Sea Sakthi, a 12-member contingent of Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT), Coimbatore, the only team from India to take part in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge 2024 during July, is all set to travel to Europe with its innovatively fabricated light-weight twin-propulsion boat powered by clean energy.
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For the one-of-a-kind motor boating event dedicated to promoting a sustainable future through alternative energy sources, Kumaraguru team has indigenously developed a 10 KW Lithium Ferro Phosphate Battery Pack to power the boat ideated and built on the principle of level-flying bald eagle aerodynamics.
Third outing
The uniqueness in the team’s third outing in the event is the boat’s 12-kg cockpit with a composite structure made by sandwiching a layer of carbon fibre in between the pineapple fibre, that can withstand cyclic loads. The cockpit made of aluminium for the first participation weighed 57 kg and for competing the second time, the team had utilised carbon fibre to bring the weight down to 27 kg.
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This time around, the team designed the boat from scratch to suit the requirement and named it ‘Yali 3.0’. The boat’s algorithm enables enhanced adaptation to the environment with a 3D lidar and Depth Camera, employing a GPS (Global Positioning System) and IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) system to cruise to the destination in the shortest path. And, route suggestions and docking assistance are provided with ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistant System), the team explained to mediapersons on Tuesday.
A smart hybrid cooling had been employed with forced air method and phase changing material keeps the battery at an optimum temperature. Through thrust vectoring 20 % more manoeuvrability for agile turns is achieved, the team members explained.
Elaborating on the high energy efficiency classification for electric motors, they explained that the power consumption is adjusted to the requirement, with use of eco-mode for endurance, and sports mode for high performance. The normal mode is optimized for cruising.
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The Yali, they said, cruises at a speed of 18 Knots and reaches a top speed of 25 knots. To optimise the efficiency, sinewave technology has been employed, where the controller manages the heat produced inside the system
Team ‘Sea Sakthi’ had won the Communication Prize for two years in a row at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, and was adjudged the most popular among 17 teams across 10 countries in the contest. The team managed to secure 6th position in the overall ranking too for a record second year besides receiving the ‘Monaco Town Hall Cup’.
Primarily supported by the KCT, the team is also looking for sponsors.
This year, the team is looking forward to a podium finish alongside retaining the Communication Prize, KCT Principal M. Ezhilarasi said, adding: “The college was privileged to represent India at the event.”