Can we easily provide wind power for cargo ships?

Abstract

A novel articulating wingsail design for Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) is developed, and an 8.25 m² prototype has been constructed. This wingsail has the potential as a supplementary source of propulsion for cargo shipping. By using wind power, the greenhouse gas emissions from shipping can be significantly reduced. To further develop this wingsail concept, detailed 2D Computational Flow Dynamics simulations have been performed. These suggest that the articulating wing has the potential to provide up to 30% more lift than a fixed aerofoil of the same cross-section. These results further suggest that the articulating wingsail concept has potential as a WASP technology.

Paper

An articulating wingsail design for Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) applications (2023)

How to cite: von Klemperer, C. J., Horwitz, R. A. D., and Malan, A. G.: An articulating wingsail design for Wind Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) applications, Scientific African, Volume 20, 2023, e01699, ISSN 2468-2276, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2023.e01699.