According to its press release Wärtsilä’s Energopac is an integrated propeller and rudder design that effectively reduces flow separation behind the propeller hub, thereby reducing frictional drag while preserving course-keeping capabilities. The trails are carried out with the Spliethoff Group, a company that manages more than 55 multi-purpose cargo vessels, it was shown that the Wärtsilä Energopac solution delivers significant reductions in fuel costs.
The trials have shown that the Energopac solution saves close to 4 per cent power in design condition. Frank Louwers, director at Spliethoff, informed that after 6 months of operation, it has been shown that the reality confirms the theory. He added that this facilitated our decision to install the Energopac propulsion solution on the next series of another 5 vessels.
Wärtsilä’s Energopac was launched in 2008 and it is an easy-to-install rudder/propeller combination that features a rudder bulb located behind the propeller hub. As each Energopac installation is designed to fit a specific vessel, it can be fully optimized for energy efficiency without compromising manoeuvrability or comfort levels. High performance propeller designs usually involve a compromise between increased efficiency and reduced vibration levels.
Marcel van Haaren, Manager, Sales Engineering, Wärtsilä Ship Power, said that Energopac is an effective way of reducing the operational costs of any vessel which spends a significant proportion of time in non-stop sailing. For ships with highly-loaded controllable-pitch propeller systems, such as RoRo vessels, ferries, container/multipurpose vessels and vessels with an ice class notation, the potential savings with Energopac are large.
