SolidWater™ Ship Propeller
Executive Summary
ADMIRAL Fluidics Corp.
SolidWater™ Technology
Prepared by David Horrigan
The Company
Admiral Fluidics was established to manage the licensing, development and manufacture of the various maritime embodiments of a proprietary propeller and pumping technology that delivers incredible performance over traditional systems. Our prototypes are getting 5 times the flow rate over state of the art competitors.
Investment Summary
We are seeking strategic partners to aid in developing this technology for specific market segments. For the commercial ship propulsion market we will need $10 million to develop two idealized production prototypes, establish production and market directly to that segment. We have identified an $11 billion addressable market for new vessel installation and this does not include the potential from the retrofit, sport and military markets. We will produce two models, a 1 megawatt equivalent unit and a five megawatt equivalent unit, both electrically powered and modular.
Technology Summary
The SolidWater™ Propulsion System is so named because traditional propellers tear the water apart into gasses creating a turbulent, foamy discharge, wasting huge amounts of energy and making the water unstable to push or pull on. The SolidWater™ Device gives a laminar discharge and makes the propeller behave like it is pushing on a solid, giving it amazing traction.
Market Need
The technology offers a number of desirable features, however most significant is a 70-80% savings on fuel costs. Using a standard 97 ton bollard pull harbor tug our technology can conservatively save $2-$4 million dollars per engine per year. With a fleet of 500 or 1000 vessels the market need is quite clear. Of course other desirable characteristics expand markets and improve market reception and these include: precision ship control, reduced cost for engines and gears, silent operation, non-turbulent discharge, multi-axis thrust and the technology is durable and reliable at sea.
Market Overview
Worldwide there are close to 12,000 orders for new propulsion units for an average cost of $825,000 per unit. The hull dictates the speed but the propeller unit(s) dictate all other performance characteristics and it is from these characteristics that prop units are chosen. The fuel saving alone would make this technology the winner for 90% of new and refit vessels but when you throw in the quiet efficiency and precision control, the preference for our technology becomes obvious.
Products & Services
Company will build high powered marine propulsion system modules for installation on ships. We will also design and fit custom and general installations and offer maintenance contracts and support world wide. Aside from design and manufacturing, the company will also license to existing prop manufacturers who meet our standards. The company may develop and market the sister technology embodied as pumps and high power fans.
Value Proposition and Implementation
Fuel costs, construction costs, and carbon pollution are the burdens borne by shipping and cruise ship companies of today. Their fuel costs are astronomical and can be reduced by a factor of 5+ by using our technology. This equates to millions of dollars per year per engine. And there is no significant downside. Its reliable, very quiet, durable, precise, reduces cavitation corrosion along with many other features. This is truly a disruptive technology within maritime propulsion and the ship building industry. Implementation will involve partnering with the money teams that fund new ship construction and then lease the ships to operators. These ship bankers are the opinion leaders for ship management and can motivate builders and lessees to take advantage of this special technology.
Future Insights 