A dolphin weighing 240 kg can accelerate from 0 to 32 knots
in just a few meters and with only one horsepower
Welcome to the future of marine propulsion
Environment & Safety
Todays vessels are causing both severe air and noise pollution. The marine transportation industry itself stands for 3-4% of the global energy-related emissions. In addition scientists point to noise pollution as a likely cause of impaired marine animal health. Connections are made between decreased reproduction and beaching among Cetaceans, and the rapidly increasing noise pollution of the oceans.
Fluke propulsion technology is safer than other predominant propulsion systems of today. As the fluke consists of soft parts it can handle groundings without breaking and is safer for all creatures, on or around the device.
As it is not propelled by a rotating movement, ropes and seaweed, and other items does not risk to be tangled up in the fluke drive. This further increase safety for the user and up time for the devices significantly.
Efficiency
Research from NTNU has predicted that the rate of efficiency for fluke drives are more than 40% higher than for conventional propulsion systems as the energy used for noise and cavitation is eliminated. The energy inserted into the system is used for propulsion, as intended.
With the patented fluke drive, Dolprop thereby opens up for an opportunity to significantly reduce air pollutants such as CO, CO2, HC+NOx, and SOx as well and noise emissions.
The increased efficiency of the fluke drive also enables electric power propulsion to become a realistic option in future applications.
Man and nature in symbiosis
Background
Dolprop Industries AB is a Research & Development company that has developed a number of patents with multiple applications, among them is a manual fin that replacce oars, a replacement kit from propeller to fin for smaller electric motors and an electric outboard motor for smaller boats and auxiliary to sailboats. The outboard motor is based on the Fluke Technology, which is an imitation of nature’s propulsion system in the form of a dolphin’s tail fin. The fluke excels with a high efficiency, which in combination with the electric drive makes a fluke propulsion a more cost-effective and environment friendly alternative to the conventional propeller- and fossile driven combustion engine systems.
Development Prototype funded by, among others, Vinnova
Development has to date been made with private equity and 1 million SEK from VINNOVA Research & Grow program with the innovative propulsion technology from idea patent to prototype. The project involved the development and testing of a number of prototypes of the electric outboard motors with Fluke Technology.
Patent
Dolprop holds patents on three patent families related to Fluke Technology in Sweden, Europe, USA, Japan, China, Australia and Brazil. Patents are currently approved for the Swedish market and the US.
Towards global sustainability
Nature - the perfect model
The silence of the world’s oceans ended in 1843 when the American steam frigate USS Princeton was launched as the world’s first propeller ship, . The Swede John Ericsson was behind the revolutionary invention. The propeller was at first met with great skepticism, but tests showed that the invention worked so well that the US military decided to equip all of its ships with propellers. Suddenly the silence was broken.
Dolprops target is to mimic the bottlenose dolphin motion pattern that provides phenomenal performance. The Fluke Technology proves to be both energy-efficient, quiet, safe, practical and robust.
But nature already new that.
Thomas Jemt
The Inventor
Svenska