There are hydrofoil-wings attached to the hulls, which develop up-lift forces at speed that lifts the vessel somewhat higher out of the water and reduces the overall resistance of the hull as the hydrofoil-wings have much lower resistance than the standard hull at higher speeds. This vastly reduces the required propulsion power for the vessel and can result in up to 40% reduced fuel consumption (proven by research).
Depending on the size and require speed, vessel’s hulls come in many different shapes. Displacement type hulls, like large tankers and cargo-ships, run at relatively low speeds and foil assistance is not very effective. Semi-displacement type vessels like fast ferries, workboats and yacht run at much higher speeds and the hydrofoil-wing can take high loads at speed and reduce the overall vessel resistance considerably.
Even more effective are hydrofoil-wings for the so-called planning-type hulls (Deep-V-Planing-Type hulls) which are extensively used for the smaller (lighter) fast vessels and motorboats such as pleasure yachts, police and custom boats, game-fishing boats, smaller military craft and fast, smaller, workboat. For these boats foil-assistance is extremely effective and higher speeds, longer range, lower propulsion power and fuel consumption with lower carbon emissions are achieved.
Ship and Boat hulls come in different forms like mono-, multi-, catamaran- or trimaran-hulls. Hydrofoil-assistance is possible for any of these vessels but the design and foil configuration will be substantially different.
The technology is non-evasive to general marine life and obstacles, as opposed to the original “Hydrofoil” designed by Boeing and used by the US Navy decades ago, Hysucraft® makes use of hydrofoils for “assistance” purposes and not fully “supported” purposes which results in much less evasive and penetrating obstacles protruding from the hull. Our technology also results in a far more stable platform as it makes use of the vessel’s hull for gained stability at rest and at speed.
The HysucraftTM technology has solid foundations in the following core values. Efficiency, Sea-Keeping and Emissions make up the core value offering of the technology and can add substantial benefits to the users of the system which are briefly detailed below. Please view our sustainability report to gain an insight into the solutions the technology provides in solving the biggest issues the world currently has as indicated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Through lower drag on the underwater sections of the vessel, an increased efficiency is realized which results in lower propulsion requirements, reduced fuel consumption and a lighter vessel. As we go into the new era of renewable energy, green energy and more environmentally conscious operations, efficiency should and will be at the core of any decision on the future marine platforms by all participants. As developments for new types of propulsion systems take the world-stage, a reduced requirement on power could open the doors for more options such as electric propulsion systems, which has taken long to reach a substantial interest in the maritime industry due to the high power requirements.
Through the inherent dampening effect the hydrofoil-wings provide to the vessel, a much smoother ride is experienced. This enabled the vessel to operate at a higher average speed in rough and unpredictable seas as the occupants are the limiting factor due to our physical buildup. With the whole vessel operating as a “shock-absorber” the vessel provides a comfortable ride in both luxury yachts, high speed military applications as well as work boats that require people to work long ours on the vessel.
With a substantially increased efficiency and lower required propulsion power the vessels using the technology has a vast reduction in CO2 emissions and other harmful gasses. The world is currently very conscious about environmental protection and we contribute to reducing the pollution on the ocean through reducing these harmful substances from be generated on high-speed craft. Key benefits also range from military to ferries and workboats. Having a lower emission lowers ones heat-signature, it also makes a vessel more friendly in regions and waterways that have strict controls on conversing the environment.
Adoption and Acceptance
Since the early-1980s when the Hysucat project was commissioned at the University of Stellenbosch, many projects were successful and many happy customers operate Hysucraft today. The first adopter of a vessel of substantial size was the Thai Navy with two craft of 19- and 18- meter for offshore patrol and customs operations, following the successful deployment of these vessels, the South African Navy commissioned four 22 meter craft.
As the momentum grew, many yachts were made to operate more efficiently through retrofitting their hulls with the hydrofoil-wings, however this is not optimal as the dynamics between the hull and hydrofoil-wings play a significant role. Boats ranging from 6 meters all the way to research projects successfully conducted on vessels up to 72 meter has had the Hysucraft technology applied to.
Today work is being done for major global powers on various applications from military to ferries, workboats to yachts. The latest project is to develop the next generation of hydro-graphic survey boats for the US Army Corps of Engineers in USA.
There are ill-conceived beliefs that adding a hydrofoil-wing to a vessel will simply make it work better. In reality the technology is a hybrid between the hull and the hydrofoil-wings and for every small design change made on the hull the hydrofoil-wings need to be recalculated and designed. It’s the same as designing an aircraft, Boeing cannot simply add a few rows in economy class to a jetliner, in this case they would have to redesign the entire platform, the same goes for Hysucraft®.
To develop a solid platform, the design is required to be backed by very specific theoretical and physical principles, which are extremely complex, and the specialty of FASTcc. We encourage you to team with us to ensure these complexities are handled in the correct manner using the correct theoretical principles using our proprietary software that has been developed over four decades and enables designers and builders to gain access to extensive model test theory without incurring the substantial costs involved.
Many failures in the industry were a result of a lack of detailed knowledge on the subject matter as well as small mistakes that have an exponential effect on the performance of the craft, which tends to result in a platform that does not conform to the values intended by the technology.
Please visit our Contact Us page and get in contact to discuss your particular requirements and objectives!