There is no doubt that society as a whole has a part to play in improving the environment by reducing wherever possible pollution from any source. Within a marine environment, the main objectives are reducing the contamination of the air and water.
Addressing these challenges head on is the concept of hybrid drive for marine craft, the result of extensive development and investment by a number of parties, including Reich in the design and manufacture of a new coupling variant.
The electric drive is at the heart of this environmentally friendly system, running totally emission-free and generating no noise at all. The hybrid solution supports both pneumatic and hydraulic coupling systems, with an integrated electric motor serving as a generator for the batteries.
As is typical of a hybrid system, the electric motor is combined with a conventional diesel engine to charge the batteries. The special feature of the hybrid drive is the so-called booster. This function allows for higher propulsion power thanks to the simultaneous use of the diesel engine and electric drive.
Reich’s TOK 176.1 HN coupling decouples the vibrations of the diesel engine from the remainder of the system and dampens potentially harmful shocks enabling the entire system to run more smoothly. The integration of the Reich coupling within the hybrid drive adds to the overall comfort of pleasure boats and yachts in particular.
Although installed within a marine environment in this case, the overall versatility and high performance from the hybrid drive, together with the benefits of reduced emissions and low noise levels, means that there are potentially multiple areas of application for this solution.