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From: (no name) (no email)
Date: Wed Mar 19 2008 - 12:17:17 EDT
Those of us waiting with trepidation at the fuel dock, wondering how much our
net worth will be diminished by today's fuel prices, might consider Japanese
sailor Kenichi Horie and his trans Pacific solo crossing in a boat powered by
wave action. Horie is aboard the Suntory Mermaid II, the worldbs first
wave-powered boat, traveling solo from the Hawaii Yacht Club in Honolulu to
the Kii
Channel in Japan.
The trip is about 3200 NM and it will take Horie about 2.5 months if all goes
well. He should average about 42 NM per day, about what most Great Loopers
average on a leisurly trip. Boat speed will be just shy of 2 knots. Hardly
record breaking but the fuel cost is zero.
His boat is 31 feet long, made of recycled aluminum. Wave power is translated
into boat propulsion through the use of two front fins that absorb energy
generated from the pitching motion of the boat. Rolling also contributes
slightly
toward boat propulsion. In a sense this is a reversal of the effect produced
by active (Naiad) roll stabilization.
Naiad fins use boat forward speed to create a force which opposes roll. In
contrast, the fins in Horie's system translate the pitching and rolling motion
of the boat into forward thrust. It takes a few horsepower to run the Naiad
system and achieve some degree of stabilization. If Horie's system is
moderately
efficient in the reverse direction, an equivalent amount of power should be
sufficient to propel his boat forward. My back of envelope calculations show
that the Suntory Mermaid will need about 1.5 hp to achieve the desired speed,
assuming that the fins are 40% to 50% efficient.
Wave power propulsion systems have been around for over 100 years. Patents
date back to the mid 1800s. Model ships have demonstrated the feasibility of
the
approach, if not its practicality. To put it into perspective, a 60 sq. ft.
Sunfish sail would propel Horie's boat at the same speed as the wave action
fins. Three sq. meters of solar cells would do as well.
For those who have forgotten, Suntory is the manufacturer of a rather good
Japanese version of Scotch whiskey. I assume the whole project was conceived
during an extended tasting session. I also hope that Horie's boat is stocked
with
an ample supply of the sponsor's product to make the slow trip bearable.
Larry Z
,
**************
Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL
Home.
(http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15?ncid=aolhom00
030000000001)
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