Nidec ASI is part of the glorious Amerigo Vespucci Training Ship
After three years of stop for retrofitting activities, today the magnificent Amerigo Vespucci training ship sets sail from the port of La Spezia for a naval campaign on the occasion of the 85th anniversary: the vessel was first launched on February 22nd 1931 at the royal shipyard Regio Cantiere Navale of Castellamare di Stabia and put into service in July of the same year. Since then, the Ship has held annual training activities mainly for students of the Naval Academy.
In 2013, Nidec ASI accepted and won the challenge which the Italian Navy launched when it put to tender the project for the modernization of the electric propulsion system of the vessel, which is technically and structurally speaking, a sailing vessel with an engine. Its electric propulsion system consisted of a single axle powered directly by one DC electric engine which uses two rotors powered in turn by two Diesel-Dynamo units.
The modernization project involves some important changes in technology: a new state-of-the-art AC generator system that uses a new distribution board and inverter to directly power the new engine, also AC, but still with two separate rotors on the same shaft. This solution guarantees lower maintenance costs and greater energy efficiency while maintaining the same level of redundancy on the ship. The ship has a single axle, or propeller; in the unlikely event that an inverter or associated sub-engine breaks down, the axle will still receive 50% of the normal supply of power to ensure a safe return to port.
Selected for its proven capability in technical innovation, Nidec ASI supplied the following electrical equipment: the distribution board, the power transformers, the inverters, the main engine and the cables and it also handled the electrical assembly and commissioning as well as the tests at sea.
With these improvements, the Vespucci training ship is now ready to sail the seas for many more years to come and continue to gain the respect and esteem that have made it synonymous with dependability in the public mind.