Australian Drilling Attachments

Successful testing of 43 foot hybrid boat

Ampcontrol Hybrid Boat 01
A 43 foot hybrid boat being developed by an award-winning collaboration between Ampcontrol, Steber International and the University of Newcastle, was launched on the Manning River, Taree, on 4 May.
 
Steve Mitchell, Ampcontrol Engineering Manager highlighted the successful deployment as a result of partnership between industry, government and the education sector.
 
“Marine technology was previously outside of our area of focus as a business, however through collaboration with Steber and the University of Newcastle, we have been able to de-risk our research and development activities in this area to pave the way in developing commercially viable hybrid diesel electric power systems for marine vessels,” said Steve.
 
Steber International, leaders in Australian boat manufacturing and industrial composite technology, originally approached Ampcontrol in 2017 to assist in the development of a prototype for a hybrid police boat. The goal was to create a power-efficient, quiet, and environmentally friendly boat without compromising on the cruising range.
 
The ongoing collaboration reached a significant milestone in the development of their latest hybrid propulsion system and highlights the dedication of the Ampcontrol, Steber International and the University of Newcastle, to advancing sustainable and efficient technologies for the maritime industry.
 
Alan Steber, Steber International General Manager, said the project continues to show vast potential across the entire marine sector. “Hybrid power sources for marine applications are being developed across the globe. We are proudly playing our part, working in partnership with industry leaders and innovators in Regional NSW,” said Alan.
 
The research and development effort received early support from the Federal Government in the form of two AusIndustry Innovation Connection grants. This funding was used to develop a smaller 22-foot prototype hybrid boat which was launched in 2021. The learnings from this work were fundamental to the development of the Hybrid Power and Propulsion system installed in the recently launched vessel.
 
The successful use of this technology in a prototype marine vessel, including advancements of hybrid propulsion systems, have recently been published in a research paper titled Hybrid Propulsion System for Marine Vessels based on a DC Microgrid by Galina Mirzaeva, Professor at the School of Engineering, the University of Newcastle. The paper was co-authored by Dmitry Miller, Product Manager- Power Systems at Ampcontrol, Steve Mitchell, Engineering Manager at Ampcontrol and Alan Steber, General Manager and Director of Steber International.
 
The next phase of the project will be to add a powerful Diesel Generator which will electrically couple into the electrical power system to ensure that the boat has the same operating range as its full diesel counterparts.

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