China Shipbuilding Chengxi successfully delivered the first batch of 35 meter folding marine rotor sails in China
On May 1st, China Shipbuilding Corporation Chengxi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Shipbuilding Corporation, successfully delivered four sets of 35 meter folding marine rotor sails built for Anemoi Marine Technologies, marking the successful launch of the first batch of 35 meter folding marine rotor sails in China. China Shipbuilding Chengxi has once again achieved significant results in the fields of ship energy conservation, emission reduction, and green energy development and construction.
As the first batch of folding rotor sails, compared with the previously delivered walking and fixed rotor sails, this product has a more complex internal structure, a longer base construction cycle, and extremely strict construction requirements. In the process of designing, producing, and modifying at the same time, the number of design process plans is difficult to draft. In addition, there is no experience to follow in on-site equipment installation and testing, which greatly increases the difficulty of production organization.
China Shipbuilding Chengxi Steel Structure Business Unit and Application Industry Business Unit worked together to overcome difficulties. The project team actively summarized the construction experience of the first batch of walking and fixed rotor sails, maintained efficient communication with the client team, and formed a responsibility list for key project implementation, important node control, and important process document preparation. From the aspects of production design, production planning, process control, and result verification, the entire process planning and control were carried out, overcoming the difficulties of construction technology, achieving controllable key quality points, and completing the research and development of multiple practical fixtures, further consolidating the production, technology, and quality management foundation of China Shipbuilding Chengxi in the field of rotor sail construction.
It is reported that the four sets of construction and delivery projects this time are the first batch of foldable marine rotor sails tailored for Anemoi, which will be installed on a 388000 deadweight ton Valemax ore ship. The foldable rotor sails can be lowered vertically to reduce the impact on airflow and cargo loading and unloading operations.
The rotor sail consists of a fiberglass cylinder, a steel tower, a base, and other structures, equipped with advanced hydraulic folding and automatic adjustment systems. The overall height of the product is 38 meters, the outer cylinder diameter is 5 meters, and the top disc diameter is 10 meters. The total tonnage is 165 tons, with a maximum design speed of 200 revolutions per minute. There are four hydraulic cylinders under the base, which can be pushed out of the structure to tilt the cylinder. The tilting angle reaches 89 °, close to horizontal.
According to Anemoi's calculation, the rotor sail project is expected to achieve an annual energy-saving effect of 10.7%, which is equivalent to reducing fuel consumption by 1200-1500 tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 6000 tons, with significant energy-saving and emission reduction effects.
China Shipbuilding Chengxi has achieved full coverage, construction capacity, and technical coverage of the current mainstream fixed, walking, and folding rotor sail types in the market, further establishing the company's leading position in the field of marine rotor sail construction, and knocking the door to success for the company to continue promoting industrial transformation and upgrading, and enhancing its core competitiveness. At present, the company is actively installing and debugging multiple sets of optimized and improved new rotor sail projects.
