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Cylinder sails promise up to 90% fuel consumption cut for cargo ships
New Atlas ^ | JULY 31, 2024 | David Szondy

Posted on 08/02/2024 11:16:26 AM PDT by Red Badger

Artist's concept of a ship with the CoFlow system

Looking like a set of bridge supports that were accidentally installed on a cargo ship, a new wind-driven system by startup CoFlow Jet promises to reduce ship fuel costs by up to 90% using stationary cylinders with no moving parts.

Between rising fuel costs and increasing government mandates requiring shipping companies to go carbon neutral by 2050, there's a strong push to increase the efficiency of cargo ships while reducing their emissions. One way of doing this is to take a page from the history books and readopt sails to harness the wind.

On the surface, that makes sense. Sails have been propelling ships all over the world for millennia and were still used for commercial transport until after the Second World War. However, there are two problems with sails that have pushed them out of the cargo market for all except the most local of niches.

First, traditional sails require huge crews. Something the size of the 921-tonne tea clipper Cutty Sark needed a crew of about 30 to handle the sails and the complex sheets and lines that controlled them. Compare that to a modern 196,000-tonne container ship that needs only 13 officers and sailors – and most of them are pushing buttons instead of hauling lines.

The second problem is that sails are completely dependent on the wind. If the wind is blowing hard enough and in the right direction, great. If it's blowing too little or too hard, or if it's blowing from the wrong quarter, that's not so great. If it's not blowing at all, you're not going anywhere.

(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; History; Military/Veterans; Travel
KEYWORDS: ajntsa; sails
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VIDEO AT LINK.........................
1 posted on 08/02/2024 11:16:26 AM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

They think the public is quite gullible.


2 posted on 08/02/2024 11:20:18 AM PDT by paulk ( If one fails to learn self discipline, Don't worry; there will be others to boss you around. -kps )
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To: Red Badger

And if there is no wind..................................


3 posted on 08/02/2024 11:20:42 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: Red Badger
By drawing in a small amount of air from the intake, pressurizing it using an impeller, and squirting it through the outlet, this generates a pressure imbalance and a considerable amount of thrust, which extends the full length of the cylinders.

I'm having a problem seeing how that doesn't consume as much or more power than it "saves". You know, that whole law of conservation of energy thing.

4 posted on 08/02/2024 11:20:54 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: paulk

“They think the public is quite gullible.”

Why do you say that?


5 posted on 08/02/2024 11:21:34 AM PDT by TexasGator
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To: PeterPrinciple

“And if there is no wind..................................”

And if you had read the article..........................


6 posted on 08/02/2024 11:22:42 AM PDT by TexasGator
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To: paulk

Storm ready?-)


7 posted on 08/02/2024 11:22:46 AM PDT by Harpotoo (Being a socialist is a lot easier than having to WORK like the rest of US:-))
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To: Red Badger

like solar, this gets promoted every few years.


8 posted on 08/02/2024 11:22:56 AM PDT by xoxox
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To: Tell It Right

“I’m having a problem seeing how that doesn’t consume as much or more power than it “saves”. You know, that whole law of conservation of energy thing.”

The latest instance of a PMM - perpetual motion machine. I assume someone is sucking on the teat of government grants to push this idiocy.


9 posted on 08/02/2024 11:23:12 AM PDT by KamperKen (u)
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To: PeterPrinciple

“And if there is no wind..................................”

And if you had even comprehended the headline..........................


10 posted on 08/02/2024 11:23:52 AM PDT by TexasGator
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To: TexasGator

Probably cause male boxers can beat the crap out of women legally now,-)


11 posted on 08/02/2024 11:23:59 AM PDT by Harpotoo (Being a socialist is a lot easier than having to WORK like the rest of US:-))
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To: Red Badger

wonder how the ship handles in rough weather and strong currents


12 posted on 08/02/2024 11:24:01 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: TexasGator

According to Zha, this makes for a very effective wind propulsion system


Did you read the article?


13 posted on 08/02/2024 11:24:13 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: PeterPrinciple

Or, if there is a hell of a lot of wind like in a major typhoon or North Sea blow— what then. These don’t appear to be retractable back into the ship. Oftentimes ships have to power INTO the wave force direction to survive a storm, and not be broken in two.


14 posted on 08/02/2024 11:24:14 AM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis )
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To: Red Badger

Based on the tonnage of heavy things like cars that come halfway across the world to us and are competitive with our own industry, what’s the big deal about a more efficient cargo ship?


15 posted on 08/02/2024 11:24:17 AM PDT by cymbeline (we saw men break out of a concentration camp.”)
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To: KamperKen

“The latest instance of a PMM - perpetual motion machine. I assume someone is sucking on the teat of government grants to push this idiocy.”

Stupid post.


16 posted on 08/02/2024 11:25:50 AM PDT by TexasGator
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To: Tell It Right

“I’m having a problem seeing how that doesn’t consume as much or more power than it “saves”. You know, that whole law of conservation of energy thing.”

It doesn’t save energy. It gets energy from the motion of air molecules.


17 posted on 08/02/2024 11:27:41 AM PDT by TexasGator
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To: Harpotoo

“..Probably cause male boxers can beat the crap out of women legally now,-)...”

It’s the new olympics sport: female abuse.


18 posted on 08/02/2024 11:28:15 AM PDT by lgjhn23 ("On the 8th day, Satan created the progressive liberal to destroy all the good that God created..." )
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To: Red Badger

Hertz is ready to convert their entire fleet!


19 posted on 08/02/2024 11:28:37 AM PDT by aynrandfreak (Being a Democrat means never having to say you're sorry)
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To: John S Mosby

“These don’t appear to be retractable back into the ship. “

You didn’t read the article.


20 posted on 08/02/2024 11:28:40 AM PDT by TexasGator
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