherto, the RAN had operated a largely reactive maintenance programme, so a move to more prescriptive planning was needed. However, in order to provide a platform from which the DoD could manage vessel costs more effectively and concentrate on operating their ships at sea, RRAS had to document each vessel’s base material state before it could ‘rebuild’ and implement planned maintenance schedules.

The identification, validation and verification process – part of a wider Control Data Remediation Project to increase the operational lifetime of the vessels – was “an administrative challenge taking two years to complete,” says Madders. “The data required to upkeep a vessel in service is more extensive than the ILS (integrated logistic support) data produced at the new-build stage. It is inadequate and not extensive enough to sustain a vessel during its operational phase. We needed to take each vessel back, so to speak, to the design and build stage to ensure everything is baselined and any subsequent changes are correctly documented – machinery, components, controls, software updates, everything.

“We also introduced a hull survey regime, bringing in specialist naval surveyors to assess the vessels for any structural defects.

In older vessels, structural degradation makes up a significant proportion of upkeep expenditure and budget growth, if an adequate survey regime is not in place.

“Structural defects result in significant investment in steel renewals, but our planned survey regime has reduced this substantially,” says Madders, going on to explain that RRAS was able to keep budget growth under 12 per cent during the vessels’ 2015/2016 refits. “This was unprecedented for these vessels,” he attests.

The success of the FICMS contract signed in 2006 and the ensuing maintenance cost reductions achieved for the vessels, three of which have now paid off, resulted in the RRAS/KBR partnership winning the bid to provide similar FICMS to amphibious assault ships HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide, two 26,000t LHDs (Landing Helicopter Dock),

the largest vessels in the RAN fleet. A third vessel, the LSD (Landing Ship Dock) HMAS Choules has recently been added to the list.

“We have grown to become one of the leading FICMS providers to the Australian Department of Defence,” says Madders. “Together, Rolls-Royce and KBR have the breadth of capabilities and teaming experience to deliver the world-leading integrated material support demanded not only by the RAN, but also other navies around the world.”

The potential for RRAS to roll out this integrated support model to navies outside Australia is not lost on Sam Cameron, SVP Sales and Business Development. “If other navies want to separate the means of production from the identification requirement, then Rolls-Royce can transfer the model across to other nations. It has been very successful because quite simply there are no vested interests. The only way navies can reduce the cost of ownership, the cost of maintenance and reduce operational costs is by separating the identification of a problem from the solution.”

a d e c a d e o f n ava l


Together, Rolls-Royce and KBR have the breadth of capabilities and teaming experience to deliver the world-leading integrated material support


latest technology

Reduction of life cycle

cost of the equipment

Risk sharing and predictable

cost

Improvement of safety,

availability and performance

r e a s s e s sYOU R R ISKwords: simon kirby

Marco Cristoforo Camporeale is on a mission. “We want to change today’s business

model fundamentally,” declares the General Manager, Health Management Solutions. “We want our customer to outsource their maintenance – and the risk that goes with it – to us. Let us worry about what needs to be done, and when. Then customers can focus on generating the maximum revenue from their operations.”

Rolls-Royce can do this by combining four key elements: asset and fleet monitoring; dynamic equipment maintenance

planning; remote assistance, and the capabilities of a global service infrastructure to provide timely preventive maintenance.

With the Power by the Hour model, operators’ maintenance costs can be lower, as payment is only made for the time the assets are operating. There is less need for operators to maintain their own service infrastructure.

“A Power by the Hour plan could cut customers’ costs by as

With the expansion of its marine “Power by the Hour” service, Rolls-Royce plans to revolutionise the way its customers do business, by reducing the risk and the cost associated with operating and maintaining its equipment

much as 25 per cent over a 10 to 15-year contract,” says Camporeale. “That’s while improving the overall availability, performance and safety of our products.”

The starting point is asset monitoring. This gives the earliest possible warning when things start to go wrong. Sensors are part of a web of devices gathering data from all the vessel’s Rolls-Royce equipment.

ABOVE: Through services such as remote assistance and fleet monitoring, Rolls-Royce can help operators reduce their costs.


The information collected is transmitted back to a data centre. For aircraft, Rolls-Royce has pioneered an approach to identify and process only the most important engine data on wing, and securely transmit it back to ground, so any immediate actions can be taken. This exploits the available bandwidth to best effect. The remaining data is analysed later – at the end of the voyage – when connectivity is better.

REMOTE RESCUEWhen the dynamic positioning system on subsea construction vessel Far Sleipner stopped working off the coast West Africa, the stakes were high.

Attempts by the crew and Rolls-Royce engineers on the phone could not rectify the issue. Fortunately, the vessel is fitted with the Rolls-Royce Acon Connect – Remote Access System. This meant a skilled Rolls-Royce software engineer based in Norway could log on to the vessel and help.

Once the captain had given permission and switched on the connection from the bridge – an essential security precaution – the engineer was able to establish a secure encrypted link, explore the ship’s systems, then identify and fix the problem. In the past, this would have required flying the engineer to the ship and significant disruption to the vessel’s schedule.

Rolls-Royce is also harnessing the data accumulated over years of monitoring marine

equipment. This provides the detail about reliability, life expectancy and failure modes, so there is a deep understanding of when products are deviating from normal behaviour.

This knowledge and the use of advanced analytic techniques will also be crucial in the development of remote and autonomous ships.

Therefore, Rolls-Royce can tailor a base ‘equipment maintenance plan’ to a customer’s planned operation. For example, if the life of a key piece of equipment is five years, preventative maintenance is scheduled for four years and 10 months, so operations are not disrupted. This is the first step towards cost saving.

However, real-life operations can be different. Rolls-Royce Power by the Hour services can compare real vessel day-to-day operation with its actual operating profile and alter maintenance schedules dynamically, potentially increasing vessel availability.

EDGE COMPUTINGRolls-Royce uses ‘edge computing’ techniques to optimise what data is processed and analysed close to the asset (on board) and what data needs to be sent to the Rolls-Royce service data centre.

Advanced patented predictive analytics are applied to fuse data and create diagnostic networks, significantly reducing false alerts while giving advance warning of problems or possible failures.

The challenge with trend and condition-based monitoring is to balance the prediction of real failures against the risk of false alerts, which generate unnecessary maintenance activity and costs.

Rolls-Royce has developed an approach to predictive analytics that combines lots of different data points with known failure models.

This allows the probability of failure to be predicted with more than 93 per cent confidence and early enough for operators to take preventative action.

Class Society approvals are changing to reflect the reality of asset monitoring. These approvals mean that when regular equipment surveys are undertaken, the data can be reviewed to determine the actual condition of the equipment, without the need for time-consuming internal and visual inspections.

Should an identified fault be serious a Rolls-Royce engineer, with the permission of the Master, can remotely enter the vessel’s network and remotely assist the crew to manage or fix the problem.

FORWARD THINKINGIn September 2015, the Eidesvik multi-purpose offshore vessel Viking Poseidon was making a 24-day voyage back to Norway from the US.

Eidesvik had asked the Rolls-Royce data centre in Finland to keep an eye on a previously identified thruster fault. Fifteen days into the voyage, the service team contacted the vessel. Unknown to the crew – there were no vibrations, smell or heat detected – significant changes in vibration levels were being picked up, and it was now impossible to predict how long the bearing would last.

Communication between the shore-based team and the crew was established and remedial actions taken.

Left unaddressed, the thruster could have suffered a major failure, costing its owner time and money. Instead, a new bearing was ordered and sent to the quay to await the vessel’s arrival.

Each vessel covered by a Power by the Hour agreement will have a single Project Manager

responsible for administering all aspects of the agreed maintenance plan and the health of the equipment. Depending on the contract, the customer will get a periodic invoice and Rolls-Royce will take care of everything else.

Power by the Hour has been available to aerospace customers for nearly 20 years. However, this year it will be on offer across the marine sector. To help customers move to the new business model, Rolls-Royce will install the necessary sensing and analytic equipment to deliver the service with no additional up-front costs. The customer pays a fixed fee for the duration of the contract, making maintenance costs predictable.

Send an email toMarco_Cristoforo.Camporeale@marine.

rolls-royce.com

Vessel monitoring

Remote assistance

Intelligent field service

Dynamic maintenance planning

Four key elements to reduce your risk

BELOW: Marco Camporeale


words: silke rockenstein

Now that its new MTU marine gas engine has completed 3,000 hours of bench testing in Germany, Rolls-Royce is

prepared to deliver its first certified series production high-speed gas engines for commercial vessels in 2018.

“We can confirm that the engine meets both our requirements and those of our customers,” said Dr Ulrich Dohle, CEO, Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG. “Its performance and its acceleration behaviour are similar to the excellent characteristics of a diesel engine. It is economical, reliable and clean.”

16v 4000 – up to 2,000kw The 16-cylinder MTU gas engine will cover the power range from 1,500 to 2,000kW and will be based on MTU’s proven 16V 4000 M63 diesel engine for workboats. As of the end of 2017, the first engines will be used to power a tug built by Damen for Svitzer towage and salvage company. The two companies have entered into a collaboration with MTU to jointly put the world’s first tug powered by high-speed gas engines into service. It will feature high performance in addition to reduced fuel costs and emissions. As a result of their dynamic acceleration behaviour, their low environmental impact, reliability and economy, the new MTU gas engines are ideally suited to tugs, ferries, push boats, and special purpose vessels like research vessels.

8V 4000 – up to 1,000kwThe gas engine portfolio will initially be

supplemented by an eight-cylinder engine, which will be available on the market with a power range of 750 to 1,000kW.

As of 2019, this MTU gas engine is to provide the propulsion for a new Lake Constance car and passenger ferry operated by the local public utility, Stadtwerke Konstanz. It will connect the two Lake Constance towns of Constance and Meersburg, a distance of 7km that takes around 15 minutes. The new ferry will be one of the first in Europe to be powered by a high-speed pure gas engine. It will feature

low emissions and improved economy while delivering the customary high performance.

Development focusThe new MTU gas engines will be equipped with a multipoint gas injection system, a dynamic motor management system and an advanced turbocharger. The multipoint gas injection system is designed to provide the engine’s dynamic acceleration behaviour, increased performance and reduced emissions. This ensures that IMO Tier III emissions standards are met without the

The new MTU marine gas engine has completed 3,000 hours of bench testing, confirming its excellent performance, environmentally friendly characteristics and reliability

latest technology

TESTEDTR I ED AN D

Time (s)

Transient engine behaviour – gas vs. dieselThe load

acceptanceof the S4000gas engine is

comparableto today’s

S4000 M63diesel engine

Mea

n ef

fect

ive

pres

sure

[bar

]

Identical performance characteristics

2000 kW @1800 rpm

Acceleration diesel engine Acceleration gas engine

Key requirements and achievement

Engine speed [rpm]

Performance range diesel vs. gas engineTo

rque

[Nm

]

BMEP

[bar

]

200 kW

600 kW

400 kW

1,000 kW

800 kW

1,400 kW

1,200 kW

1,800 kW

1,600 kW

2,200 kW

2,000 kW

0

22

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

1,000600

14,000

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

01,400 1,8001,200800 1,600 2,000

16V 4000 M65-N gas

16V 4000 M63 MTU diesel

Multipoint gas injection valves

54

3

2

1MPI-valves provide high flexibility to influence the air/gas mixture related to:• Start of injection• Gas rail pressure.

1. Electromagnetic MPI valve2. Air mixing device3. Gas rail4. Outer barrier5. Air manifold


need for additional exhaust after treatment.Controlled combustion ensures that

fuel is used efficiently. The safety concept, which has been optimised for gas operation, includes double-walled gas supply lines, which means that no additional complex

the gas engine leaves nothing to be desired in terms of the customary reliability of a proven MTU Series 4000 diesel engine.

In its development of the new marine gas engine, MTU has benefited from the 30 years’ experience it has gained with stationary gas engines for power generation, and the experience available from Rolls-Royce, which has supplied medium speed Bergen pure gas engines for some 10 years.

safety precautions are required in the engine room. On the test bench it was possible to simulate real-life manoeuvres, which represent the dynamic acceleration of a diesel engine. The successful completion of 3,000 hours testing demonstrates that

“It was possible to simulate real-life manoeuvres, which represent the dynamic acceleration of a diesel engine”

S4000 GAS ENGINE FOR MARINE APPLICATION

More information at www.mtu-report.com/Marine/SMM2016


latest technology

words richard white

Today’s ship-assist tugs are a closely integrated combination of hull configuration,

propulsion system and winches, with performance demands particularly strict for escort tugs. Other types of tug focus more on long-distance towing, or emergency towing and pollution prevention.

A general increase in ship sizes has called for increased pulling and pushing forces for harbour

As the move to electric equipment on board continues to advance, Rolls-Royce has integrated next-generation permanent magnet (PM) motor technology into its tug escort winch range, giving tug operators dynamic performance, more precise control and safer operations

c o n t r o li

tugs. Since the 1990s, oil and gas terminals have adopted escort towing of tankers to improve their safety cases, reducing the risk of tankers running aground due to loss of power or steering in the approaches to terminals.

In a routine escorting operation the tug runs behind the ship being escorted, connected by a towline but not interfering with the ship’s steering. If informed of an emergency on the ship, such as loss of steering, the tug acts immediately to provide force in the direction required to steer and probably stop

the ship. This force has to be applied carefully, as a snapped towline could easily make a bad situation even worse. A second escort mode is ‘dynamic ship assist’, where the tug positions itself to act as an additional rudder. When operating in indirect mode, with the tug being dragged diagonally through the water to steer and brake the tanker, towline forces and brake loads on the winch may be far higher than the tug’s nominal bollard pull.

All this places great demands on the tug’s escort winch, and Rolls-Royce supplies a range of specialised winches for this application. Up to now, they have been mainly hydraulically driven, but electric drive winches are also offered. The range has recently been updated with the escort winches benefiting from the introduction of the new Rolls-Royce permanent magnet (PM) motor technology.

The PM motor gives a high torque at low speeds. This means that only a small reduction ratio is needed in the gearbox, leading to a low system inertia, which in turn provides excellent dynamic performance and response, important in escort and other types of tug work.

ABOVE: Escort and towing winches powered by PM electric motors are simple to integrate with a tug’s hybrid propulsion system.

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Using the TX140 PM motor means a smaller winch footprint and also simplifies the winch, eliminating several components that are subject to wear and need maintenance. The PM escort winch is rated at 100-150 tonnes, with great dynamic sensitivity and a line speed up to 180m/min. With energy saving very much in focus, the PM winch has the regenerative capacity to feed up to 1,100kW of rendering energy back into the tug’s network, if the vessel’s electrical system is designed to accept it. Integrated in the compact gear-case module at the opposite end to the motor is a friction clutch, which allows the operator to release the load in less than three seconds in an emergency.

Hydraulic escort winches have single or double drums and can be specified with anchor chainwheels and warping ends. The key point is sensitive operation. Towline can be paid out or hauled in under full control without the line going slack using the auto-tension system. Recovery force is adjustable in the range of 0-120 tonnes, and rendering force adjustable from 0-175 tonnes. The powerful brake can hold 420 tonnes. In the wheelhouse the

operator will normally have a direct sightline to the winch, towline and ship being assisted. A display panel clearly shows the towline tension, the length of line out and the speed of hauling or rendering. It also provides monitoring of the quick release function, winch mode settings, power pack monitoring and alarms.

Where the escort winch is placed depends on the type of tug. For azimuth stern drive tugs which are propelled by twin azimuth thrusters under the stern, a type for which Rolls-Royce US-series thrusters are much favoured, the escort winch is

mounted on the foredeck. The other main type is the tractor tug typically using cycloidal propulsion under the bow. Here the escort winch is placed at the stern.

For other towing operations Rolls-Royce provides a wide range of winches of different configurations and sizes. They typically have a large line capacity and the focus is on pull and brake load and accurate spooling. Single drum, double drum and waterfall types are supplied to suit the requirements with a choice of hydraulic or electric drive and either on/off or adjustable force brakes. High torque motors plug into the gear case and pipes and valves have been replaced by valve blocks, reducing the number of components and risk of oil leakage. Power for hydraulic winches can be supplied either from engine PTOs or separate powerpacks. Higher rope speeds are now available in both directions.

Towing winches range from small single drum units up to 50 tonnes pull to the specialised anchor-handling and towing winches with up to 600 tonnes pull.

ABOVE: A tug undertaking performance trials. BELOW: A display panel clearly shows the towline tension, the length of line out and the speed of hauling or rendering.



round up

PeopleThe Rolls-Royce team

Commissioning the first of a new vessel design is a challenge, but when that vessel is introducing a number of new and emerging technologies, it is the culmination of many years of hard work. Indepth talks to Alex Greve, one of the Rolls-Royce engineers on the US Navy’s first Zumwalt-class destroyer, commissioned earlier this year

meet alex greve

How did you feel when you boarded Zumwalt for the first time? I felt a sense of great pride. The shipyard engineers and technicians, as well as our US Navy customer, have expressed a lot of respect for our product, so it felt great to walk on the most advanced US Navy ship ever built knowing that our products were going to bring it to life in the coming months as they powered the whole ship. I also felt honoured to be on the frontline witnessing the culmination of decades of hard work by the Rolls-Royce team that came before me.

How did you plan the activities?We leveraged our experience from factory commissioning and first article testing to develop a comprehensive work breakdown structure that we integrated with the customer’s schedule. We were confident in our scope of work to achieve a safe and successful shipboard GLO (Generator Light-off), so the challenge for us was identifying and communicating dependencies in the schedule, which were beyond our control. We knew our work would be ‘high visibility’ on this first-of-class, so managing our work scope within a dynamic schedule was essential. The Rolls-Royce team did a great job

“I have just transitioned out of the role as Lead Engineer – DDG1000, into a broader role within the Marine North America Naval Engineering group as the Lead Project Engineer. Our project engineers are the customers’ primary technical point of contact for US Navy gas turbine products and have responsibility for managing the engineering scope of work for new and existing US naval products.”

staying off the customer’s critical path. Because we had a thorough understanding of the whole system, we were able to adjust quickly and accomplish work when a window of time opened up. We made it our goal for shipboard testing never to be awaiting generator set availability, so we sometimes found ourselves ahead of pace awaiting completion of shipside system.

What was the most important part in the commissioning for you?It was both the planning and the responsiveness to issues as they arose. We used the months-long dockside trials to de-risk sea trials. If a test produced unexpected results due to an integration issue with the ship, we immediately engaged the customer to understand and rectify it – even if the root cause was outside our equipment. It’s been described many times now how smoothly sea trials went for

our equipment. It was almost flawless. Most of my sea stories from trials begin with: “I was eating an ice-cream cone in the CPO’s mess when…” That’s not to say it was a pleasure cruise, but it’s a testament to the fact that our equipment did what it was supposed to do all the time. An uneventful sea trial is the product of months of long days and hard work. One captain aboard the first sea trial said: “Those ATGs [the RR4500s] really deliver the mail.”

Which day was the most challenging?A couple of times I was asked to assess an event from our equipment’s perspective that the electrical engineers were puzzled about. As we had comprehensive data acquisition running all the time, they often came to us to help them understand a system level event if a test did not go as expected. These occasions were particularly challenging, as there was just me and a colleague in the middle of the ocean with no line ‘home’. There’s nothing quite like trying to assess data with a room full of highly-experienced Navy engineers looking over your shoulder!

Did you enjoy it?I enjoyed the experience immensely. It was an incredible opportunity to participate in commissioning a true engineering marvel. I will be telling stories of this part of my career for the rest of my life.


round up

PlacesWherever your vessel is located, Rolls-Royce is not far away

24/7 support Rotterdam, tel: +31 20 700 6474

Houston, tel: +1 312 725 5727

Singapore, tel: +65 6818 5665

marine247support@ rolls-royce.com

www.rolls-royce.com/marine/contacts

www.rolls-royce.com/marine/services/contacts_locations

PublicationsIndepth magazine http://bit.ly/ 23oXK8E

Social mediahttp://rolls-royce .com/media/ social-media.aspx #channels

Further information

Services workshops

Services locations

Training centres

Tug deliveryHarley Marine in San Pedro, US, takes delivery of the first two of five new tugs and invests in tailored azimuth thruster training for crews, focusing on safety and optimising vessel performance.

Bergen breakthroughFirst Bergen B33:45 in-line nine cylinder diesel engine at sea powering the advanced 69.7m stern trawler Holmøy, which is an NVC 370 design.

Remote assistanceDP system on one of the world’s most advanced subsea construction vessels stops working off the coast of West Africa. As the vessel is fitted with Acon Connect technology, engineers in Norway establish an encrypted link, identify and fix the problem.

MTU speed recordMonte Carlo to Venice speed record set by 18m SAR vessel in 22 hours 5 minutes at an average speed of 52.3 knots, powered by two MTU 10V2000 engines. New record for round Italy voyage.

Thrusters begin deliveryThe US ARC 0.8 azimuth thrusters for Norwegian Arctic research vessel FF Kronprins Haakon begin delivery voyage to Fincantieri in Italy.

New fast ferryFast ferry Hai Qin starts operating for the Zhuhai High Speed Passenger Ferry Company between Hong Kong and Jinguzhou. It is powered by MTU diesels driving Kamewa Steel Series S71-4 waterjets.

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In pole position

The bridge between efficiency and safety…

Experience for yourself the Rolls-Royce dynamic positioning systems that allow technicians to transfer safely from their vessel to an offshore windfarm. To see a simulation, download the enhanced digital edition of Indepth. It’s available now and it’s free for iPads, tablet devices and desktop users worldwide.

Search for “Rolls-Royce Indepth” on iTunes or Google play.

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