With the energy transition in full swing, drive solutions offering greater sustainability are also in demand in the shipping industry. In many harbour zones and sensitive coastal regions, more and more emphasis is being placed on low-emission and low-noise propulsion. Hybrid solutions consisting of conventional diesel engines and modern electric motors deliver a powerful drive with a high level of efficiency, as well as lower environmental impact and noise pollution.
The electric motor manufacturer BEN Buchele specialises in customised machinery and has already gained a wealth of experience with hybrid propulsion in various marine projects. In one customer project, the electric drive component had to enable fully electric power at a speed of up to 6 knots and have the capacity to recharge the batteries with electricity generated while using the diesel engines. The brief called for a weight-optimised, size-200, water-cooled motor with 60 kW of output, a rated speed of 2,130 rpm and frequency inverter operation, suitable for continuous S1 operation. In order to cover different operating modes between diesel and electric operation, the electric motor had to allow high speeds and be able to call up the rated power over a wide speed map. Around double the rated speed was required for this project. As a result, the motor had to run at up to 4,300 rpm in generator mode while also supplying the 60 kW of power at as low as 2,000 rpm so that it could operate at full capacity at the required speed of 6 kt in electric mode. This kind of engine map is something BEN Buchele can guarantee.
Water cooling for lower heat dissipation
Water cooling is another benefit to the heat concept in the engine room. All of the power electronic components, from the batteries to the variable frequency drive, generate a certain amount of heat. Water-cooling the electric motors, however, eliminates all further sources of heat in the engine room. Other major advantages of a water-cooled motor are its low weight and compact size, meaning it can be installed without taking up too much space. Water-cooled motors output the same amount of power as a surface-cooled engine at a much larger frame size.
The flexible multi-foot attachment is another stand-out quality of BEN Buchele motors, and allows them to be installed in a variety of locations on the ship. BEN Buchele can also adjust the position of the junction box depending on customer requirements.
