Dometic is getting to grips with rocking and rolling movements. The Swedish manufacturer's gyro stabiliser is fully electric, contains a battery and is said to require 40 per cent less power than hydraulic versions. According to Dometic, the DG3 also reaches its 4,700 revolutions per minute faster than the competition on the market. The marine gyro takes up around 70 x 70 x 60 centimetres, weighs 318 kilograms and should easily fit on most pleasure boats.
Precise response at every swell
The functionality of a gyro stabiliser is based on the physical principle of precession: when the boat rolls over the wave, the gyro acts against the wave movement by tilting forwards or backwards. Many established manufacturers rely on passive systems in which the tilting movement is initiated by the swell and controlled by a hydraulic system. In practice, however, this proven principle often has the disadvantage of a so-called deadband - the system often does not react at all or only with a delay in the event of very small wave movements.
Dometic wants to circumvent this effect with the so-called Active Precession Control: According to the manufacturer, sensitive sensors (IMUs) detect ship movements in the millisecond range. Instead of passive hydraulics, an electric drive actively controls the tilting of the gyro. Boats equipped with the system can also better compensate for rolling in a calm bay with a slight swell.
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The gyroscope as a generator
A frequently criticised aspect of gyrostabilisers is the high power consumption of many systems on the market. To solve this problem, Dometic has installed a 48-volt lithium battery that protects the on-board power supply from overloading as an energy store. According to the manufacturer, the gyrostabiliser even generates 60 percent of its own power requirements.
The drives of the DG3 act like a generator during wave movement: instead of simply converting the kinetic energy into heat, the energy generated flows back into the battery. Even after switching off, when the gyro slowly runs out of power, the remaining energy from the rotation is used to recharge the battery for the next use. Stabilisation is said to be noticeable after just 9.5 minutes - compared to other models, some of which take up to 50 minutes.
Dometic: Software instead of mechanics
The absence of conventional hydraulics and the use of corrosion-resistant titanium significantly reduce the mechanical maintenance effort compared to conventional systems. The Dometic DG3 thus reflects a technical trend: the move from pure mechanics to software-controlled solutions. Long-term use will have to show whether the active shaft adjustment and recuperation function as smoothly in everyday maritime use as the manufacturer claims. For owners of boats without a large generator, however, the 48-volt solution could be an interesting alternative for more stability on board.
Further information can be found here.
David Ingelfinger
Volontär
