Progress since Ocean Tech Expo

The last update from Hydrastorm was from Ocean Tech Expo in June. Looking back, it would be easy to think not much has happened since then.

The reality is that a great deal has moved forward, but much of it has been the less visible work needed to turn an idea and a set of tank tests into something that can be properly assessed, developed and eventually put on the water.

The current UK patent application for MPVXX has been completed and filed in Hydrastorm Technologies’ name. That was an important step. It gives the work a clearer foundation and allows me to talk more openly about the overall architecture, while keeping the detailed design and development work controlled.

The testing work has also been organised into the Hydrastorm Test Explorer. This brings together the configurations tested so far, including different removable inserts, axial spacing, the converging section and the variable exit. It is important to me that the work is shown honestly. Some configurations performed better than others, some did not, and all of that is useful learning.

The main point coming through is that changing the internal configuration changes the measured behaviour of the propulsion system. That is what MPVXX is intended to investigate. It is not about claiming that one configuration is always better. It is about whether one installed propulsion unit can be adjusted to suit different requirements, rather than accepting the same fixed compromise every time.

I have also spent time speaking with academic and engineering contacts to help shape the next stage of the work. This has included looking at the right use of CFD, what it can realistically tell us, and what further physical measurements will be needed to support future open-water testing.

At the same time, I took part in the Wilbe maritime Build Week cohort. This was a useful change of pace because it forced me to look beyond the engineering itself. It challenged the business case, the customer problem, who might benefit first and what evidence a potential customer or investor would need before taking the technology seriously.

Customer discovery has now started with propulsion manufacturers, marine-system integrators and potential users. The purpose is not to claim that MPVXX already has every answer. It is to understand where an adaptive downstream flow system might be useful, where it might not be, and what practical integration, warranty and test evidence would be needed before anyone would consider using it.

All of this has happened alongside a full-time job. There has also been a well-earned break in there.

The next major step remains moving from bench testing towards a working open-water demonstrator. There is still a long way to go, but the work since June has helped turn the next stage into a clearer, more honest and more focused programme.

Marc Reffell

Founder, Hydrastorm Technologies