They were stupid then, and they're stupid now.
Posted on 08/22/2023 2:02:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A cargo ship fitted with two massive sails developed by America’s Cup engineers is setting off on its maiden voyage from China to Brazil
Remember in the olden days when ships weren’t fitted with engines and propellers to power them across the oceans? Back then, they used massive sheets of fabric called sails to capture the wind and use that to push them through the waves, novel idea right? Well now, that vintage tech is making a comeback on a cargo ship that’s about to sail from China to Brazil.
According to the BBC, the 750-foot Pyxis Ocean cargo ship has been fitted with two enormous sails developed by British engineering outfit BAR Technologies, which was spun out of Ben Ainslie’s 2017 America’s Cup team.
The sails, which each stand 123 feet tall, are built in a similar way to wind turbines in order to withstand the high winds at sea. They can be folded away when a ship comes into port, and when fully opened out can save one and a half tons of heavy fuel oil each day. On the Pyxis Ocean, two of these sails are being tested, which could save up to three tons of fuel every day. The BBC Reports:
The Pyxis Ocean’s maiden journey, from China to Brazil, will provide the first real-world test of the WindWings - and an opportunity to assess whether a return to the traditional way of propelling ships could be the way forward for moving cargo at sea.
Enabling a vessel to be blown along by the wind, rather than rely solely on its engine, could hopefully eventually reduce a cargo ship’s lifetime emissions by 30%.
The voyage, which is being managed by shipping firm Cargill will be the first real world test of the futuristic sails, which are called Wind Wings. Along this route and future journeys, the performance of the sails will be closely monitored and BAR Technologies will use this to influence the design of future sails.
If all goes well on the test, BAR Technologies is optimistic about how the sails could shape the future of shipping. According to the company’s boss, John Cooper, half the new-build ships built could be fitted with similar sails by 2025.
With the sails installed, the Pyxis Ocean’s voyage from China to Brazil is predicted to take six weeks. On a traditional voyage powered by fuel alone, the same journey can take anywhere between 20 and 40 days to compete.
Weren’t they ‘tested’, starting some 500 years ago?
With the sails installed, the Pyxis Ocean’s voyage from China to Brazil is predicted to take six weeks. On a traditional voyage powered by fuel alone, the same journey can take anywhere between 20 and 40 days to compete.
lol - thinking the same thing. Should have a skull & crossbones on the main sail.
Biden suggests that they travel by train instead.
You mean they compared weeks to days?
Oars and Uyghar galley slaves are up next.
Isn’t that special ? As Dana Carvey would ask 30 years ago !!
Columbus did that I think.
Kon Tiki?
The question is why?
6 weeks vs 4 to 8 weeks.
It is strange writing.
How about, the voyage is expected to be about the same.....
I guess 6weeks is the max speed vs 4 weeks.
I saw that same picture two decades ago. I believe it was in a Popular Science mag back when they were so concerned about “peak oil.” Nothing is new.
I think there may be merit to using wind again, as an assist. Even a few knots in assist can save thousands of gallons of fuel over a cruise.
I would expect more precision from the engine driven journey and a greater variability from sails.
Nice change of units to confuse the reader.
They were stupid then, and they're stupid now.
Sailboats were first tested about 6,000 years ago (and we have the Polaroids to prove it).
Note: This is a hybrid system...it still has conventional propulsion, as a strictly ‘green’ system is simply not viable. Hybrid systems, when you can use a ‘renewable’ power source to offset petroleum use, as availability allows, may make sense and may actually be achievable. Ultimately, the market will decide this.
Welcome back to the mid 70s.
BTW...I don’t see how they modify container ships for this...the ship is loaded and unloaded from the top, where the sails would normally go.
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