ABB Continues To Develop Efficient Electric Ship Propulsion

Azipod XL, the new model of ABB's electric ship propulsion system, is said to increase the fuel efficiency of ships by a further 10% compared to previous Azipod propulsion systems. If you compare the new drive with modern shaft drive systems, the efficiency increases by 20%. A nozzle system in the new model is responsible for the increase in efficiency. It accelerates the flow of water into the propeller to increase thrust. ABB also redesigned the thruster to reduce water resistance.

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Since the first installation 25 years ago, the Azipod drive systems have achieved more than 12 million operating hours with an availability of 99.8%. In doing so, they saved over 700,000 t of fuel and contributed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions at sea.

2.2 million tons of fuel and 7 million tons of CO ₂ savings

The Azipod drive is an industry standard for the marine industry. It is a gearless, steerable drive system in which the electric motor is mounted outside the ship's hull in a gondola lying under water. With the drive that can be rotated through 360 °, the engine is used at the same time for both the control and the drive of a wide range of ships.

"With our next-level strategy, we aim to further develop our technologies for the benefit of our customers and the environment. Azipod XL is an example of this approach, because it has made great progress in system fuel efficiency in recent years,”says Peter Terwiesch, head of ABB's Process Automation division. "If you were to replace all existing Azipod units with the new Azipod XL model, the shipping industry could save another 2.2 million tons of fuel and 7 million tons of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years."

Drive system also monitors system status

The Azipod-XL concept can be designed in such a way that a high thrust is achieved at a lower speed and good performance characteristics are still achieved at a higher speed. The drive is therefore suitable for tugs and offshore construction vessels as well as ferries and LNG tankers.

The system status can also be monitored with the drive system. The ABB concept of the “Internet of Things, Services and People” - IoTSP and the integrated Marine Operations Center from ABB are used for this. This means that the device and performance parameters of over 600 ships are continuously monitored worldwide. (kj)