Classification Society ClassNK has released its guidelines for wind-assisted propulsion systems for ships. Technology using wind power for auxiliary propulsion is attracting attention as one of the underlying technologies to eliminate GHG emissions of ships.
In addition to the sails used on sailboats in older times, systems in which boats are dragged along by a large kite and the wind it receives, and systems which take advantage of the Magnus effect to generate lift force by rotating a cylindrical piece of equipment on the deck have been developed. The Magnus effect is a phenomenon in which lift perpendicularly affects the flow of a spinning cylindrical column or sphere.
ClassNK has developed its guidelines in order to contribute to the safe integrity and design of this technology and the ships that are installed with it. In addition to verifying structural strength, outlining methods for proving structural integrity of strength members, and utilising calculation methods for load amounts, the guidelines provide class notations for ships whose equipment is designed and installed in line with the guidelines.
