The Netherlands’ Lift Emotion is supplying energy efficient elevators to two new small cruise ships being built for US operator Lindblad Expeditions Holdings.
The 100-guest capacity ships are being built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Washington state, USA. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2017, and the second will be completed in the second quarter of 2018. Nichols Brothers said in a statement that these new vessels will provide Lindblad Expeditions’ guests with “comfortable accommodations, flexible dining options and advanced technical equipment for presentations and discussions. The new vessels will also have storage for a fleet of sea kayaks, paddle boards, and specially designed landing craft – all of which are geared to get guests out and into the wild, remote places being explored. Outside decks provide open space for guests to view their natural surroundings, as well as space for social gatherings and group activities.”
The elevators – which have been assembled in Lift Emotion’s workshop and are due to be shipped to the US in the next few weeks – are hydraulically driven and energy saving.
Mike Brandt, owner of Lift Emotion, explained that the use of hydraulically driven elevators is a growing trend for lower rise passenger ships, such as small cruise vessels. He told Passenger Ship Technology: “Hydraulically-driven elevators are more durable than traction driven lift systems. They are easier to understand for crew, and there are fewer moving parts which means that there are fewer potential failures. Lift Emotion uses open source systems so local lift companies can carry out maintenance work. The end user does not need to contact the big international suppliers each time and pay prime money for what is straightforward maintenance.”
Other benefits include the fact that the lifts weigh less than traction-driven systems, and allow flexible positioning of the machine room and control panel, within 10m-15m of the lift trunk. Mr Brandt added: “We do not need a big machine room around the lift trunk or a difficult and dangerous-to-access machine in the lift trunk itself.”
He said that 95 per cent of elevators supplied by Lift Emotion to lower rise vessels – including ferries and cruiseferries – are hydraulically driven. These can be installed with or without power saving frequency drive systems, which are a rapidly growing trend among passenger ship operators as energy saving has become such a major focus for them. The frequency drive system is being deployed on the Lindblad vessels.
The savings that can be achieved with the latest technology are impressive. Mr Brandt pointed out that in terms of refitting vessels, upgrading older hydraulic systems can lead to energy gains of 30 per cent and a reduction of 26 per cent in oil temperature and 29 per cent in noise levels. The figures in a newbuild are even more impressive. Almost 60 per cent in elevator energy reduction can be achieved, 54 per cent in oil temperature reduction and 36 per cent in noise levels, depending on the system chosen.
Explaining how this was achieved, Mr Brandt said: “Instead of controlling the drive system and flow through the power pack, these are controlled over the frequency drive. This tells the electrical motor and pump how many rpms it can make. By doing it this way you do not need to use the valves as much.” Without the frequency drive system, the pumps are working at 100 per cent. With a frequency drive, the pumps work until the lift moves upwards and then rpms are increased. If the pump rotates less, there is less overflow and so less heat and noise are generated.
As well as the Lindblad project, Lift Emotion is installing elevators into ferries being constructed by Sefine Shipyard and Cemre Shipyard in Turkey, for Norwegian operators.
Lift Emotion has recently moved to a bigger facility in Meppel, where it is able to have all its assembly and engineering work carried out in one place. The company has a working test model of the frequency drive in its new building for clients to see.
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