Futura Carrier
The Futura Carrier is a type of barge . It was developed by a German group of companies from the areas of ship planning and construction , mechanical engineering , drive technology and electrical engineering and was largely funded by the Federal Environment Ministry.
The ship type has a number of innovations. For example, it is designed as a modular system with a new type of hull design, has four redundant rudder propeller drives and powerful inland waterway automation .
So far, four ships of this type have been launched, and more are planned.
principle
The Futura Carrier type of ship, developed for inland and small coastal voyages, is based on a modular principle with hull and technical modules, with the advantage that each new building to be constructed can be tailored to the cargo and size for different operating conditions. Accordingly, a Futura Carrier can be designed as a bulk carrier , container ship or tanker . The construction and planning of the Futura Carrier enables the construction by various shipyards without your own development effort for planning, project planning and work preparation. The Kiel company New Logistics was responsible for developing the Futura carrier concept . A simple line plan enables shipbuilding production in numerous places. All required systems, foundations, pipe and cable guides , including the bulkhead penetrations for shipbuilding , were taken into account in the construction. The necessary aggregates such as power generator , pumps , fans , compressors and all others are part of the delivery package. This differs depending on the type of ship and area of application.
Compared to comparable, existing or planned inland and coastal vessels, the Futura Carrier type should consume less fuel and significantly reduce operating costs. This is ensured by the catamaran-shaped hull shape on the bow side and the so-called air lubrication , the underflow of the hull with air bubbles to reduce friction and thus resistance. This should bring about a lower frictional resistance and reduce the formation of waves and swelling damage on sensitive bank areas and river beds. Another novelty of the Futura carrier ships is the use of exhaust gas cleaning technology that has been tried and tested in road traffic . Here it was expected that nitrogen oxide emissions could be reduced by up to 70 percent and particulate matter emissions by up to 99 percent. These values were achieved on the test bench. Exhaust gas values and exhaust gas aftertreatment systems are regularly checked and recorded by independent experts during the first year of operation. In practice, however, the newly developed technology worked inadequately and often failed.
Hulls and holds
The hull of a Futura Carrier consists of the stern , the hold and the bow module . According to the construction principle, the three firmly welded modules form a ship unit. The double hull bow and the wide stern, taking into account the arrangement of the drives, are specially optimized for the extreme flow conditions in shallow and narrow fairways and for the use of "air lubrication". Conventional, partially high-strength shipbuilding steel is used for the hull. All decks are executed without a jump and without a beam bay .
Propulsion system
In order to achieve high maneuverability of the ship, especially at low water levels and narrow fairways , the ship type is equipped with a decentralized drive consisting of four identical 360 ° rudder propeller units from HRP . While the two front drives are located in the runners of the hull, the rear modules hang on the outside, freely under the slightly rising hull. The rotatable rudder propellers are each directly driven by the same type of engine and can run synchronously in continuous operation. The total power of 2400 kW is of four Caterpillar or MTU - diesel engines produced with a capacity of up to 600 kW. The HRP rudder propellers are relatively small and optimized for river travel. They are designed to ensure safe operation even in shallow fairways and function as combined drive and control systems. Accordingly, they can be used for propulsion and maneuvering. The four drives can be controlled in combination with a computer via the so-called “Multi Thruster Control System” (MTCS) . If individual drives fail or are specifically switched off, the MTCS technology automatically detects this and compensates for it automatically.
The drive modules are arranged so that they can e.g. B. can be quickly exchanged for maintenance or repairs without docking the ship. The motors and generators are cooled indirectly via box coolers in the outer skin. Each main and auxiliary diesel is equipped with its own starter battery, generator and attached charger. All four drives each work completely independently, even if the entire on-board network including the emergency diesel generator fails.
Exhaust aftertreatment
Futura Carriers are the first inland vessels to be equipped with a combination system of particle filters and NO x reduction , with the entire exhaust gas aftertreatment system being developed by Greentop . It is equipped with four emission control modules (one module per main engine), which also function as silencers. An exhaust aftertreatment system consists of a combination of a diesel particulate filter and an SCR system for NO x reduction. The combination is designed for the lowest possible exhaust back pressure.
The diesel particle filter, consisting of four filter units, each with a volume of over 40 liters, reduces up to 99 percent of particle emissions . The accumulated soot can be regenerated (burned) in two ways: An extremely small amount of an additive (10 ppm) is added to the fuel , which causes the soot to burn independently at an exhaust gas temperature of approx. 400 ° C. If this exhaust gas temperature is not reached for a longer period of time (e.g. when driving downhill empty), the fuel-operated diesel burner is switched on, which then brings the temperature of the soot above the ignition temperature. This ensures regeneration under all operating conditions.
The SCR system for NO x reduction consists of a reactor made of catalytically coated ceramic elements. A reducing agent (liquid urea , AdBlue) is injected into the exhaust system in front of the reactor , which converts the nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water vapor .
Tanks
In the fore and aft there is a separate fuel storage tank that is independent of the outer skin . The tanks are equipped with an electrical remote display that can be read in the wheelhouse. Lubricating oil storage tanks and corresponding waste oil tanks are available as loose tanks in the rear pump room and in the generator operating room. The filling of the diesel engines with fresh oil and the suction of the used oil takes place by means of hand pumps. All tanks can be entered through manholes that are screwed watertight or oil-tight and, like the empty cells, have natural ventilation. Flame protection screens are attached at the end of the ventilation lines. There is a tank with a capacity of around 20 cubic meters for drinking water below the living module with external filling connections. The dirty water tank (30 cubic meters) with a transfer nozzle is also located here in the front edge of the residential unit, above the main deck.
Air bubble lubrication system
The air bubble lubrication system of the Futura Carrier, which is supposed to have a positive effect on the ship's resistance and thus also fuel consumption and swelling, is designed as a modular system. Dimensions and performances can be adapted to the respective ship size. The components used have been used in wastewater technology for over 40 years . The core of the system is a compressor and ventilation plates, which ensure the constant, fine-bubble air curtain in the forward propulsion tunnels and under the ship's floor. The material used for this is characterized by its low resistance and is resistant to growth. An externally open, transverse U-profile runs under the ship's bow, which is integrated into the floor and forms an approx. 300 mm wide and approx. 200 mm deep ventilation channel. This channel and the outlets in the stern and in the propulsion tunnels are closed flush with the outer skin with the ventilation plates.
Control station
The wheelhouse is equipped with a modern, state-of-the-art and ergonomic one-man operator's platform. He was taking into account all relevant rules and regulations ( LR - SUK - VDE - guidelines ) was established. Like the entire electrical system of the ship type, the control stand including all navigation systems was made by the Hamburg company Claus-D. Christophel designed. In addition to power distribution, the electrical system also includes lighting, a typhon , the necessary antennas and a camera system for the sides of the ship and the bow. A second camera system monitors the ship's operating rooms. The navigation and communication facilities consist of two VHF radio systems, Navtex , AIS , the GPS receiver with log display, two radar systems with turning pointer (area and lake), an echo sounder (also suitable for shallow water travel ), a gyro and a magnetic compass and the log . An automatic steering system completes the nautical controls. The folding foremast, the lifting device of the wheelhouse and the lowerable device carrier mounted on the house can still be remotely controlled from the control panel. The air bubble lubrication is also controlled from here. The ship also has a modern alarm, monitoring and control system. This enables the acquisition and confirmation of all signals from alarm devices and the serial interfaces to the drive motors and the two on-board power supply units from a single touch screen (remote operator station). If this fails, there is also an emergency operating terminal available.
Automation
The modular solution for automation was also developed under the name INCONTROL by Claus-D. Christophel designed and built. The modules include the following functions:
- Switching operations - from the position lighting to the lifting and lowering of the bridge and the on-board crane, all important elements can be switched centrally by the ship's command
- Monitoring and alarm system - monitoring of the motor management for impermissible operating values, the hydraulic pressure of important drive units, the winding temperature of the pump motors, etc.
- Machine system - the CAN bus of the main drive is continuously read out, connected to the automation and important operating values are displayed centrally.
- Power generation - The skipper can see at a glance which consumers are active, which power generators are feeding them and which routes the electricity takes.
The connection of the cargo control system to the automation is important for tankers. In addition, with the help of the optional Fleet Support System (FSS) it is possible to call up all information relating to ship operation via the Internet in order to accelerate diagnosis and service by the specialist technicians and to reduce costs in an emergency.
E-system
For the generation of two equal-sized diesel are three-phase generators installed in the bow. Their performance is designed according to the electricity requirements of the respective Futura carrier. They are elastically mounted in the generator operating room and can be operated from the control panel. In normal on-board operation, one unit is sufficient to cover the power requirement. Parallel operation is provided in the event of peak loads. Switching on and off is load-dependent. The vehicle electrical system voltages are 400 V, 50 Hz as 3-wire, 230 V, 50 Hz, single-phase and 24 V direct current. The emergency power supply for the automation of the main switchboard, the monitoring, command and signaling systems as well as for emergency lighting and instruments is ensured by means of an emergency generator for river / sea-going vessels and by means of the on-board network batteries for inland vessels.
The electrical supply as well as the monitoring and control of the entire Futura Carrier system is modular. When building a unit, this enables a combination of completely prefabricated and tested elements according to customer requirements. The systems are installed on the provided foundations as well as pre-laid cables and pipes . Even the main cables and pipes are largely pre-assembled. The installation of the systems and the installation can then be carried out with local staff.
Cabins
The cabins of the Futura Carrier are housed in a living module on the aft ship. In the living areas, the floor consists of sound-absorbing, floating screed . For the furniture in crew cabins and in the fair was plastic-coated plywood used as the material. The sanitary cells for the crew consist of prefabricated units. Wall and ceiling elements are built in sandwich construction from galvanized sheet steel with sound-absorbing insulation and a hard carrier plate . The floor is covered with non-slip tiles . The supply technology required for the operation of the residential module , such as pressurized water system , hot water preparation , sewage , air conditioning and ventilation system , was installed in the operating room under the wheelhouse. The living module and wheelhouse are heat and sound insulated from the inside. The insulation was carried out according to the classification requirements and sound calculations.
Units built
So far, four Futura carriers are in use:
- The river and sea-going multi-purpose carrier RMS Kiel , a 99.90 m long version of the Futura carrier with a width of 14.10 m and a side height of 5.70 m, which was used from May 2007 to May 2008 for the Rhine, Maas- und See-Schiffahrtkontor in Duisburg was in use.
- The inland tanker Till Deymann of the shipping company Gerhard & Deymann from Haren / Ems, a tanker version of the Futura Carrier with 109.80 m length, 11.45 m width and 5.15 m side height, which has been in use since June 2007.
- Two inland bulkers of type FC-975 from the shipping company Hans Schramm & Sohn from Brunsbüttel, the ships Sophia Soraya and Kaja Josephine have been in service since May 2007.
- Orders for other Futura carriers have already been placed.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Confirmed: “Futura Carrier” flops in Binnenschifffahrts-Report 02/2014, Vol. 34, Bundesverband der Deutschen Binnenschifffahrt eV , Duisburg, May 2014, p. 18.
literature
- The Futura Carrier - Top or Flop, Volker Renner, Binnenschifffahrt, 04/2007
- The "RMS Kiel" has picked up speed, Friedemann Stehr, Schiff & Hafen, 06/2007
