New energy efficient electric ship

Abstract

The application discloses an autonomous, original and disruptive iterative upgrading electric ship, which is in line with the development trend of the electric upgrading iteration of a traffic transport tool, and is characterized in that: a water inlet for preventing winding is arranged at a proper position on the two sides below a bow water line of the ship, a single or double channel flat duct pipe is arranged in the ship body, a plurality of disc type induction direct drive motors are arranged in series in the duct, the disc type motor rotors gradually accelerate and pressurize water flow, the left and right swinging and reverse thrust of a tail water outlet are controlled to realize the functions of a heading, a brake and a reverse, a large diameter water turbine rotor and a generator are matched in the duct, the water flow kinetic energy is recycled by relying on a large wheel shaft lever, the ship is provided with a hybrid power system composed of a lithium battery, a super capacitor combined power supply and a heat engine power generation mechanism, and a control system for realizing automatic switching of power modes in various working conditions is matched with an intelligent system, and the technology has the technical advantages of compact structure, high propulsion efficiency and recyclable potential energy, and is suitable for application design of various ships.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of marine electromagnetic propulsion technology, specifically to a ship with pure electric drive and hybrid power supply, and more particularly to an integrated propulsion system based on ducted water flow power transmission, multi-stage series drive of disc direct drive motors, and coordinated power generation by water turbine rotor. Background Technology

[0002] Existing commercial and military ship propulsion systems mostly employ internal combustion engines, gas turbines, conventional electric motors, or traditional diesel-electric hybrid power structures. Among these, internal combustion engine power suffers from severe exhaust pollution, high fuel consumption, high vibration and noise levels, complex transmission structures, and significant mechanical transmission losses, making it unsuitable for the current green and low-carbon development requirements of the shipbuilding industry. Traditional electric ships generally use an external propeller direct-drive structure, possessing only a single propulsion function. During navigation, a large amount of water kinetic energy and ship potential energy cannot be recovered and utilized, resulting in high battery energy consumption, short driving range, and inability to meet the needs of long-duration, long-distance operations.

[0003] Current ducted propulsion and electric propulsion improvement schemes generally suffer from single functionality and fragmented structural layouts. They fail to achieve integrated integration of water flow introduction, multi-stage motor boosting, high-speed propulsion, and water flow energy recovery, thus failing to form a closed-loop energy cycle system and resulting in low overall energy conversion and utilization efficiency. In summary, the market currently lacks an integrated electric marine propulsion system that is compact, highly efficient, capable of recovering water flow energy across the entire surface, low-noise, energy-saving, and offers long endurance—a pressing technical challenge that needs to be addressed. Furthermore, the development of innovative and iterative marine technologies must keep pace with the times and continuously adapt to the future trend of electrification in long-distance voyages. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies and provide a new energy high-efficiency electric ship, constructing a hybrid closed-loop power system that combines lithium batteries, supercapacitors, and thermal engine power generation. This invention relies on a ducted water flow transmission structure, combined with a multi-stage disc direct-drive motor to achieve progressively pressurized jet propulsion of the water flow. Simultaneously, it utilizes the lever mechanics principle of the large-diameter turbine rotor's large axle to efficiently recover the kinetic energy of the water flow and the ship's potential energy, achieving integrated and coordinated operation of electromagnetic drive, water flow pressurization, high-speed propulsion, and water flow power generation. This solves the technical pain points of traditional ships, such as high energy consumption, environmental unfriendliness, low efficiency, and poor range.

[0005] Ship electrification is a core development trend for the efficient conversion of transportation energy and a key breakthrough direction for new energy ships and underwater vehicles. Shipborne energy storage devices have limited capacity. This invention fully explores the inherent potential of ship navigation, significantly improving energy recycling rates and effectively extending ship range through structural innovation and energy path optimization. Simultaneously, it simplifies the power structure, reduces ship manufacturing and maintenance costs, and adapts to the practical innovative design needs of energy-saving and environmentally friendly technological iterations for small, medium, and large ships.

[0006] The vessel features symmetrical streamlined water inlets on both sides below the waterline at the bow. This streamlined design allows for low-resistance, high-efficiency introduction of external water flow during navigation. The inlets integrate filtration and anti-tangling structures to effectively prevent weeds, silt, and suspended solids from entering the internal water flow channels, thus preventing jamming and wear of moving parts such as motors and turbine rotors, and improving system stability and lifespan. The cross-sectional area, inlet angle, and flow curve of the inlets are optimized based on the vessel's tonnage, design speed, and culvert flow rate parameters to ensure a smooth and high-speed flow of water into the culverts at the center or sides of the hull.

[0007] This invention adapts to various culvert layouts based on ship specifications. For medium to large ships, a single or two flat, integrated culverts are installed along the centerline at the bottom of the keel, running from bow to stern. This does not affect the ship's basic structural shape. The flat structure allows for the installation of flat turbine blades, increasing the cross-sectional area for water flow and providing a stable mounting base for internal drive and power generation components. The inner wall of the culvert is made of a smooth, wear-resistant, and corrosion-resistant material to minimize water flow friction loss and ensure high-speed, stable water flow within the pipe. The culvert has pre-drilled openings corresponding to the turbine rotor installation positions, facilitating embedded turbine rotor installation. The culvert length and cross-sectional dimensions are precisely matched to the ship type, displacement, and power requirements to adapt to the operating conditions of the internal equipment. The specific number of turbine rotors is determined based on the ship's length and actual needs.

[0008] For small and medium-sized narrow-hull vessels, a double-ducted hull layout on both sides is adopted, paired with a double-layer single-unit coaxial counter-rotating turbine rotor. Large-diameter turbine rotors can be configured, increasing the wheel-axle lever arm ratio and enhancing leverage efficiency. For large and super-large vessels, a center-axis layout with three ducted hulls on both sides is adopted, along with a double-layer coaxial counter-rotating turbine rotor, significantly improving the overall propulsion power of the vessel, increasing the points of impact with water flow, and enhancing the high-speed water jet effect.

[0009] The stern is equipped with a high-speed water jet propulsion port, which is equipped with a hydraulically controlled horizontal swing adjustment mechanism and a water flow reverse thrust shield mechanism. The left and right swing of the water jet port enables precise control of the ship's navigation direction, and the opening and closing and blocking actions of the reverse thrust shield enable the ship to decelerate, brake, and reverse at a fixed point. This integrated system achieves high-speed propulsion, course control, braking, and reversing in one unified operation.

[0010] The diameter of the turbine rotor is set according to the width of the hull, with the optimal installation diameter being half the internal width of the hull. Utilizing the large-diameter axle structure to create a lever arm advantage of tens of times, it significantly improves the water flow impact torque and power generation efficiency. The rotor blades adopt a rectangular structure with rounded corners, and an arc-shaped drag-reducing structure is set on the back of the blades. The blades are arranged perpendicular to the jet water flow to maximize the reception of water flow impact force. The blades and rotor rims are assembled at a large angle, effectively reducing the rotor's rotational water resistance.

[0011] The number of turbine rotors assembled is determined based on the hull length and the adaptability to the water flow impact power. The culvert can be installed singly or in pairs as needed. Horizontal installation openings are made on one or both sides of the culvert. The multi-stage impulse turbine rotors are arranged longitudinally along the water flow path, allowing for comprehensive capture of the high-speed water kinetic energy within the culvert. Each turbine rotor is coaxially connected to a multi-stage generator. The water flow impact drives the rotors to rotate, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. The multi-stage rotor arrangement structure can accommodate multi-stage disc direct-drive motors, progressively accelerating the water flow to accumulate kinetic energy, significantly improving overall power generation efficiency and output power.

[0012] The generator of this invention preferably uses a switched reluctance generator, but it can also be adapted to an excitation generator or a permanent magnet generator. The excitation winding and generating winding of the switched reluctance generator are both arranged on the stator side, and the rotor only has concave and convex magnet electrodes and no wire structure. It has the advantages of being maintenance-free, highly stable, and highly reliable, making it suitable for complex working conditions on water. It can stably charge the combined power supply of marine lithium batteries and supercapacitors, meeting the needs of long-term continuous operation of ships.

[0013] The core of this invention is a three-phase induction disc multi-pole direct drive motor, which has outstanding advantages of high stability, high reliability and low cost. The multi-pole disc direct drive motor is arranged in series in the flat duct at the front end of the turbine rotor. The motor rotor adopts an integrated composite flywheel structure of armature and propeller blade. The large-diameter rotor has a larger wheel-axle lever arm ratio. It achieves high torque power output by relying on the lever mechanical effect. It has strong power, rapid response and stable operation. Water flows through the inside of the rotor, which can realize the motor's self-heating and adapt to the compact layout requirements of the duct.

[0014] A conical deflector is fitted at the front end of the rotor to concentrate the high-speed water flow and direct it onto the rotor blade area, further enhancing the lever-assisted effect. Multi-stage disc-type direct-drive motors progressively pressurize and accelerate the water flow within the pipe, creating a high-pressure, high-speed jet of water that provides continuous propulsion for the ship. This structure eliminates the gearboxes, drive shafts, and other intermediate transmission components found in traditional ships, significantly reducing mechanical transmission losses, simplifying the hull structure, and lowering manufacturing costs. Simultaneously, the multi-stage distributed drive structure provides ample power redundancy, greatly improving the safety and reliability of the power system.

[0015] This invention employs a standardized layout of multi-stage disc-type direct-drive motors adapted to corresponding turbine rotors. This ensures that high-speed water flow uniformly and stably impacts the turbine rotor, achieving a dynamic balance between power output and energy recovery. The multi-stage motors, connected in series, form a progressively increasing pressure system. The first-stage motor initially pressurizes and accelerates the water flow, while the subsequent motors further enhance the pressure and velocity, creating a high-pressure, high-speed jet of water. This not only increases the ship's propulsion thrust but also provides stronger impact kinetic energy to the turbine rotor, improving power generation and recovery efficiency. Sufficient space is reserved at the bottom of the turbine rotor to temporarily retain water leaking from the culvert, ensuring the rotor remains above the water surface and reducing resistance during rotation. Accumulated water is promptly drained by the system's drainage system.

[0016] A single-layer turbine rotor can be configured with one motor, two turbines, and a generator, or with two disc motors, two turbine rotors, and a generator. For a double-layer turbine rotor, a combination mode of small-power motors with single generators can be used with double-sided culverts. The double-layer sealed structure of the culverts is compatible with the coaxial reverse rotor installation structure, ensuring the sealing of the upper and lower layers and the smooth flow of water without interference. It is compatible with the layout of two disc motors on the left and right, paired with two turbines and generators.

[0017] This invention relates to a hybrid power system comprising a primary lithium battery pack, at least two sets of low-power energy storage and drive combined power supplies, and a heat engine generator. Each low-power power supply is composed of a lithium battery and a supercapacitor, capable of independently maintaining the ship's power drive for at least one hour, suitable for steady-state cruising. The heat engine generator uses new energy fuels such as diesel, natural gas, and hydrogen, and can independently provide propulsion power for the ship, suitable for long-distance voyages and high-load conditions. Simultaneously, it can recharge the lithium batteries and supercapacitors, serving as a backup power source for the entire system. The power system works in conjunction with a water flow energy recovery system to achieve a closed-loop energy operation encompassing electrical drive, kinetic energy recovery, and cyclic charging.

[0018] This invention is equipped with intelligent automatic and manual dual control modes, which can be adapted to all navigation conditions of ships: under high power conditions such as start-up and acceleration, the system prioritizes the use of the main power lithium battery pack to supply power to meet the high power output requirements; after the ship enters steady-state cruise conditions, the system automatically switches to a single set of low-power combined power supply to drive the ship's navigation, and the remaining low-power power supply and the main power lithium battery pack enter standby or charging state.

[0019] When the ship is sailing with the wind and current in a low-energy-consumption state, the energy recovery system continues to operate, capturing the potential energy of the navigation and the kinetic energy of the water to generate electricity, replenishing the depleted power supply and forming a continuous energy utilization system. Under high-energy-consumption conditions such as headwinds and currents, the system prioritizes power output. When all lithium batteries and capacitor energy storage power supplies are depleted, the system automatically switches to the heat engine generator to simultaneously complete ship propulsion and power charging, ensuring the continuity and stability of navigation.

[0020] In terms of navigation and control, the heading is adjusted by swinging the tail nozzle left and right, and the ship can brake, stop, and reverse by using the tail nozzle thrust reverser. In intelligent mode, the system automatically completes power switching, energy recovery, and operating condition adaptation. In manual mode, the operator can manually select the drive power supply, start and stop energy recovery, and switch the hot engine standby mode through the terminal, which is flexible and highly adaptable.

[0021] This invention features a highly integrated and compact overall structure, capable of dynamically switching between propulsion and power generation modes based on real-time navigation conditions, achieving a dynamic balance between power output and energy recovery. Compared to traditional marine propulsion systems, this invention significantly increases the driving range under the same energy storage conditions, consumes less energy and operates with lower noise at the same power output, and boasts advantages such as simple maintenance, long service life, and wide applicability. It can simultaneously meet the needs of green and low-carbon navigation for civilian vessels, as well as the quiet long-range navigation requirements of military vessels and underwater vehicles. This innovative technology, through structural innovation, energy circulation path innovation, and intelligent control mode innovation, solves the problems of short driving range, low power efficiency, and inability to recover energy in traditional electric ships. It has extremely high engineering application value and market prospects for promoting the electrification and green transformation of ships and improving their overall performance. Detailed Implementation

[0022] This invention is adapted to the integrated power system of pure electric drive and hybrid power for ships. The motor power generation, energy storage power supply, intelligent control and fluid flow guidance technologies used are all mature and public technologies with no technical barriers to implementation and can be stably applied.

[0023] The vessel features a low-resistance streamlined design, with symmetrical streamlined water inlets on both sides of the bow equipped with filtering and anti-tangling structures, efficiently guiding water flow while blocking debris. On medium to large vessels, water flows smoothly through a guide structure into a continuous, closed, low-loss, dedicated water flow channel at the bottom of the keel, forming a dedicated flow path. Inside the duct, multiple identical three-phase induction disc direct-drive motors of the same specifications and power are arranged in series. The motor rotors utilize an integrated armature and propeller composite structure. When the motors are energized, the integrated rotor rotates at high speed, continuously propelling the water flow backward within the duct. The multi-stage motors progressively pressurize and accelerate the water flow, ultimately creating a high-pressure, high-speed jet of water, providing stable and powerful propulsion for the vessel.

[0024] At the openings on both sides of the duct at the rear end of the disc-type direct-drive motor, a multi-stage impulse turbine rotor is embedded, with the rotor blades directly connected to the high-speed water flow path. The high-speed water flow continuously impacts the rotor, causing it to rotate. The rotor coaxially drives a multi-stage generator to operate, converting the kinetic energy of the water flow into electrical energy. After rectification and voltage stabilization, the generated electrical energy can be directly stored in a lithium battery and supercapacitor power supply combination, or directly supplied to shipboard equipment.

[0025] This invention employs a strictly matched layout of disc-type motors with direct drive and dual rotors to ensure uniform distribution of water flow energy and achieve a dynamic balance between propulsion and energy recovery. The control system collects key parameters such as sailing speed, battery level, and equipment load in real time, intelligently adjusting the number of motors in operation, their output power, and the operating status of the power generation circuit. It automatically switches between electric propulsion, hybrid power drive, and water flow energy recovery modes. During ship start-up, acceleration, and heavy-load navigation, all disc-type direct-drive motors operate at full power, achieving rapid acceleration and high thrust propulsion. During cruise, taxiing, and deceleration, the system automatically reduces motor power or shuts down some motors, relying on sailing inertia and water flow impact to continuously drive the turbine rotor to generate electricity, uninterruptedly recovering excess energy, reducing battery energy consumption, and effectively extending the ship's range.

[0026] This invention features high structural integration, convenient installation and maintenance, and stable and reliable operation. It can be widely adapted to inland waterway transport vessels, coastal operation vessels, sightseeing yachts, special work boats, and various underwater vehicles. It can achieve high efficiency and energy saving, low noise and quiet operation, and long endurance, and has strong engineering practicality and market adaptability.

Claims

1. A new energy efficient electric marine vessel characterized by: The system includes a ship hull, a water propulsion assembly, a ship and water potential energy recovery power generation assembly, a hybrid power system, and an intelligent control system. Water inlets with filter and anti-entanglement structures are set at appropriate positions on both sides below the waterline at the bow. A flat culvert pipe running from the bow to the stern is set in the middle or on both sides of the hull. The water propulsion assembly and the energy recovery power generation turbine rotor assembly are integrated inside the culvert pipe. The hybrid power system and the intelligent control system are adapted and installed inside the hull.

2. The new energy high-efficiency electric ship according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flat culverts are arranged according to the tonnage of the ship. Medium and large ships adopt a single or double culvert structure along the centerline at the bottom of the keel, while small and medium-sized narrow-body ships adopt a double culvert structure on both sides of the hull. Double-layer coaxial reverse-rotation impact turbine rotors can be arranged in each culvert. The inner wall of the culvert is made of smooth, wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant material.

3. The new energy high-efficiency electric ship according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water propulsion assembly includes a multi-stage series-arranged disc direct-drive motor. The disc direct-drive motor utilizes both its high torque and the leverage effect of its large size. The disc direct-drive motor is a three-phase induction disc multi-pole direct-drive motor, and its rotor is an integrated composite structure of armature and propeller blades. A conical guide shroud is provided at the front end of the rotor. The multi-stage disc direct-drive motors accelerate and pressurize the water flow in the duct in stages. The stern jet nozzle is equipped with a left-right swing steering structure and a thrust reverser brake reversing structure.

4. The new energy efficient electric ship of claim 1, wherein: The energy recovery power generation component includes multiple sets of impulse turbine rotors and adapted generators. The diameter of the turbine rotor is set according to the width of the hull, and a large-diameter wheel and axle structure is adopted to form a lever assist effect. The rotor blades are rounded rectangular and the plate surface is provided with drag-reducing arc. The turbine rotor is coaxially connected to the input shaft of the generator. The generator is preferably a switched reluctance generator, an excitation generator, or a permanent magnet generator.

5. The new energy efficient electric ship of claim 3, wherein: The culvert uses a modular combination of a single disc direct drive motor matched with two sets of turbine rotors, or two disc direct drive motors configured with one turbine rotor and a generator. The multi-stage disc direct drive motors are connected in series to form a progressively pressurized water flow that drives the turbine rotor to generate electricity, and at the same time, the progressively pressurized high-speed jet water flow propels the ship's navigation.

6. The new energy efficient electric ship of claim 1, wherein: The hybrid power system includes a main power lithium battery pack, at least two small-power combined power supplies and a heat engine generator. The small-power combined power supply consists of lithium batteries and supercapacitors and can provide power for at least 1 hour. The heat engine generator uses new energy fuels such as diesel, natural gas or hydrogen and can independently drive the ship and charge each power source.

7. The new energy efficient electric ship of claim 1, wherein: The intelligent control system includes an intelligent automatic mode and a manual control mode, which can adapt to all navigation conditions of the ship. During the start-up phase, the main power lithium battery pack is used for power supply first. During the cruise phase, a single low-power combined power supply is switched to drive the ship, while the other power supplies are in charging or standby mode, so as to fully improve the utilization rate of the ship and the potential of high-speed water flow.

8. The new energy efficient electric ship of claim 6, wherein: The intelligent control system monitors the power supply and navigation conditions in real time. When all power supplies are low, it automatically switches to the heat engine generator to simultaneously achieve ship propulsion and power replenishment, ensuring navigation continuity.

9. The new energy efficient electric ship of claim 1, wherein: During navigation, ships can make full use of the potential energy of the current and wind, as well as the lever mechanical efficiency of the turbine rotor's large axle to continuously recover the kinetic energy of the water flow, convert it into electrical energy and store it in the power system, forming an integrated closed-loop energy cycle of driving, power generation and charging.

10. The new energy efficient electric ship of claim 1, wherein: The disc-type direct drive motor eliminates the intermediate transmission structure of gearbox and drive shaft, and adopts a multi-stage distributed power redundancy design. It realizes the power generation of water turbine rotor through multi-stage water flow pressurization and injection, and stably propels the ship to sail, reducing transmission loss and operating noise.