Voith enters waste heat recovery market

The operating principle is that heat from the exhaust system is used to warm up an operating medium in the evaporator to produce superheated steam. The steam is used to generate mechanical energy which can be fed back into a combustion engine’s crankshaft or to a gearbox power take in (PTI). The operating medium is liquefied downstream of the piston expander in a condenser and returned to its storage tank. The process is controlled and monitored by an electronic module.

“The effect is significant and appeals to many ship owners,” says Marcel Flipse, executive vice president of newly-founded subsidiary Voith Turbo Marine SteamTrac based in Twello, The Netherlands. Flipse states that the new technology is suitable for both newbuild and retrofit projectss. “In principle, SteamTracs can be installed to all combustion engines.”

According to Voith, possible marine applications include inland waterway vessels, short sea ships, fishing vessels and ferries.

VRP for semi-submersibles

Meanwhile, Voith Marine has added an additional size to its VRP (Voith Radial Propeller) range to suit semi-submersible platforms for oil and gas extraction and wind farm installation. The copany has been gaining experience in this market with the propulsion system for natural gas pipelay vessel Castoro Sei, a semi-submersible platform which has been used on subsea pipelines – most recently the new Baltic Sea pipeline.

The new VRP is designated 38-45, which stands for a diameter of 3.80m and an input power of 4,500kW, and targets DP vessels equipped with a drilling tower or floating platforms with six or eight propulsion units. It is a more compact version of the existing VRP 42-55, five of which have been delivered for use in an offshore wind farm installation vessel.

VRP are fully pivotable vessel propulsion systems using a fixed-pitch propeller in a nozzle. The engine is arranged vertically above the drive shaft in an L-shape. Installation and maintenance of VRPs can be carried out with the vessel afloat.

Yacht thrusters

Finally, Voith has received an order for a total of 12 bow thrusters and retractable stern thrusters from Koninklijke De Vries, a division of yacht specialist Feadship. The thrusters are for various new buildings at the Aalsmeer and Makkum yards.