Battery developments | Hybrid systems | Fuel cells | Electric motors | Charging technologies

Niagara FallsABB zero-emission tech will power the

next-generation, fully electric ferries at one of

the world’s most popular tourist attractions

Exclusive interviewPhilip Holt, naval architect at MAN Energy

Solutions, explains why battery systems

application makes sense on larger vessels

Cleaner coastsAustralia is looking beyond coal power

in an effort to secure a sustainable

and greener shoreline for the future

Project ElectraHow Heesen developed a groundbreaking super-luxury, aluminum-hulled

hybrid yacht featuring two diesel engines and two electric motors

June 2020

Set sailNaval architectural firm

VPLP Design reveals how it’s

planning to radically change

hybrid and ocean-going

vessels with a very different

technology concept

102 // June 2020 // ElectricHybridMarineTechnology.com

LC DRIVES

Performance motors

Innovative stator cooling technology has enabled a morecompact motor package and increased efficiency

WORDS: MEGHAN RICHARDSON

1

LC DRIVES

1 and 2. Thanks to the

smaller motor footprint,

hybrid drivetrains can fit

into an engine room where

conventional solutions

would typically not

3. A 3D rendering of the

LC Drives PC50 motor,

which features the new

stator cooling technology

This unique approach enables the physical size and weight of the machine to be 50-75% less than in equivalent water-cooled permanent-magnet machines.

Making wavesThe patented technology, novel manufacturing processes and wide market appeal have attracted the attention of a number of large European and North American entities interested in strategic partnerships. Notably, Koch Engineered Solutions invested US$15m in LC Drives in May 2019.

LC Drives has the ability to build customized motors and generators across a wide range of applications including marine, wind and industrial manufacturing. The machines are designed and built to specific customer requirements and specifications, providing the most effective solution to the application in which the machines are deployed. This flexibility is vital to the company’s ongoing delivery performance plan, as part of which it aims to meet any obligation and adjust to the specific needs of every customer.

2

3

“The core innovation is a thermalmanagement solution designed

into the area of the machine that generates the majority of the

losses – the stator conductors”

ElectricHybridMarineTechnology.com // June 2020 // 103

With increasing environmental regulation initiated by many of the world’s leading industrial nations,

the marine industry is engaged in an ongoing effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions via the adoption of more efficient and reliable propulsion and auxiliary power solutions.

Historically one of the key constraints on the large-scale deployment of electric propulsion in marine applications is the lack of physical space to accommodate the necessary equipment. LC Drives addresses this issue with its unique approach to machine design and manufacturing, resulting in unparalleled power densities.

The USA-based company has developed a patented stator cooling technology that covers a wide power range of permanent magnet motors and generators. LC Drives believes this is destined to accelerate the adoption of electric propulsion and auxiliary power systems in marine applications.

This unique approach enables the production of motors and generators that are significantly smaller, lighter and more efficient than conventional machines.

The core innovation is a thermal management solution designed into the area of the machine that generates the majority of the losses – the stator conductors.