New prop for museum

Sep 12 2007 by Graeme King, The Journal

ENTERPRISING engineer Jamie Andrew has won recognition for his latest invention from the Science Museum in London.

Mr Andrew, whose Triton Developments is based near Berwick, has come up with a propeller which does not have a central shaft and is enclosed to make it safer than conventional designs.

While he has not yet been able to make it commercially viable, its ground-breaking technology has caught the eye of a Science Museum curator who could see its value. The propeller design is now on display in the museum as “an outstanding example of innovation in marine transport.”

Mr Andrew’s design does not use a central shaft as a conventional propeller does, but is instead driven by magnets. This leads to big advantages in safety, environmental impact and efficiency. It could potentially be used not only as a propeller for boats, but also to generate tidal or hydro energy.

After the initial concept was developed by Mr Andrew, he then contracted Dr Ted Glover, an internationally renowned marine propulsion expert from Newcastle University to handle the detailed design.

The propeller was tested to prove its efficiency in the Emmerson cavitation tunnel at Newcastle University and declared a success. A video of that test was sent to the Science Museum to demonstrate that the technology worked.

Mr Andrew, who also develops others’ ideas with his TI2P (Turning Innovation into Profit) business, is delighted to be recognised by such an august institution as the Science Museum.

He said: “This is such an accolade not only for me, but also for the region and for everyone who has worked on the ring propeller project.

“For me, the driver was to make propellers safer as there has been publicity before now about accidents where people are injured by open bladed propellers.I was looking at putting a ring around it, and enclosing it, on outboard motors. There seemed to be a lot of mileage in that.”

Then Mr Andrew discovered similar technology was being developed in the US and with far greater resources behind it, so he decided to take a break from it – and see what the opposition could come up with before developing it further.

But he is still upbeat about his latest creation. “Just because a product is not yet going to market, if it’s good enough for the Science Musuem, it is making its own contribution,” he said. “Hundreds of thousands of people will see it, and hopefully pick up on what I’m trying to do.”

Dan Albert, curator of transport at the Science Museum, said: “The Science Museum has a long tradition of representing maritime technological development, and it is a great pleasure to be able to add to our national collection a contemporary example of innovative maritime technology and the UK’s entrepreneurial spirit.”