Written by Andrew Mac Donald on Facebook:
So, before I forget, here's the quick lash-up sketch.
Couple of points to note- I just used the Emma Maersk as it was the first decent image that came up in search. I also just upscaled the DynaRig to a size that would sort of match the height of old ships like the Pamir, etc. This may be impossible, as I think mast height would be double the present height, and this may all be beyond current engineering limits.
So this was really about what it might look like, as I'm a great believer in getting things to look right on paper, and if it looks right, its probably feasible. And I'm a pro sailmaker, so keen to see sailmaking move out of the leisure market again.
Back to the drawing. I imagined 2 sets of 3 masts, to allow for hull balance and even manoeuvering under sail. The masts would be single units - I thought about various telescopic solutions but these seemed utterly unfeasible and would (even if it could work) take away far too much cargo space to be practical.
And back to cargo - the lower plan view shows how the mast would have to impinge on the upper deck space for loading, though thinking about this further, you could still max out the load under the rig, and then have the containers under the move on a simple roller system , like very big factory conveyor belts, so loss of cargo space would be minimal.
As for the cranes, the containers would be picked up from the areas between the masts - there could easily be laser or software proximity fences set up (far cheaper than making new cranes) and I guess, easily made out of very cheap components, to stop crane loads hitting the rigs. Containers under the rig could also roll across to unload once the central ones have been extracted.
So, cost on shore - fairly small. No significant re-engineering of Port complexes needed. This is a big consideration.
Cost of rig? No idea. £30 million for a prototype test model, but with massive cost savings with numbers of ships multiply.
As a percentage of total build cost? No idea how much a ship costs these days.
Loss of cargo space on ship, 5 - 10% maybe at most?
Fuel savings? Maybe 40-50%
Existing ships could be retro-fitted with the system. This is also a big plus, though I guess the turnover in ships might make retrofitting redundant.
Further thoughts: with the advances in solar panel tech and maybe Graphene (which is just a guess), perhaps the sails themselves could be made as printed woven solar panels, thus powering the ship, with adequate fuel cell systems, as a dual power to maintain hull speed, or as port-area manoeuvering power. But that idea did come out of the third glass...
I've been thinking about this for some time. I've no engineering quals at all, but I once toyed with the idea of going to do an MA at Schumacher College at Dartington (great restaurant) to study the feasibility of a return to sail power and how that might look. Still kinda interested in doing that, tbh.
Let me know what you think. Oh yes, and if this goes anywhere, I'd like a few % on the Net...
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So, before I forget, here's the quick lash-up sketch.
Couple of points to note- I just used the Emma Maersk as it was the first decent image that came up in search. I also just upscaled the DynaRig to a size that would sort of match the height of old ships like the Pamir, etc. This may be impossible, as I think mast height would be double the present height, and this may all be beyond current engineering limits.
So this was really about what it might look like, as I'm a great believer in getting things to look right on paper, and if it looks right, its probably feasible. And I'm a pro sailmaker, so keen to see sailmaking move out of the leisure market again.
Back to the drawing. I imagined 2 sets of 3 masts, to allow for hull balance and even manoeuvering under sail. The masts would be single units - I thought about various telescopic solutions but these seemed utterly unfeasible and would (even if it could work) take away far too much cargo space to be practical.
And back to cargo - the lower plan view shows how the mast would have to impinge on the upper deck space for loading, though thinking about this further, you could still max out the load under the rig, and then have the containers under the move on a simple roller system , like very big factory conveyor belts, so loss of cargo space would be minimal.
As for the cranes, the containers would be picked up from the areas between the masts - there could easily be laser or software proximity fences set up (far cheaper than making new cranes) and I guess, easily made out of very cheap components, to stop crane loads hitting the rigs. Containers under the rig could also roll across to unload once the central ones have been extracted.
So, cost on shore - fairly small. No significant re-engineering of Port complexes needed. This is a big consideration.
Cost of rig? No idea. £30 million for a prototype test model, but with massive cost savings with numbers of ships multiply.
As a percentage of total build cost? No idea how much a ship costs these days.
Loss of cargo space on ship, 5 - 10% maybe at most?
Fuel savings? Maybe 40-50%
Existing ships could be retro-fitted with the system. This is also a big plus, though I guess the turnover in ships might make retrofitting redundant.
Further thoughts: with the advances in solar panel tech and maybe Graphene (which is just a guess), perhaps the sails themselves could be made as printed woven solar panels, thus powering the ship, with adequate fuel cell systems, as a dual power to maintain hull speed, or as port-area manoeuvering power. But that idea did come out of the third glass...
I've been thinking about this for some time. I've no engineering quals at all, but I once toyed with the idea of going to do an MA at Schumacher College at Dartington (great restaurant) to study the feasibility of a return to sail power and how that might look. Still kinda interested in doing that, tbh.
Let me know what you think. Oh yes, and if this goes anywhere, I'd like a few % on the Net...
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