Marine propulsion – Electric drive for propelling means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-16
2003-11-11
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Marine propulsion
Electric drive for propelling means
C114S06500R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06645016
ABSTRACT:
This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/DE00/02016 which has an International filing date of Jun. 19, 2000, which designated the United States of America, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a Merchant Navy ship having a ship's hull which is intended for accommodating cargo and/or people. Preferably, it includes at least one rotatable steering propeller. The propeller is preferably in the form of a propulsion unit. The rotatable steering propeller is preferably arranged in a connection unit in the form of a box in the stern of the ship's hull. The components required for controlling the steering propeller are preferably located in the ship's hull.
2. Background of the Invention
A ship is known from German Utility Model G 69 37 931.3. This document discloses a steering propeller propulsion unit, which is arranged in what is referred to as a foundation box, and for which electrical and mechanical components must be provided in the ship's hull. Furthermore, a replaceable motor-transmission module for ship propulsion systems with propeller shafts which refers to the abovementioned document is disclosed in DE 34 26 333 C2. The known motor-transmission module can be inserted in the ship's hull from above, and can be connected to the ship's hull.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention, going beyond the already known solutions which operate with propulsion functional modules, is to specify a ship with steering propeller. This provides a particularly cost-effective design for the entire ship's propulsion system and, possibly, also for the ship's steering control system.
In the past, for Merchant Navy ships, it was normal to send the electrical and electromechanical components individually to the installation location, that is to say to the dockyard. The electrical and electromechanical components include, for example: generators, motors, transformers, switchgear systems, converter systems, cooling systems, distribution systems, control stations etc. These components are manufactured by different manufacturers, supervised by the Classification Authorities. They are then dispatched in packaging by land or by sea, depending on the destination. The individual deliveries are received in logistic form by the dockyard. The dockyard personnel transport the electrical and electromechanical components to the ship, where they are fitted and attached to the appropriately prepared foundations. The individual components are then wired up to one another and connected by specialist personnel. The wiring for the components is checked, and the system commissioned, by the system supplier. The operation of the systems is checked during the stationary test run and during the dockyard trials, and is accepted by the Classification Authority and the end user. This known procedure is highly costly particularly, for example, if the dockyard is located in the Far East and the components are manufactured in Europe. This is evermore frequently the situation for special ships, in particular for special diesel-electric ships. This results in very high personnel costs, especially for the system supplier, due to the relatively long time for which the personnel are away from base.
One object of the invention is to specify a modular system. Such a system preferably considerably reduces the personnel costs as well as the transport costs for special ships with rotatable steering propellers, which make up an ever greater proportion of the world market. In this case, in particular, one aim is to improve the functional reliability of the components that are supplied, to avoid incorrect connections of the components by the personnel who are used in the emerging markets and, in particular, have no experience of the construction of modern diesel-electric ships.
This object is achieved, for example, by a steering propeller including an electric propeller motor. Preferably, the electrical and electromechanical components for supplying power to and controlling the steering propeller and its motor are at least partially combined in functional modules which are in the form of a transport container. Preferably, the container is a standard container, designed such that it can be completely functionally tested, can be accepted by the Classification Authorities at its point of manufacture, and/or can be installed in this form at any desired location in the ship by means of the container base structure.
The abovementioned technical solution advantageously results in a considerable reduction in the construction costs of a ship—which cost reductions have been calculated to be more than 10%. Furthermore, the functional reliability of the ship propulsion system is improved, since the individual propulsion components are installed and connected to one another using specialist personnel. Repairs are also simplified, since the components that are supplied are installed in the ship in accordance with the specification and in a manner which is documented at the point of manufacture. Discrepancies between the design standard and the actual standard no longer occur, so that this results in considerably improved repair reliability, and an improved capability for remote diagnosis. In this case, the individual containers can advantageously each have a remote diagnosis unit. The remote diagnosis unit, or some similar unit, can advantageously also be used for continuous monitoring of the functional components in the container or in the steering propeller. The Inmarsat system can be used for this purpose, as is also already used for monitoring entire ships by the shipping line centers.
A refinement of the invention provides for the transport containers to have entirely or partially removable side parts and/or top parts. This advantageously makes it possible to provide accessibility to the ship's propulsion system and to the individual components in a manner corresponding to the known open methods of construction.
A further refinement of the invention provides that the functional modules can be placed on foundations in the ship, and are designed such that they can be permanently connected to the ship. The functional modules can be permanently connected to the ship by welding or screwing. It is thus possible to connect the functional modules to the ship in a particularly cost-effective manner. Solutions such as those disclosed in DE 34 24 067 C2 are also known to the German Navy, in which the individual guns or the like are each provided with standard containers, which have the necessary electrical systems for operating the guns, for example, in order to improve the protection when being fired at. However, these containers normally have sprung suspension using suspension elements and are also designed differently in other respects. They cannot provide any information relating to the embodiment according to the invention, or its purpose.
A further refinement of the invention provides for the functional modules to have hydraulic input and output lines as well as cooling water input and output lines which are ready to be connected, and, in a particular manner, power cables, control cables and signal cables. This design ensures that the individual functional containers can all satisfy the requirements placed on them. Even though they are still transported, the components mounted in them satisfy all the requirements which are placed on them following final installation of the containers. This applies in particular to the cooling and to the production of movements based on hydraulic systems, for example for the rotational movement of the electrical steering propeller. The functional containers are thus designed to be completely functional not only electrically, but also mechanically and hydraulically.’
Another refinement of the invention advantageously provides for the ship propulsion system to have at least three functional modules, which comprise the f
Andersen Peter
Horn Hannes Schulze
Rzadki Wolfgang
van Mameren Hans
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