Autodesk customer success story Seabell International Co., Ltd..

Seabell International Co., Ltd.

Customer Story

Autodesk® Product Design Suite Ultimate

3D modeling with Autodesk Inventor helps communicate technical information regarding hydrokinetic power, the “straight-A student” of new energy sources, throughout the world

Seabell International Co., Ltd. is a technology developer founded in 2004. As a waterworks and sewer systems consultant company it conducts research on renewable energy. The company is known for the development of “Stream,” its unique hydrokinetic power generation system. Last year, with the aim of further improving design quality, Seabell International joined the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program and introduced 3D design into its operations. We spoke to Yuji Umino, the president of Seabell International, about the background to this decision and the company’s future plans.

The “In-Between” New Next-Generation Energy Source that has Attracted Worldwide AttentionWhen most people hear the term “clean energy” they undoubtedly think of solar power and wind power. But the new “next-generation” energy sources currently attracting the world’s attention is hydrokinetic power - currently being developed by Seabell International.“Unlike solar power, which is hampered by weather conditions and nightfall, the main characteristic of hydrokinetic power is that it can provide a stable supply of power anywhere water is flowing — a river, farming areas, wastewater in sewage treatment plants and so on,” says Umino. “But that is not the only advantage of hydrokinetic power. The reason that “Stream” has attracted so much attention is that it is a very “in-between” technology.”“Stream”, invented by Umino, a former waterworks and sewer systems design engineer, is the product name for a proprietary hydrokinetic power generation system developed by Seabell International. It can be installed anywhere water flows. The equipment itself floats and can generate a constant amount of power regardless of the volume of water. These qualities have enabled Seabell International to achieve a business track record that puts it at the head of the pack in this field, and Stream has become so popular that inquiries have come in from up to 40 countries around the world. But what is the “in-between” aspect that has made this possible?“As a clean energy power generation system, the power generation capacity of Stream is neither large nor small,” points out Umino. “Mega solar systems and large windmills have an output that may reach 1,000 kW. In contrast, Stream is decidedly ‘in-between’ — generating from several hundred watts to around 40 kW. Since the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred last year, this “in-between” aspect has been very much in the spotlight.”

A Local Energy Source, From and For the Local CommunityThe power grids in Japan and other countries around the world are organized around power centers that generate a large volume of electrical power. If the central power plant fails, the entire grid may go down, and this was the case with the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster. Due to the tsunami, the grid shut down at the Fukushima nuclear power stations, resulting in power failures. In the case of Stream, however, these risks can be kept to an absolute minimum. During non-emergency periods, it is like a tiny cherry dangling from the grid, generating a tiny amount of the power that is produced. But in the event of a disaster that causes the grid to shut down, its small size means it is isolated from the rest of the grid and can continue to function independently.“Even if the grid goes down and the power supply to the entire region is cut off, Stream continues to supply approximately 10 kW of power within an area of, say, 1 km square,” says Umino. ”In the event of an emergency, that 10 kW could supply power for the lighting and communications networks for around 20 homes. And, unlike photovoltaic power and wind power, the amount of power that is generated can be fixed at several kilowatts, and that makes it perfect for use as an emergency power source. The high capacity use of hydrokinetic power gives it many advantages in terms of the feed-in tariffs (FIT) as well. It’s really the “straight-A student” of new energy sources.” Umino considers hydrokinetic power to be a “local energy source, from and for the local community,” and he wants to expand its use worldwide. And one of the key strategies that Seabell International is employing to accomplish this goal is the introduction of the Autodesk Product Design Suite through the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program.

Yuji UminoPresidentSeabell International Co., Ltd.

“Since we started using Inventor, all parties involved on a project can now look at a 3D model and communicate ideas smoothly and accurately. For example, you can take a cross-section and use it while explaining something, so you can really get down to the nitty-gritty, and it’s easy to use. I think this has greatly enhanced our communication with clients and other parties.”— Yuji Umino President Seabell International Co., Ltd.

The Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program supports clean technology innovators with design and engineering software they can use to accelerate their development of solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. For more information, visit: http://www.autodesk.com/cleantech

Autodesk customer success story Seabell International Co., Ltd..

like that are common. And this is something that I wasn’t expecting. It’s also a very powerful communications tool as well.”Even though it focuses on manufacturing, Seabell International itself does not have a manufacturing plant; it outsources manufacturing work. For this reason, Seabell designers often have back-and-forth exchanges with engineers at the OEM company. Naturally communications has a direct impact on product quality and production schedules. In almost all cases, however, they used to send the drawings over and then hold discussions by telephone, and often there were problems in which the fi nished product did not have the proper interface.“Since we started using Inventor, all parties involved on a project can now look at a 3D model and communicate ideas smoothly and accurately. For example, you can take a cross-section and use it while explaining something, so you can really get down to the nitty-gritty, and it’s easy to use. I think this has greatly enhanced our communication with clients and other parties.”Umino and Seabell International want to expand the use of Inventor as a communications tool. As noted earlier, the company does not have a manufacturing division, and so it aims for a business model that involves not simply “making and selling products” but rather “providing technology, manufacturing and then selling those products” throughout the world. The aim is actually to become a technical data transmission center.“How can a company that consists of 16 employees successfully engage in technology transfer with the rest of the world?” asks Umino rhetorically. “That’s the question we face now. So we have high hopes for the use of Inventor 3D simulations to make it easier to communicate information with the rest of the world. Naturally there’s still a step between concept and reality. That’s why we use 3D when comparing simulation to reality -- in order to bring our products closer and closer to perfection.”

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3D Model of Stream created with Autodesk Inventor

Stream installed and operating (generating power)

Installation in the city of Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture

Installation in the city of Dehradun, India

Installation in the city of Seoul, Korea

Standardization of Nonstandard Conditions“Although this might sound extreme, for wind power generation the 1 m per second wind speed in Hokkaido is the same as in Okinawa,” says Umino. “The temperature of the wind will be somewhat different, but not enough to affect power generation capacity. But in the case of hydrokinetic power, the conditions are completely different at each installation location. The amount of water fl owing, the width, the fl ow rate and so on are all different depending on the location, so there are no common standards. So the major problem is how to standardize these unique conditions.”One solution that Umino came up with was to make the power generation system modular. Areas such as the waterwheel, generator, and control section were separated into modules, and several variations of each were produced. These modules were then combined to match various different conditions at each site in order to create an optimal system at each one.“The key was simulations,” says Umino. “To create systems that matched various conditions, we had to repeatedly perform simulations using many samples and also try various things on site to gather data. Only then could we create a standardized program for all situations. Naturally, the more samples we used, the greater the accuracy, so having an environment in which we could perform simulations quickly and easily is a tremendous advantage for us.”For this reason, Seabell International decided to use the Autodesk Product Design Suite. During the summer of 2011, they applied to the Clean Tech Partner Program. Seabell International had been using CAD systems for more than 20 years, and in recent years they used AutoCAD LT to create all of their drawings. So they were accustomed to using digital tools and had an affi nity for Autodesk products.

Technical Data Transmission Center & New Next-Generation Energy SourcesIt’s been only a year since Seabell International started using Autodesk Product Design Suite, and already designers have become fl uent using 3D design. The company has by no means achieved full mastery of simulation and other features, but the impact of 3D design is already apparent in many ways.“In fact, even before we introduced the Product Design Suite, we’d gradually been pursuing 3D research,” says Umino. “As expected, the new Inventor is really amazing. The degree of 3D precision is extremely high and it can be used in a wide variety of situations. Even just in terms of viewing, you can see the object with high precision in a variety of different forms as compared with conventional graphics. So even if you’re just doing a quick check, you can locate bugs in places where you never expected them, or realize that something is hitting something at a location that you hadn’t noticed. Discoveries

Company Profi le

Seabell International Co., Ltd.http://www.seabell-i.com/