# US 12,759,685 B2 · Dual fluid interacting propulsion system for a vessel

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- Number: US 12,759,685 B2
- Document ID: US12759685B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/834,940
- Filed: 2023-02-01
- Published: 2025-05-29
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2022-02-01
- Assignees: Caponnetto Hueber S.L.
- Applicants: Caponnetto Hueber S.L.
- Inventors: Mario Caponnetto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759685B2

## CPC

- B63H 13/00: Marine propulsion by wind motors driving water-engaging propulsive elements
- B63H 7/02: using propellers
- B63H 19/04: propelled by water current
- B60L 2200/32: Waterborne vessels
- B63B 2209/14: energy generated by movement of the water
- B63B 2209/20: wind energy
- B63H: MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING (propulsion of air-cushion vehicles B60V1/14; specially adapted for submarines, other than nuclear propulsion, B63G; specially adapted for torpedoes F42B19/00)
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06)

## Abstract

The invention pertains to a vessel comprising a propulsion system comprising both an aerodynamic spinning actuator and a hydrodynamic spinning actuator both being used concurrently to move the vessel in sustainable low emission operating conditions. The invention also pertains to a method for operating such a system.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for controlling an operation condition of a vessel, in a sustainable emission free condition, the vessel generating a resisting drag power when moving, comprising:
a hydrodynamic spinning actuator comprising blades, configured to work in a propeller mode and in a water turbine mode,
a pitch control mechanism of the hydrodynamic spinning actuator blades and an orientation mechanism configured to orient a spinning axis of the hydrodynamic spinning actuator blades,
a hydro-powerplant configured to convert an incoming hydrodynamic power of the hydrodynamic spinning actuator operating in the water turbine mode into electricity and to supply an outgoing hydrodynamic power to the hydrodynamic spinning actuator operating in the propeller mode,
a power sail comprising 2 blades spinning around a power sail spinning axis and configured to operate in a sail mode, in a wind turbine mode and in an air propeller mode,
an aero-powerplant configured to convert an aerodynamic incoming power from the power sail operating in the wind turbine mode into electricity and to supply an outgoing aerodynamic power to the power sail operating in the air propeller mode,
a pitch control mechanism of the power sail blades and an orientation mechanism configured to orient the power sail spinning axis,
an onboard battery configured to supply and to receive a battery power,
an electrical power line connecting the hydro-powerplant, the aero-powerplant and the onboard battery,
a plurality of sensors comprising, a vessel speed sensor, an apparent wind direction sensor and an apparent wind velocity sensor;
a control center,
wherein the operation condition comprises 4 domains:
a first domain wherein the hydrodynamic spinning actuator and the power sail are operated in the propeller mode, supplied by the onboard battery,
a second domain wherein the hydrodynamic spinning actuator is operated in the propeller mode and the power sail is operated in the wind turbine mode,
a third domain wherein the power sail is operated concurrently in the sail mode and in the wind turbine mode and the hydrodynamic spinning actuator is operated in the water turbine mode,
a fourth domain wherein the power sail is operated in the propeller mode, and the hydrodynamic actuator is operated in the water turbine mode, wherein for each domain a sum of the aerodynamic incoming power and the hydrodynamic incoming power minus the drag resisting power, the outgoing aerodynamic power and the outgoing hydrodynamic power equals the battery power, the method comprising steps of:
i) acquiring a performance mapping of the vessel,
ii) acquiring, from the sensors, a true wind direction and a true wind speed
iii) setting a ship speed setting point, and
iv) setting at least one parameter among a power sail orientation, a power sail spinning speed, a power sail blades pitch, a hydrodynamic spinning actuator spinning speed and blades pitch and a hydrodynamic spinning actuator orientation according to the performance map so that the operation condition is laying in a sustainable part of the second, the third and the fourth domain, wherein the onboard battery receives a battery power equal or more than 0.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising a step of:
if an operating condition laying in a sustainable part of the working domain cannot be found, modifying at least one among the ship speed setting point and a motion direction of the vessel and restart at step ii).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of adjusting a parameter among the battery power received by the onboard battery by one of the hydro-power plant and the aero-power plant, and the battery power supplied by the onboard battery to one of the hydro-powerplant and the aero-powerplant.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the vessel comprises an auxiliary engine and a clutch mechanism configured to substitute the auxiliary engine to the hydro-powerplant and to supplement the hydro-powerplant in supplying outgoing hydrodynamic power.