In the development of electric propulsion, naval propulsion has undergone a quiet revolution. This is the fruit of steady progress in civilian and military programmes, made possible by improvements in the performance of power control electronics over more than twenty years. The industrial capabilities that have enabled these improvements to be made are mainly European and dual-use. The French-registered international group Converteam, which specialises in energy conversion, is the world leader in this field.
Electric Propulsion for Ships
To propel a ship requires a primary source of energy which is transformed into propulsive power by some form of energy converter. This converter applies the mechanical force to the water to overcome frictional resistance and move the ship. As everyone knows from their early experience, human force applied to oars with the requisite skill can propel a small boat. The oars are the means of propulsion; the human body supplies the energy and the rowing technique is the energy converter. In sailing ships, the primary energy source is the wind; the sails, the hull and the keel transmit the propulsive force.
Fossil fuels provide the energy for steam engines, diesel engines and gas turbines. The maritime applications of these machines enable the vagaries of the wind to be overcome. They were perfected at the same time as the transmission of propulsive force to the water by the combination of the reduction gearbox, the propeller shaft and the propeller. The only recent improvement has been in the design of the propeller profile. The production and transmission of mechanical power to the propeller is in itself just as important as the means of energy production.
Electric Propulsion
Electricity constitutes the most flexible form of energy transmission, eliminating mechanical constraints. Within the hull, the vulnerable reduction gearing and the long shafts can be minimised, or even completely eliminated.
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