Ethereal: thinking (and engineering) outside the box

Nothing is impossible if you set your mind to it, so they say, and whilst it might be wise to accept that flying with personalised winged boots or travelling by time machine may best be left for future generations, the Royal Huisman team is only too keen to take on a challenge.

The shipyard’s designers, engineers and technicians are justifiably proud of their innovations and of their inventiveness. Over decades the team has challenged itself – and has been challenged by clients with ambitious new projects – to do things differently and better, and to do totally new things that have never been tried or achieved before.

There is rarely a “Eureka!” moment in this process – it is all about working as a team to address a challenge, drawing on the expertise of many disciplines in the yard and, often, expertise from other industries, to enrich the process in order to develop a potential solution. Long experience has shown that the first solution is rarely the best or the only one, so a process of evolution begins… and it never really ends. Why would it when there’s always the question “Could it be done even better?” 

Top: superyacht insulation is all too often a blunt instrument. Left: Ethereal's drive shaft generators from the main engines which, in conjunction with increased storage capacity from the lithium iron phosphate battery bank, can largely obviate the need for a generator to provide hotel services. Right: an LED light fitting from Ethereal. Instead of the harsh white light associated with LED, it produces the attractive, ambient glow of an incandescent bulb yet consumes a tiny fraction of the energy. 
 

Featured is an overview of just a few recent Royal Huisman innovations for Ethereal:

Integrated energy generation, storage and management

At the core of the Royal Huisman approach has been a completely fresh look at the cycle and usage of energy aboard a superyacht. A typical operating model has three core elements as set out below. A number of complementary innovations, also featured on these pages, contribute to overall effectiveness. Depending on owner’s preferences and the nature of the project, all these elements can be deployed and integrated in a number of different ways to achieve the desired outcome.

The hybrid propulsion system makes use of drive-shaft generators from the main engine(s) which, in conjunction with increased storage capacity from the lithium iron phosphate battery bank, can largely obviate the need for a generator to provide hotel services.

A simplified schematic of the energy generating (shaft generators + 2 main gensets + 1 emergency genset), consuming and storage elements of Ethereal's hybrid propulsion system.

The lithium iron phosphate battery bank has double the storage cycle of conventional gel batteries and, when integrated for peak-demand energy storage, can complement the #1 genset, rather than running the #2 genset or incurring the inefficiency of a loadbank.

“Smart” operating procedures have been developed by the yard to allow crews to generate, monitor and deploy energy in the most efficient manner from a much more flexible range of sources to buffer the highs and lows of energy demand.

The benefits of Royal Huisman’s energy efficiency innovations for Ethereal include:

• Reduced fuel costs and CO2 emissions
• More flexible power storage and availability
• Extended operational sustainability
• Reduced Air conditioning requirements
• Weight savings (especially aloft)
• Cost savings on generator installations
• Space savings
• Reduced maintenance / downtime for conventional generators
• Enhanced long term value from a more technically advanced yacht
• Thermo insulated living areas

Advanced Insulation Techniques

Hull insulation is well established in the superyacht industry, but is generally a very blunt instrument, restricted to an inside hull coating. Royal Huisman separately and additionally cocoons the entire accommodation capsule against heat ingress from solar energy, sea temperature and equipment. It does so with new, highly-efficient materials, identified from extensive research into the practices of other industries such as refrigerated transport, that also offer natural rigidity and a sense of greater structural integrity due to their inherent sound absorbing characteristics.

Windows and hatches can be solar reflective and, if required, controllable in the degree of reflectivity against infra-red light. This reduces IR light penetration when the sun is high and strong, whilst increasing it (if required) when the sun is weaker. Internal temperatures remain much more stable, reducing air conditioning loads and increasing general atmospheric comfort.

Reduced Heat Generation

If less heat is generated there will be less demand for air-conditioning and this is particularly important in the context of advanced insulation, which will retain internally-generated heat as well as excluding heat from external sources. The yard has developed a comprehensive array of measures to reduce heat-generation that include:

• LED lighting - it emits almost no infra-red light, so one of the greatest sources of unwanted internal heat is removed
• Smaller gensets with reduced operating time (resulting from the benefits of hybrid propulsion, energy storage / management systems, and the recycling of waste water heat)
• Infra-red reflective (light-switchable) glass for hatches and windows;
• Strategic ducting of heat emissions from domestic equipment such as fridges, freezers, ovens and washing machines

LED Lighting comes of age…

(Well, it has at Royal Huisman. Our recent developments in LED lighting for Ethereal are not yet available on the commercial market.)

One of the largest consumers of energy on a yacht is its domestic lighting. Incandescent bulbs are hugely inefficient, converting only 10% of the power consumed to light and 90% to heat. Royal Huisman engineers partnered with leading specialists to develop LED lighting systems that emulate the attractive, ambient light properties of incandescent light, yet consume only a fraction of the energy.

Further benefits include the near elimination of heat generation from the lighting; longevity and reduced maintenance (LED lights last 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs); and considerable weight-saving from lightweight LED cabling. LED lighting used aloft offers exceptional weight savings in the rig, because of the sheer quantity of cabling and light fittings to be found on the modern superyacht for both navigation and amenity; this results in improved righting moment and reduced ballast requirements.

Need to reduce infrared and UV radiation at noon? Want to allow it back later? No problem: the hatch glass can take care of it. 

Light switchable glass

One of the most important areas of a yacht from the perspective of energy efficiency, comfort and the preservation of interior finishes is the glass used in hatches and windows. Royal Huisman has taken a lead by working with specialists in light switchable glass to create hatches and windows incorporating technology that progressively filters or blocks infra-red and UV radiation. An electrochromic reaction in the coating between two glass sheets keeps cool air in and heat out and protect interiors from damage by UV light, yet offer clear transparency when required. Light filtration is controlled in five steps from clear to dark through a low voltage system accessible throughout the accommodation.

“Need to reduce Infra Red and UV light radiation at noon? Want to allow it back later? No problem: the glass can take care of it.”

To achieve these benefits Royal Huisman has developed a composite construction using profiled glass laminated with solar control film on the outer surface and light switchable glass internally. In every case a bespoke solution can be developed to meet the specific needs of the project. These structures have been subjected to rigorous high pressure tests in the presence of an engineer from Lloyd’s Register and demonstrated full integrity. 

The latest developments by the shipyard can be found at: innovation section