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The propulsion and maneuvering concept of the BCF- super C- Class double end ferries
Publikationstyp
Conference Paper
Date Issued
2007
Sprache
English
Author(s)
Volume
2
Start Page
1317
End Page
1323
Citation
10th International Symposium on Practical Design of Ships and other Floating Structures, PRADS 2007. - Vol. 1. - Seite 1317-1323
Contribution to Conference
Scopus ID
Publisher
ABS
ISBN
0-943870-05-4,
978-0-943870-05-2
One important milestone of British Columbia Ferries (BC Ferries) during their Major Fleet Replacement Program was the development of a new Double Ended Ferry class to replace their existing C-Class vessels. The final design of the ships called the BCF Super Class Ferries, which are actually the world's largest double end ferries, was finally carried out by Flensburger Schiffbau- Gesellschaft (FSG), Germany. Some of the Design requirements put forward by BCF had been very hard to fulfill in the final concept. Most challenging was the demand for extremely low fuel consumption, low wake wash, and very good steering performance that had to be combined with the requirement for a diesel electric power plant. Furthermore, the operational profile of the vessel required a very short acceleration time of the vessel from zero up to full design speed, which is quite high with 21 knots. These requirements lead to an unconventional propulsion concept with bow and stern CPP- Propellers which are operated in constant rpm mode where the bow propeller feathers with the trailing edge. This propulsion concept is embedded into a completely new hull form that was developed on the basis of numerical flow simulations. The concept was finally derived from the numerical and experimental evaluation of many alternative concepts. With respect to the maneuvering demands, most challenging was the fulfillment of the Active Pass Route operation, which was demonstrated by a full mission maneuvering simulation carried out during the initial design phase. The harbor approach procedure requires a mode shift which includes the de-feathering of the bow propeller at full speed and the starting procedure of the bow drive motor into the constant shaft speed mode using a soft starter. To do so, the automation system of the propulsion plant was combined with the maneuvering model that allowed for the determining of all important interactions of the complex systems; thus finally leading to the design of the propulsion control system. The paper shows that the technological challenges of such a complex kind of ship can only be tackled in close cooperation between the owner, the shipyard, the main suppliers, and the research institutions, as many design tasks require scientific simulations on a high level.
Subjects
Active Pass
Diesel electric propulsion
Double-ended ferry
Product development
Super C-Class
Wake wash
DDC Class
620.1: Engineering Mechanics and Materials Science