Delta Powerboats flagship

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Delta Powerboats is a Swedish yacht builder with a proud Scandinavian background. It combines modern design concepts with unparalleled craftsmanship, resulting in a series of unique luxury sports yachts for demanding sailors made from 100 % carbon fibre. This extremely strong and lightweight material is 30 % lighter than fibreglass, providing substantial fuel savings.

The company’s latest design is the Delta 88, the new flagship of the series. Thanks to its three Volvo Penta IPS engines, this well-appointed, state-of-the-art boat – in appearance almost the opposite of a sports yacht – can effortlessly reach speeds of 38 knots while remaining easy to manoeuvre thanks to its lightweight carbon construction. The yard demanded that all on board systems be of an equally high quality, which is where Mastervolt came into play. As well as sharing Delta’s love of innovation, our CZone system is the only truly integrated solution for digital switching, control and monitoring that can be used on a glass bridge installation.

How Mastervolt proved to be the best choice...

The Delta Powerboats system designer wanted a fully digital power system that could easily be updated and checked via the internet. Another requirement, as befits this premier class, was the possibility to fully automate the system via programmable events. One example is setting the generator to automatically start when the batteries are low.

In addition, the system had to be fully accessible for operation and control via a glass bridge and iPad interface. The prestigious Showboats International magazine dedicated a noteworthy article to this system, writing: “While not the first boat to use iPads to control temperature and lights – or check fuel and water levels – this boat has an iPad Pro integrated right into the console. Smart systems include trim tabs for a bit of extra lift aft, a gyrostabilizer for comfort and the CZone monitoring system by Mastervolt.”

Mastervolt Finland was responsible for the comprehensive energy plan and the installation of 11 Lithium Ion batteries, four sine wave inverters, two Combis, six battery chargers and an extensive CZone system with more than 75 components! A year after installation everything is working to the users’ full satisfaction. We are still very proud of the commission and the end result, which turned out to be a very prestigious vessel.

The basics

• The design and construction of a 28-metre motoryacht with unrivalled performance. 
• A carbon fibre construction with an emphasis on low weight. 
• Access to a worldwide service network. 
• No unnecessary system components and features, and use of all equipment like at home. 
• An average load of 20 kW. 
• The heavy alternators on the main engines charge the batteries while sailing so there is rarely need for shore power. When not sailing the generator is used for recharging. 
• The navigation station has advanced equipment such as GPS, VHF, plotter and speed, wind & depth gauges. This must continue to work flawlessly under all circumstances, taking into account possible ‘dips’ in the power supply due to the use of electric winches and/or bowthruster. 
• Optimal ease of monitoring and operation, not just in a central place but also in the cabin or engine room, for instance.

Energy consumption

The energy balance shows that there have been no compromises regarding the comfort on board, with a home-from-home electrical power installation providing the ultimate feeling of freedom. And although today’s generators are very quiet, clients want them turned off while the vessel is anchored in a beautiful bay to facilitate complete rest. With a total battery capacity of more than 50 kWh, this yacht can easily go a whole day without using a generator. These solutions are only possible thanks to Lithium Ion technology: incorporating over eight years of experience, the Mastervolt MLI battery offers the ideal solution.

As switching from generator to inverter operation takes place in a split second (one millisecond at most), even the most critical users such as computers and operating systems are not interrupted (and there will certainly be no more flashing lights!).

System choice

Inverter/charger: 2x Mass Combi Ultra 24/3500-100

Linked in parallel, the Combis supply 7 kW of power, enough to seamlessly switch all the critical and most commonly used consumers from shore or generator power to inverter operation (autonomously from the batteries). The switch is so fast that the computers and PLC systems needed to steer the vessel are not disrupted in any way, ensuring that the vessel always operates in a reliable way.

The inverter technology used by Mastervolt offers a uniquely low standby consumption, while a high-speed processor provides seamless switching among all the available energy sources. Power Assist relegates voltage variations and blown mains fuses to the past, even with a weak electrical connection or a small generator. In addition, all Mass Combi Ultra models are equipped with MasterBus, ensuring that all devices in the network speak the same language to each other.

Batteries and battery chargers:

When demands are high, as they are on the Delta 88 powerboat, it is crucial to have the best of the best: heavy lithium-ion batteries, like the Mastervolt MLI Ultra 24/5000. These batteries are ideal for heavy loads during long periods, and have a short charging time (less than 30 minutes). By choosing Mastervolt MLI Li-ion batteries, Delta saves up to 70 % in space and weight.

8x MLI Ultra 24/5000 + 2x Mass 24/100 battery charger

Eight MLI Ultra 24/5000 batteries feed some of the AC consumers (which require a total yield of 440 kWh) so there is always a backup if the generators are not running. Two reliable Mass 24/100 chargers ensure that these batteries are always 100 % charged.

2x AGM 12/90 Ah + 1x ChargeMaster 12/25-3

Two AGM batteries of 90 Ah each are used to start the port and starboard generators. The small model from the ChargeMaster series, the 12/25-3, is used to recharge these batteries.

2x MLI Ultra 24/5000 + 1x Mass 24/100

Two MLI Ultra 24/5000 batteries are used as a power source for the DC distribution system in the forepeak, connected to heavy consumers such as the bowthruster, anchor winch and various pumps. A Mass 24/100 battery charger ensures that these batteries are always full.

1x MLI Ultra 12/5000 + 1x ChargeMaster 12/100-3

Safety always comes first! The navigation and communication equipment is supplied with power by means of a separate supply and charging system. The robust MLI Ultra 12/5000 takes care of this important task. The ChargeMaster 12/100-3 ensures that this 12-volt circuit is always on standby.

6x AGM 12/130 Ah + 1x ChargeMaster 24/20-3

These batteries are connected in series so that they can start the three 24-volt engines if necessary. A ChargeMaster 24/20-3 has sufficient capacity to recharge these batteries.

Digital switching: CZone® digital switching system

The CZone digital control and monitoring network simplifies the installation of electrical systems. This network replaces complex wiring and switchboards with smart robust interfaces and an NMEA 2000 network cable, which increases operational reliability. In addition, CZone also offers an advanced solution for the automation of complex control and monitoring functions on modern marine systems. The CZone system includes built-in timers, dimmers (including support for halogen lighting), alarms, voltage reducers and load shedding. It provides so much more than digital switching.

The owner/captain can receive alarm messages anywhere via an internet connection, even when not on board. Bilge alarm or the charging of batteries when the shore power is disconnected are just two examples of operations that can be conveyed via email or smartphone so that appropriate action can be taken.

Complete system control and monitoring via iPad: 1x Wireless Interface + 2x Touch 10

The Wireless Interface and free Mastervolt app allow the entire system to be monitored and controlled via an iPad. The Wireless Interface provides a wireless connection between the iPad and the Mastervolt system and can also function as a ‘client’ for the main router, with the advantage that you log on to a single wireless network to use the internet and other applications. Opening the garage hatch from the jetty becomes a lot safer, for instance, and monitoring the tank during refuelling prevents any spilling of fuel.

The yacht is also equipped with the latest Touch 10 CZone control panels in order that the system can also be operated via cable connections. Reliability is guaranteed!

System components Mastervolt section:

• 4 x Mass Sine 24/2500 sine wave inverter; 
• 1 x MasterBus USB Interface, for service and configuration purposes.

System components CZone section:

• 1 x WI MasterBus connector; 
• 1 x CZone Network Bridge Interface; 
• 1 x CZone USB CAN Adapter; 
• 15 x NMEA 2000 single T-connector; 
• 21 x NMEA 2000 two-way T-connector; 
• 10 x NMEA 2000 four-way T-connector; 
• 33 x Output Interface; 
• 8 x Switch Control Interface; 
• 13 x Signal Interface; 
• 3 x Meter Interface; 
• 5 x CZone ultrasonic tank sender; 
• 3 x MasterBus/CZone interface.

Other system components:

• 2 x generator 27 kW; 
• 11 x safety relay (Blue Sea Systems); 
• 1 x shore power cable 5 x 16mm2, 50 mtr (Marinco);

System drawing