A Glasgow-based maritime technology startup is developing a next-generation Flettner rotor sail that addresses one of the technology\u2019s most persistent commercial limitations \u2013 its dependence on favourable wind angles \u2013 through a patented tail-appendage device that reshapes airflow in the rotor\u2019s wake to deliver higher thrust across a broader range of conditions.<\/p>\n
EcoNavis Solutions\u2019 Eco Rotor Sail retains the conventional rotating cylinder of a standard Flettner rotor but adds a fixed aerodynamic appendage downstream to stabilise airflow, reducing energy losses and maintaining thrust generation as wind direction changes. Initial simulations indicate a thrust increase of up to 10% alongside a 5% reduction in torque demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlettner rotors already offer one of the highest lift-to-drag ratios among wind-assisted devices, but the main drawback has been the narrow band of wind angles \u2013 typically beam and stern-quarter winds,\u201d said EcoNavis CEO and founder Dr Batuhan Aktas. \u201cIf you can maintain performance across a wider range of conditions, you change how the technology is used. It becomes something operators can plan around, rather than something that depends on favourable weather.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project is backed by a \u00a3100,000 research grant from Scottish Enterprise toward a \u00a3265,000 development programme. Wind tunnel trials at Politecnico di Milano In Italy are planned for scale model validation, with a full-scale prototype potentially ready for shipboard trials this year.<\/p>\n
Flettner rotors \u2013 first introduced a century ago \u2013 are enjoying a commercial renaissance as shipowners seek credible, proven routes to fuel savings and CII compliance. The technology\u2019s Achilles heel has always been performance variability outside optimal wind angles, limiting its attractiveness on vessels trading diverse global routes.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Glasgow-based maritime technology startup is developing a next-generation Flettner rotor sail that addresses one of the technology\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[85,46,125],"class_list":{"0":"post-379299","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}