MDT Image Magazine

A screw that saves fuel
A six percent reduction in fuel consumption might not seem a huge saving to an automobile
driver, but for a ship owner it can quickly add up to several thousand euros a day.
Naturally, the engine is the first thing we
normally consider when thinking about
fuel savings, but also propeller-rudder
bulb systems specially designed for the ship
can make a significant contribution here. MAN
Diesel & Turbo is therefore not only working
on the development of increasingly efficient
and frugal engines, it also offers a complete
package for optimal propulsion solutions with its
MAN Alpha propellers. What seemed at first
glance to be a minor detail in fact had a major
impact. The use of Kappel propeller blades
alone reduces fuel consumption by up to six
percent. Similar to the winglets on the wingtips of
an aircraft, the tips of the propeller blades are
curved in order to improve efficiency. This effect
can still be increased in combination with other
components such as, for example, rudders with
so-called Costa bulbs. This increase in efficiency is
achieved whether the propeller is installed in a
new ship or retrofitted in an existing propulsion
system, e.g. for “slow steaming” (sailing at reduced
speed).
Successful collaboration started more than ten
years ago between MAN Diesel & Turbo and Jens
Julius Kappel, who developed these special propeller
blades. MAN Diesel & Turbo acquired the
Kappel technology in 2012 and has been actively
developing many aspects of the system over the
past two years. Since August 2013 it has had a first
licensing agreement with Dalian Marine Propeller
Co., a subsidiary of the China Shipbuilding Industry
Corporation (CSIC) Group. This has now
opened up the pathway to the Chinese market for
Kappel technology.
Ships are utilizing fuel
increasingly efficiently –
MAN Diesel & Turbo
is contributing here not
only with its engines.
Encounter 29