Post by ferryfast admin on Jan 14, 2012 11:36:11 GMT -5
Incat Photo
Clifford's water wing dream
ALICE CLARIDGE | January 12, 2012 12.01am
www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/01/12/291821_most-popular-stories.html
INCAT founder Robert Clifford has a personal dream project he hopes could one day revolutionise sea transportation.
He says his long-term aim is to build a craft which will move people and cargo in the most fuel efficient manner.
Mr Clifford and his team are now working on the 10th model of the vessel he calls the "Wing".
He hopes to have it back on the River Derwent for testing later this year.
His ultimate dream would be for an ocean-going vessel that could cross Bass Strait in just two hours.
The man who developed the revolutionary SeaCat catamarans has already skippered earlier scaled-down versions.
A commercial Wing would be intended to operate using just 25 per cent of the power used today.
"If I was to go down in history then I would like to go down as having done something decent, like producing a more efficient machine," he said.
"I have played with hovercrafts in the past, we have used airfoils. We have used almost every method possible to lower resistance and therefore lower fuel consumption.
"And in this day and age lower fuel consumption is a major aim."
He says the project is still 10 years away from being commercially viable.
The next model will seat 20 passengers, the next 200 passengers and then 200 trucks.
Mr Clifford hopes the model will one day suit ocean-going trips, but said that is a long-term goal perhaps 50 years away.
"Bass Strait would be the ultimate, maybe in 20-25 years time, and [the Wing] could probably do it in two hours' time."
The Incat catamarans once crossed Bass Strait in four hours going at 40 knots.
The flying wing works in a similar way to a hovercraft but instead of trapping the air underneath, the air is used to get lift underneath the wing.
Flotation is used just to support the vessel when stopped, and the machinery.
"What we are trying to do is achieve a boat that is 95 per cent in the air and just remains touching the water - a little like an aeroplane about to take off."
The first model, 10-12 years ago, used 500 horsepower, but the most recent uses just 150 horsepower and still achieves the same speeds.
The Wing is thought to be unique in design and what it aims to achieve.
Engineers in Russia are working on similar projects but aim to achieve high speeds of up to 300 nautical miles per hour.
The Wing will travel at about 50-60 knots, just about the capacity of current boats.
"Boeing are also looking at something similar, a very large plane that flies slowly carrying cargo, but they are looking at air rather than water," Mr Clifford said.
"There have been a few crackpots looking at various ideas, and I'm trying to keep it practical."
claridgea@news.net.au
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