Induction Motors News

Japanese marine electrical machinery supplier BEMAC Corporation has completed its acquisition of The Switch Engineering Oy, Finland-based special electric machine and high-power converter product supplier, following a tripartite share purchase agreement signed last October.BEMAC Corporation, in partnership with global trading and investment company Mitsui & Co., Ltd., has acquired 100% of the shares in The Switch.The Switch produces permanent magnet machines (PMM), marine drives (DC-Hubs and single drives) and high-speed solid rotor induction motors (SRM).

BEMAC, as majority shareholder, together with Mitsui have entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of The Switch from Yaskawa Europe Holding AB (a wholly owned subsidiary of YASKAWA Electric Corporation).The Switch Engineering Oy and its group companies are manufacturers of permanent magnet machines (PMM), DC distribution solutions (DC-Hub), high-power AC drives (single drives) and high-speed induction motors.The Switch possesses technology in MW-class PMMs…

The quest to build a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), which will serve as training ships for five U.S. maritime academies, has drawn a broad cadre of suppliers. The powerplant was a main focus, helping to evolve the schools from steam power plants to a modern propulsion package.NSMVs being built for the maritime academies is widely lauded as a ‘win’ for U.S. shipbuilding, an example of commercial shipbuilding practices applied to a government shipbuilding project.

GE Vernova’s Power Conversion recently won a contract award from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. to supply GE Vernova’s SeaGreen integrated power and propulsion system, equipped with high power-density induction motor technology, to power and propel the next-generation FSRU for United States ship owner Excelerate Energy Inc."The FSRU, to be constructed at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard, is to be fitted with the latest, proven technology for optimized vessel energy management and performance…

An ABB study based on three years of operational ship data mounts a case for integrating battery power onboard modern icebreakers, writes Samuli Hänninen, who specializes in icebreaking vessels at ABB Marine & Ports. The maritime industry is still at the formative stage of realizing the gains available from batteries, but the ability to scale up to megawatt-hour levels is not the only attraction for the zero-emission technology. Evidence newly disclosed by ABB suggests that the…

GE Power Conversion was chosen by shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique to supply electric propulsion for the first two of the World Class vessels, MSC Cruises’ latest class of ships. The first ship, MSC World Europa, is now in operation at sea, and the second vessel is currently in build.The LNG dual-fuel vessels are propelled by the most powerful cruise ship electrical motors in operation - two 25 MW, 120-127.5 rpm induction motors - which are fed by four press-pack IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) PWM MV7000 converters.

A newly retrofitted electric ferry is the first in Canada to be powered completely by a zero-emissions, lithium-ion power and propulsion system containing no diesel fuel components.In 2018, PortsToronto issued a request for expression of interest (RFEOI) to reduce air and noise emissions from its 96-foot Marilyn Bell I, used for transporting passengers, vehicles and supplies the very short distance (90-second trips) to and from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on Toronto Island.St. Catharines-based marine electrical engineering firm Canal Marine & Industrial Inc.

Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) has ordered energy management and electric propulsion package from GE’s Power Conversion for the new Combat Support Ship (CSS) being built for the Royal Netherlands Navy.The CSS ordered by the Dutch government in December 2019 will be 180 meters in length, will accommodate a 75-persons basic crew, with capacity for an additional 85 persons on-board. GE’s will deliver main switchboards for the ship distribution system, with two shore connection cubicles…

President Donald Trump addressed the more than 10,000 people attending the ceremony where the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), was commissioned on Saturday, July 22 in Norfolk, Va. “Wherever this vessel cuts through the horizon, our allies will rest easy and our enemies will shake with fear because everyone will know that America is coming and America is coming strong,” said Trump. Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley recalled President Theodore Roosevelt, who used to say, “Walk softly, and carry a big stick.” Stackley then turned to Trump and said, “Mr.

GE’s Marine Solutions recently delivered its power take off/power take in (PTO/PTI) solution along with its Power Management System digital software solution onboard four of the largest container vessels owned by Maersk Line—Madrid Maersk, Munich Maersk, Moscow Maersk and Milan Maersk. Madrid Maersk is the first container vessel delivered from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME)—back in April—and Munich Maersk and Moscow Maersk have both completed successful sea trials. Milan Maersk will soon be in service.

Leonardo DRS, Inc. has been awarded a contract by Eastern Shipbuilding to provide hybrid electric drive systems for the U.S. Coast Guard’s new fleet of Offshore Patrol Cutters. The contract, for the first nine systems, is worth $10.7 million. Eastern Shipbuilding is the prime contractor and builder of these next-generation Offshore Patrol Cutters. Under the contract, Leonardo DRS will provide its high-performance, permanent magnet motor-based Auxiliary Propulsion System. This integrated hybrid electric drive system provides capability for the ship to operate much more efficiently at slower speeds, increases mission duration capability, reduces emissions and provides emergency take-home capability in the event of a failure of the main propulsion diesel engines.

The Navy will commission the destroyer Zumwalt (DDG 1000), Saturday, Oct. 15, during a 5 p.m. EDT ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland. The ship is named in honor of Adm. Elmo R. "Bud" Zumwalt Jr., former chief of naval operations (CNO) from 1970 to 1974. A veteran of World War II and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, Adm. Zumwalt exemplified honor, courage and commitment during 32 years of dedicated naval service, earning a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He passed away in 2000 at the age of 79. During his time as CNO, Adm. Zumwalt embraced technological innovation and advocated a number of successful programs including the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate…

GE’s Marine Solutions has signed a contract to provide auxiliary electric systems to containership operator Maersk Line’s second generation Triple-E vessels, thus representing GE’s entry into the container shipping industry. The contract will see GE provide Maersk Line with its new Power Take Off/Power Take In (PTO/PTI) technology, which consists of two drives, two induction motors and a power management system. The solution provides excess power on demand while reducing fuel consumption, GE said.

As we see the introduction of storage and renewable energy sources on board ships, a new design philosophy for the electrical power networks is required, especially given the trend towards higher safety standards, better reliability and the reduction in manning. Until recently, electricity on board was largely generated by diesel engine driven synchronous generators. The majority of electrical consumers were linear loads, like induction motors, lighting and heating, which means that  the current three-phase, AC electrical grids are very suitable.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. introduced its new 120-ft., 4,200-hp Inland Towboat design, Thunderbolt, combining twin electric V-Pod propulsion and diesel-electric technology for what the builder calls its “vision of the future for the U.S. Eastern said the idea for the Thunderbolt came from a conversation at a trade show. On the rivers, thruster propulsion systems are starting to get noticed and are outperforming conventional nozzle propeller propulsion systems with main/flanking rudder steering. Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. and Verhaar Omega, B.V.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. introduced its new 120-foot, 4,200-horsepower Inland Towboat design, THUNDERBOLT, combining twin electric V-Pod propulsion and diesel-electric technology for what the builder calls its “vision of the future for the U.S. Eastern said the idea for the THUNDERBOLT came from across the aisle conversations at the 2013 International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans. On the rivers, thruster propulsion systems are starting to get noticed and are outperforming conventional nozzle propeller propulsion systems with main/flanking rudder steering. Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. and Verhaar Omega, B.V. began discussions and realized they were driving towards a more refined towboat thruster propulsion system design.

GE’s Power Conversion business has received a new order from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. for electric power and propulsion systems for two LNG carriers. The LNG carriers will be built for the purpose of transporting LNG from Louisiana, U.S.A. Their construction is scheduled to be completed from 2017 through 2018. According to GE, from the perspective of improved performance, electric propulsion technology is optimal for LNG carriers. GE said its induction-based propulsion motor technology and high output power pulse width modulation (PWM) technology improve reliability and help lower maintenance costs for vessels. “GE has demonstrated a low risk solution to KHI…

WEG, a supplier of drive technology, introduced its water-cooled WGM motors to the shipbuilding industry for the first time at SMM 2014. The WGM water-cooled induction motors are compact, offer low noise emissions, provide optimal heat dissipation and are suitable for frequency inverter operation. As such, they are suitable for a wide variety of applications on ships or offshore platforms including drive systems for main or maneuvering propulsion, and for pumps or fans. WGM motors are cooled by a water jacket consisting of tubes or a cavity filled with water.

Multipurpose vessels, especially those that operate primarily at part loads, have been facing pressure when it comes to making money in today’s business environment. Returning to times of big profit margins will not happen soon without finding a radically different approach. Using permanent magnet technology for electric propulsion systems is a bold and proven way to save ship owners money due to lower fuel costs, less maintenance and fewer failures. As cost pressures mount and environmental regulations become more stringent, the need for a novel and smarter approach is ever more apparent.

The first electrically propelled liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, each at 174,000 cubic meters, to be built in China will incorporate power and propulsion systems developed and built by GE’s Power Conversion business. Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group, part of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, signed contracts with GE for the supply of power and propulsion systems for six LNG carriers that it will build in its shipyard in Shanghai for major Asian shipping companies, including China Shipping Group and Sinopec Kantons Holdings. The carriers, which will be used for transporting LNG from Australia to China, will be delivered between April 2016 and November 2017.

In the last 12 months, GE has won contracts valued at more than $600 million to provide propulsion systems with customers in the pre-salt oilfield expansion off Brazil’s east coast. GE’s systems will power, propel, navigate, position and control drillships and also power and control the drilling process itself. Today, GE is in the process of building systems for 22 of the 29 drillships for the current phase of the Brazilian oil and gas exploration by Brazilian energy corporation Petrobras. “Our advanced power generation, propulsion technology, drilling drives, dynamic positioning (DP) and automation and control systems are being harnessed to improve today’s marine and offshore processes with cleaner…

Capt. Jim Downey, DDG-1000 program manager at Naval Sea Systems Command, explains. DDG-1000 is a multi-mission destroyer. It covers surface, sub-surface, as well as air warfare areas. Its real focus is in the littorals, providing volume fire support in the littorals, as well as support to special operations areas. Volume fire support comes from significant gun systems on the ship to provide support right to ground forces and precise targets ashore to help the Navy and those ground forces in that type of combat area.

USS Makin Island (LHD 8) is the last in a series of 8 amphibious assault ships of the WASP-class built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding at its Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard. Though last, it is the first in the series fitted with hybrid electric gas turbine propulsion, and recently returned to its San Diego homeport after its first deployment. “During the seven-month deployment, the ship’s hybrid-electric propulsion system saved more than four million gallons of fuel resulting in an estimated cost savings in excess of $15 million,” the Navy claims.