Sail propulsion system, in particular for use by a container ship

Abstract

The invention relates to a sail propulsion system 1 comprising an assembly 3 of sails 6 and a container 2 in which the assembly 3 can be stowed and from which it can be deployed, the container having the dimensional characteristics of a maritime shipping container such that it can be secured to a stack of cargo containers of a container ship, so as to provide auxiliary propulsion for said ship.

Description

Wind propulsion system, notably usable by a container ship.

[0001] The present invention relates to sailing navigation. In particular, it relates to a sail system adapted for equipping container ships in order to provide them with at least one auxiliary propulsion.

[0002] The propulsion of large ships, particularly container ships, represents a significant portion of global fossil fuel consumption. It has therefore been proposed to equip these ships with sails mounted on masts; however, the placement of these masts and their sails is poorly suited to container ships, hindering the loading and unloading of containers and significantly reducing the number of containers that can be carried on such a vessel. Kite-type sails have also been proposed; these sails are difficult to handle.

[0003] One aim of the invention is to provide a propulsion system which does not interfere or only slightly interfere with the loading and / or unloading of a merchant ship, does not unduly limit its load capacity and is capable of providing it with effective auxiliary propulsion in order to significantly reduce its consumption of fossil energy.

[0004] The object of the invention is a sail propulsion system comprising a storage container and a sail assembly including at least one sail, designed to be stored in a horizontal position within the container and upright in a usable position. The sail assembly advantageously includes a support for the sail, the support preferably being movable on a rail of the container.

[0005] The sail assembly may include at least one sail with a centerline, preferably three sails with respective centerlines, each sail being arranged so that in the stowed position its centerline is extended and in the working position its centerline is upright. Advantageously, the sail assembly comprises three sails, including a central sail and two lateral sails, the support comprising two arms, each lateral sail being attached to a distal end of its respective arm, the arms being movable relative to each other and / or telescoping, so as to bring the sails closer together in the stowed position.

[0006] Preferably, in the storage position, the trolley is engaged with a portion of rail fixed to a transverse wall of the container.

[0007] The container may include drive means for tilting the transverse wall to straighten the sail's orientation axis. In its operating position, the sail assembly is advantageously mobile around a central orientation axis (X6C), preferably substantially vertical.

[0008] The storage container may include, on each of two opposing longitudinal walls, a portion of annular rail, the sail assembly comprising two lateral trolleys each to engage with a respective portion.

[0009] The system according to the invention advantageously comprises autonomous means of energy production, preferably photovoltaic panels and / or wind turbine means, preferably at least one Savonius type wind turbine.

[0010] The storage container advantageously includes means for gripping at least one underlying container.

[0011] Embodiments and variations will be described below, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0012] is a schematic view, in three-quarter rear and top perspective, from starboard, illustrating a sail propulsion system according to the invention and a first step in implementing a system, the system comprising a container in which masts and their sails are in a stowed position;

[0013] is a schematic, three-quarter front and top perspective view from starboard of the system illustrating a second stage of system implementation, in which the container's side walls have been opened;

[0014] is a schematic, three-quarter forward and top perspective view from starboard of the system illustrating a third stage of implementation of the system, in which the masts have been erected;

[0015] is a schematic, three-quarter forward and top perspective view from starboard of the system illustrating a fourth stage of system implementation, in which the masts are being put in place;

[0016] is a schematic, three-quarter forward and top perspective view from starboard of the system illustrating a fifth stage of implementation of the system, in which the masts are in a central position;

[0017] is a schematic, three-quarter front and top perspective view from starboard of the system illustrating a sixth stage of implementation of the system in which the masts have been moved laterally away from each other;

[0018] is a schematic, three-quarter forward and top view, from starboard, of the system illustrating a seventh stage of system implementation, in which the sails have been deployed; and,

[0019] is a schematic, three-quarter front and top perspective view, from starboard, of a rail detail for the propulsion system.

[0020] In this description, in particular the terms "forward", "rear", "up", "down", "upper", "lower", "horizontal" and "vertical", "left" or "right", and other terms of the same type may be used arbitrarily and generally refer to the position of the sail system when a vessel equipped with it has a stable position on the water, under no other constraint than that of its own weight.

[0021] Figures 1 to 8 illustrate a sail propulsion system 1 for a ship, specifically a container ship; it includes, in particular, a storage container 2 and a sail assembly 3. The system 1 is substantially symmetrical with respect to a vertical longitudinal plane P. The ship is not shown in the figures.

[0022] In position a, the sail assembly 3 is folded and stored inside container 2.

[0023] Container 2 comprises a rectangular, horizontal base 11 and four sides 12-14. In its stowed position, the sides are vertical and extend from their respective edges of the base 11. The container includes two longitudinal side walls 12, a forward transverse wall 13, and a rear transverse wall 14. Container 2 is open at the top, meaning it has no upper wall; the sail assembly 3 is exposed to the air. The side walls 12 extend along the longer edge of the base 11; among the side walls 12 are a starboard wall 12T and a port wall 12B, opposite each other.

[0024] In the operating position of the propulsion system 1, mounted on the ship, the longitudinal plane P is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the ship, the side walls 12 are substantially parallel to the longitudinal plane P, the front and rear walls 13, 14 are perpendicular to the longitudinal plane P; the front wall 13 is the one closest to the bow and the rear wall 14 is the one closest to the stern of the ship. The bottom 11 forms a substantially horizontal floor of the container 2.

[0025] Each side wall 12 is hinged to the bottom 11 about a respective longitudinal axis X12, along a respective longitudinal edge of the bottom. The front wall 13 is hinged to the bottom 11 about a respective transverse axis X13, along a respective transverse edge at the front of the bottom. The rear wall 14 is itself hinged to the bottom 11 about a respective transverse axis X14, along a respective transverse edge at the rear of the bottom.

[0026] In the illustrated example, container 2 is a forty-foot container, having the main dimensional characteristics of a shipping container, as defined by ISO 1496-1 and ISO 668 standards. Container 2 can therefore be handled by a lifting device used in a port for loading or unloading shipping containers. At this point, the system is in a stowed position.

[0027] In position a, the sail assembly 3 is folded into container 2; its overall dimensions do not exceed those of a shipping container. It is thus stackable on top of a shipping container of the same type; it can therefore be stored and stacked on a dock in the same way as a shipping container of the same type. Thus, when not used for propulsion, such a system 1 according to the invention can be placed and stored on a dock and does not hinder the loading or unloading of the ship, unlike prior art sails whose masts are rigidly fixed to the ship's hull.

[0028] Thus, in the first step of implementing system 1, the ship is first loaded with shipping containers. Once the ship is properly and completely loaded, container 2 is taken in the lane configuration and placed on a stack of containers of the same type, in this case forty-foot containers.

[0029] Figure 1 illustrates a second stage in the implementation of system 1. The sail system 1 has been placed on a stack of freight containers, three of which, 4B, 4C, and 4T, are schematically represented with dashed lines; they constitute the top layer of the stack. The three containers comprise a central container 4C, a starboard container 4T placed against the starboard side of the central container, and a port container 4B placed against the port side of the central container 4C.

[0030] In position A, storage container 2 was placed and secured on top of the central container 4C; the starboard side panel 12T was folded horizontally around its X12 axis onto the top of the starboard container 4T and secured there; and the port side panel 12B was folded horizontally around its X12 axis onto the top of the port container 4T and secured there. The transport containers 4B, 4C, and 4T are themselves secured to their counterparts below; the system is firmly attached to the vessel.

[0031] With the side panels folded down, the sail assembly 3 can be seen, still in a horizontally extended position. The sail system 1 includes electric motors 15 that allow its automatic deployment; in particular, each side panel 12, front panel 13 and rear panel 14 is associated with two respective motors 15 that allow it to be folded down around its respective shaft X12, X13, X14.

[0032] In the illustrated example, the sail assembly 3 comprises three sails 6, including a central sail 6C, a starboard sail 6T, and a port sail 6B. Each sail 6 comprises a leading edge 61 and a trailing edge 62, and between the two edges 61 and 62, a flexible and deformable sail 63 (see). The leading edge 61 and the trailing edge 62 are rigid; The leading edge 61 serves as a mast for the sail 6 and as a furler for the sail 63. In the positions shown in Figures 1 to 6, the sail is furled inside the leading edge so that the leading edge 61 and the trailing edge 62 are juxtaposed, thus reducing the overall size of each sail 6. Sail deployment means – not shown – allow the sail 63 to be unfurled and deployed by moving the trailing edge 62 away from the leading edge 61, as illustrated in Figure 1. Sail deformation means – not shown – allow the sail to be shaped to suit propulsion, depending on the wind direction.At this point, a convex extrados 63E is formed on the port side of the sail 63, and a concave intrados 63N is formed on its starboard side; the sail profile is thus adapted to a starboard tack wind. Preferably, each sail is designed to assume a profile chosen from among the NACA profiles, preferably the NACA0012 profile.

[0033] In the position of figures 1 and 2, the sails are arranged for optimized storage of the sails 6 in container 2. Thus, the port and starboard sails are arranged head to tail, at the same level, the leading edge 61 of the port sail 6B being arranged above its trailing edge 62 and the trailing edge of the starboard sail 6T being arranged above its leading edge 61; the central sail 6C is arranged in a staggered pattern under the other two, trailing edge at the top.

[0034] The illustration shows a third stage in the implementation of system 1. In the position shown in the figure, the front wall 13 has been folded forward around its axis X13 and the rear wall 14 has been folded backward around its axis X14. Each of the front and rear walls is associated with two respective motors 15 which allow it to be folded down.

[0035] With the sides 12, 13, and 14 folded down, four corner posts 16 are revealed, rigidly fixed to each corner of the base 11 and extending vertically upwards from the base. These posts allow the sides 12, 13, and 14 to be fixed in their vertical position, thus maintaining the system in its storage position, as illustrated in Figure 1. Advantageously, the front and rear sides include means for being fixed to containers of the upper layer—not shown—to which they are respectively folded down and advantageously fixed.

[0036] System 1 includes means for producing electrical energy, which enable the sail system 1 to be energy self-sufficient, notably to power the motors 15 and also to manipulate the sails 6. The system includes, in particular, photovoltaic panels 21, two wind turbines 22, and electricity storage batteries. The photovoltaic panels 21 are arranged on the inner faces of the side walls 12, so that when the walls are folded down, the panels are exposed to sunlight. The wind turbines 22 are of the Savonius type. They are fixed to an inner face of the front wall 13. Each wind turbine is mounted on its respective telescopic mast 23; in the retracted position, the mast reduces the wind turbine's footprint when stored.When the front wall 13 is folded down, the poles are vertical and can be telescoped to achieve a height advantageous for electricity production, as illustrated in figures 4 to 7.

[0037] In the stowed position, the sail assembly 3 is fixed to an inner face of the aft bulkhead 14; in the stowed position, the sails 6 have been raised vertically, while the aft bulkhead 14 has been folded horizontally. The sails are still furled in their respective leading edges.

[0038] As particularly illustrated in the, the sail propulsion system 1 further comprises a longitudinal rail 24 and an annular rail 26.

[0039] The longitudinal rail 24 comprises a rear portion 24A, located on the inner face of the rear wall 14, and a front portion 24B, located on the bottom 11 of the container. The front portion 24B extends from a rear end of the bottom 11, near the rear wall 14, to a central area of ​​the bottom 11. Thus, the rail comprises a front end 24C located substantially in the center of the bottom 11 of the container 2. In the folded-down position, the two portions 24A and 24B are aligned horizontally with each other along the longitudinal plane P.

[0040] The annular rail 26 comprises two lateral portions 26A, symmetrical to each other with respect to the longitudinal plane P, each supported by an inner face of a respective lateral wall 12. It further comprises a front portion 26B and two rear portions 26C, fixed to the base 11. The front portion of the annular rail extends the lateral portions 26A between them, in front of the longitudinal rail 24. The two rear portions 26C are arranged on either side of the longitudinal rail 24 and extend the lateral portions between them. Gaps are provided between the various portions 24A, 24B; 26A, 26B, 26C (see in particular) to allow the walls 12, 14 to be straightened into the storage position without the rail portions interfering with each other. The annular rail has the shape of a circle centered midway between the front and rear of the bottom 11, substantially around the front end 24C of the longitudinal rail 24.

[0041] The sail assembly 3 includes a support 30 for the sails 6. The support includes a central car on which the central sail 6C rests and two lateral arms 32. The central car is mounted movably along the longitudinal rail 24.

[0042] The leading edge 61 of the central sail 6C is fixed to the central traveler and rotatable relative to the central traveler about a respective axis X6C, which is vertical in the operating position. The two lateral arms are hinged to the central traveler. The starboard sail 6T and the port sail 6B are each carried by a distal end 32A of a respective arm 32. The distal end 32A of each arm 32 includes a lateral traveler 33. Each lateral traveler 33 carries one of the respective sails: the starboard sail 6T and the port sail 6B. The leading edge 61 of each respective lateral sail 6B, 6T is fixed to its respective lateral traveler and rotatable relative to that respective lateral traveler 33 about a respective axis X6B, XT, which is vertical in the operating position.

[0043] In the positions of figures 1, 2 and 3, the arms form a V, so that the sails take the staggered position previously described and useful for their storage in container 2.

[0044] In the position of the, the sails were oriented so that the leading edge 61 of each was in front of their respective trailing edge 62, and moved forward, on the longitudinal rail 24.

[0045] In position 1, the central carriage has been advanced to the front end 24C of the longitudinal rail, substantially at the center of the bottom 11 of container 2. The arms 32 have been oriented so that they are transversely aligned with each other; the axes 6B, 6C, 6T of the sails are in the same vertical plane P6 perpendicular to the longitudinal plane P. The axis X6C of the leading edge 61 of the central sail 6C is arranged so that it is concentric with the annular rail 26.

[0046] In the position shown, the arms 32 were extended transversely by telescoping from a retracted position illustrated in figures 1 to 5, until each lateral trolley 33 was in contact with a respective lateral portion 26A of the annular rail 26.

[0047] In position A, the sails 6 have been deployed to take advantage of a starboard tack wind V, as previously described. The sail assembly 3 can then be oriented around the axis X6C of the central sail, so that each of the three sails 6 makes the most of the wind, with the axes X6B, X6C, and X6T remaining coplanar. The side cars 33 are designed to be able to cross the gaps between the sections of the annular track 26 without derailing when the sail assembly 3 is oriented around the central axis X6C. Preferably, the sail assembly can be oriented through 360 degrees around the axis X6C of the central sail 6C, independently of the orientation of each of the sails 6. This orientation of the sail assembly allows, in particular, a windward sail to shield a leeward sail from the wind.The rotation of the sail assembly is advantageously carried out in an automated and fully autonomous manner, in particular by autonomous means of energy production as previously described.

[0048] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples just described. On the contrary, the invention is defined by the claims that follow.

[0049] It will indeed become apparent to the man of the art that various modifications can be made to the methods of implementation described above, in the light of the teaching which has just been disclosed to him.

[0050] Thus, the sails may be of a different type than those previously described.

[0051] Also, the storage container can have different dimensions. For example, it can be eighty feet long, so it is intended to be placed and secured on two forty-foot shipping containers placed side by side lengthwise.

[0052] Also, the sails can be telescoped in height along their respective axes.

[0053] Also, in the stowed position, the sail assembly can be fixed to the front wall instead of the rear wall.

[0054] Also, the storage container can be designed to be positioned differently on the ship. For example, its longest length can be positioned transversely to the ship's axis of travel, rather than longitudinally as previously described.

[0055] Also, although not described, the system may include, within the container, control means that allow its autonomous management; these means may include means for controlling the motors, means for configured sensors to detect the relative strength and direction of the winds, means for deploying the sails and orienting the sails and the sail system.

Claims

Sail propulsion system (1), characterized in that it comprises a storage container (2) and a sail assembly (3) comprising at least one sail (6) and intended to be stored in a horizontal position in said container and upright in a position of use, the sail assembly (3) comprising a support (30) for at least one sail (6), said support being movable on a rail (24, 26) of the container (2). System according to claim 1, characterized in that the sail assembly (3) comprises at least one sail (6) with an orientation axis (X6), preferably three sails (6B, 6C, 6D) with respective orientation axes (X6B, X6C, X6D), each sail being arranged such that in the storage position its axis is in an extended position and in a working position its axis is upright. System according to claim 2, characterized in that the sail assembly comprises three sails, including a central sail (6C) and two lateral sails (6B, 6T), and in that the support (30) comprises two arms (26), each lateral sail being fixed to a distal end (26A) of a respective arm, the arms being movable relative to each other and / or telescoping, so as to bring said sails closer together in the stowed position. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support (30) comprises a trolley and in that, in the storage position, the trolley is engaged with a portion of rail (24A) fixed to a transverse wall (14) of the container. System according to claim 4, characterized in that the container includes drive means (15) for tilting the transverse wall (14) so ​​as to straighten the axis (X6B, X6C, X6D) of the sail. System according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in a working position the sail assembly (3) is mobile around a substantially vertical central orientation axis (X6C). System according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the storage container (2) comprises, on each of two opposing longitudinal walls (12), a portion of annular rail, the sail assembly (3) comprising two lateral trolleys (33) each to engage with a respective portion (26A). System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises autonomous means of energy production, preferably photovoltaic panels (21) and / or wind turbine means (22), preferably at least one Savonius type wind turbine. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage container (2) includes means for gripping at least one underlying container (4C).

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