"Sonne" research vessel sets off with VEM motors on board
The upcoming test run for the new research vessel is scheduled for late autumn, and our engineers at VEM Sachsenwerk GmbH are not about to miss the opportunity to take part. The aim is to verify calculations and machine designs, with VEM drives from our locations at Wernigerode and Zwickau also on board the vessel.
The Dresden VEM location delivered two traction motors each at a rated torque of 130 kNm and speed of 175 rpm. What makes them so special is that they have to keep noise levels very low over a wide speed range while contributing to the vessel’s low energy consumption.
Among other things, this involved keeping possible causes of mechanical noise to a minimum using high-quality bearings and a low-vibration housing. Cleverly positioned motor feet made it possible to reduce tension and keep structure-borne sound-wave transmission down. Selecting the stator and rotor slot numbers also played a decisive role in noise optimisation, and changing the geometry in the motor’s stator was the next step. The VEM testing facilities demonstrated that electromagnetic fields did not stimulate any natural frequencies in the laminated core within the critical speed range. Overall, we managed to keep noise down by tackling the causes rather than the symptoms, with excellent results as shown in underwater sound measurements in the Baltic Sea.
Christened the Sonne by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on 11 July 2014, the first research voyages for the new Sonne research vessel have been scheduled for December 2014. The vessel is due to pass through the Panama Canal into the Pacific at the end of 2014 or beginning of 2015.
Video: Click this YouTube link for the FS "Sonne" launch from the MEYER WERFT docks in Papenburg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtc5NaCwIqk