Summary
- Profile Type
- Business Offer
- POD Reference
- BOIT20240702017
- Term of Validity
- 29 April 2025 - 29 April 2026
- Company's Country
- Italy
- Type of partnership
- Investment agreement
- Targeted Countries
- Ireland
- Portugal
- Germany
- Austria
- Denmark
- Slovakia
- Netherlands
- Czechia
- Croatia
- Finland
- France
- Poland
- Slovenia
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Norway
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General information
- Short Summary
- TPP is an innovative SME which has developed an innovative water propulsion system up to TRL 6/7 through 3 research projects. The innovation has demonstrated around 50% efficiency and extremely high bollard pull and maneuverability. TPP is looking for an industrial partner based in the EU (commercial agreement, JV, capital increase) willing to complete the TRL and go to market. The innovation is patented in the major industrialized countries.
- Full Description
-
TPP is an innovative SME based in Trieste, Italy who has developed an innovative water propulsion system. TPP has conducted 3 research projects financed with PAR-FSC and POR-FESR funds aimed at studying the characteristics and ultimately at understand the drivers of efficiency and performance of the innovation. In the last project TPP has performed open water test at the Krylov State Research Center in St. Petersburg and propulsion and bollard pull tests at sea with different combinations of size, shape and number of blades. The results obtained have been:
- Thrust/power ratio at bollard-pull condition above 0,40 kN/kW, greater than commercial ducted propellers, azimuth thrusters and tunnel thrusters
- Propulsive efficiency of 0,51 η0
These values are in line/above conventional yields for cycloidal propellers and can certainly be increased with the appropriate optimization and engineering of larger machines. The results are very promising and TPP is in the position to move ahead with the industrialization phase.
In summary the main features are: 1) Very high thrust/power ratio at bollard-pull, 2) acceptable efficiency, 3) very high maneuverability, ideal for operations in tight/confined spaces and best solution for dynamic positioning, 4) reduced environmental impact, 5) higher safety of operations.
Since the propulsion system can instantaneously and evenly direct thrust on 360°, can best satisfy the untapped demand for: rigs/pontoons operating in confined spaces, tugs or transportation vessels (vaporetti, ferries, steamers, inner water vessels), leisure yachts as auxiliary propulsion for maneuvering, as a stabilizer and in case of necessity take-home system, specialized vessels (ex. Anti-pollution vessels, crane vessels, lifeboats, research vessels, lifting ships), off-shore wind turbines and oil platforms using dynamic positioning.
TPP is seeking an industrial partner who can act as a passive financial investor providing capital, active financial investor providing also technical and managerial expertise to allow TPP to scale up, also in the form of a JV, or a partner willing to enter into a manufacturing and licensing agreement. Since the innovation is patented in the major industrialized countries the two cannot be disjointed.
IT is important that the partner already produces mechanical components in the naval industry and has a brand and servicing capabilities.
Market entry can be done through mooring assistants in leisure yachts 15m+ allowing maneuvers not available now and satisfying a widespread and common need for safe and quick maneuvers. - Advantages and Innovations
-
TPP was established to study, develop and test the innovation and has achieved this goal through three research projects, the final one achieving very important results in terms of efficiency and maneuverability.
The traditional cycloidal systems offer an analogous propulsion efficiency but a significantly lower maneuverability because must be installed in couple (counterotating) while the innovation has two counter-rotating discs on which the blades are mounted, one inside the other, and the blades have a synchronized rotation themselves while the blades of the current cycloidal systems perform half rotation and then return to the original position, creating vibrations in the process.
A desk-top comparative analysis performed on a specific vessel equipped with a traditional cycloidal system shows that, ceteris paribus, the innovation can run with a 30% smaller engine (kW) and reduce consumptions by circa 30% plus all the other advantages of a smaller engine.
The azimuthal propellers offer a significantly lower maneuverability, especially in terms of speed of direction change and a similar desk-top comparative analysis showed a reduction of the engine size (kW9 and consumption by 20%.
The innovation is patented in the major industrialized countries representing a significant entry barrier for potential competitors.
The partner will capitalize on the results achieved from TPP and will add on its design and manufacturing capabilities industrializing the production and offering a standardized product. In addition will leverage its commercial and sale capabilities adding a new product to the catalogue, and will create synergies for the installation and servicing of the new product. - Stage of Development
- Already on the market
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- IPR status
- IPR granted
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
-
TPP is seeking an industrial partner willing to complete the TRL of the innovation and go to market. The upgrade of the TRL from 6/7 to 9 can be done through a research project conducted by the partner with or without TPP. The partner should be already working in the mechanical field, ideally related to naval, with capabilities of producing, commercializing, selling, installing and servicing naval components and willing to add a new product line being the exclusive one offering such innovation. The propulsion system can have various dimensions, from around 0,5 m diameter to 3 m and can be installed in 15-20m leisure yachts for mooring purposes, inner water vessels (Danube, Rhyne, Venice lagoon) tug boats and any sort vessel that need to do frequent and rapid maneuvers, possibly in confined spaces like canals, ports, marinas.
Market entry strategy is to provide 15m+ leisure yachts with one propulsion system to be used for mooring or DP purposes, simplifying the mooring operations by significantly increasing the maneuverability.
The partner can act as a financial investor providing capital and ideally technical and managerial know-how and expertize allowing TPP to scale up. Alternatively the partner can agree the establishment of a JV for achieving the above purposes contributing the same know-how and expertize, or can enter a licensing agreement for the manufacturing of the propulsion system and in case also the commercialization and servicing. Finally the partner can merely enter into a manufacturing agreement which will require in any case a licensing agreement given that the innovation is patented in the major industrialized countries.
The partner will have the opportunity to complete the development of an innovation in the naval field being the exclusive producer of the innovation, starting with leisure yachts as an add-on for maneuvers and moving then to bigger and more powerful ships and tug boats. - Type and Size of Partner
- SME 11-49
- SME 50 - 249
- Big company
- Type of partnership
- Investment agreement
Dissemination
- Market keywords
- 09003001 - Engineering services
- Sector Groups Involved
- Maritime Industries and Services
- Targeted countries
- Ireland
- Portugal
- Germany
- Austria
- Denmark
- Slovakia
- Netherlands
- Czechia
- Croatia
- Finland
- France
- Poland
- Slovenia
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Norway
