less friction
Marintek comparisonLow-friction technology
Nature engineered.
Friction reduced.
Inspired by the dolphin's skin. Applied as DelphySkin® coating technology and as Delftex® low-friction engine oil.
Explore the evidence ↘Bionic inside · DelphySkin® technology
Scroll ↓saving
SVA · planing boatsaving
SVA · tankerless fuel
Trieste · 25 knots01The principle
Flow learns
from nature.
Dolphins are natural masters of flow optimisation. Their smooth, elastic skin lies over a thick, pliable blubber layer with strong damping properties.
Those characteristics help maintain laminar flow by damping Tollmien-Schlichting waves - the wave-like precursors of turbulence. DelphySkin® builds on this principle with a material structuring process for paints. The related motor-oil technology is marketed separately under the Delftex® brand.
What DelphySkin® does
Quiet the boundary.
Keep the flow.
The resonant boundary friction layer undergoes a phase shift so that wave amplitudes cancel. Pressure fluctuations locally dent the boundary layer, damping turbulent vortex production and making the boundary flow friction-reducing.
Damping structures
Material structuring is intended to prevent or substantially reduce friction-producing microvortices.
Reduced flow fluctuations
Wave-like Tollmien-Schlichting oscillations are damped, delaying the transition from laminar to turbulent flow.
Enhanced flow efficiency
Keeping flow laminar for longer matters because laminar flow has considerably lower frictional resistance.
Broad application
The principle is positioned for aviation, shipbuilding and high-performance sports equipment.
02Interactive comparison
Conceptual boundary-layer model
Watch disturbance
become flow.
Compare the same moving fluid over an original coating and a DelphySkin®-treated surface. The animation visualises the proposed damping principle described in the source material.
Without DelphySkin®
Flow direction →
Growing disturbancesVisible vorticesEarlier transition
With DelphySkin®
Flow direction →
Damped disturbancesMore stable layerLower-friction tendency
Illustrative comparison of the stated mechanism — not a CFD calculation or an additional measured result.
03Coating evidence
Measured in water.
Read in results.
The source material reports independent and laboratory testing by Marintek, SVA Potsdam and SONEM, plus an on-water comparison in Trieste.
01
Marintek · Norway · April 2016
Nine coatings.
One lowest-friction plate.
Marintek, a Norwegian specialist in testing water vehicles, compared nine coatings. Seajet 012 Universal Primer was tested as plate 5 in its original form and as plate 6 after modification with DelphySkin® technology.
At a water speed of 5 m/s, the reported towing force fell from about 87 N to about 85 N. Compared with seven other coatings, plate 6 - the brown data points in the original graph - showed the lowest friction.
2.3%reported reduction in friction
−2.3%towing force≈87 N → ≈85 N
02
SVA Potsdam · Flow channel
From wall shear
to fuel saving.
SVA Potsdam tested an original boat paint against the same paint modified with DelphySkin®. On the basis of the flow-channel results, resistance reduction and fuel-saving values were determined for three applications.
2.5%Planing boatresistance reduction and fuel saving
7.8%Tankerresistance reduction and fuel saving
1.1%Aircraft*drag reduction and fuel saving
* Extrapolated to air using boat-paint results, assuming 60% of the aircraft surface is coated.
Reported coating differenceDR below 0% = lower friction resistance
-0.87%log(Re) 5.8+0.15%log(Re) 6.0-0.98%log(Re) 6.2-1.78%log(Re) 6.3-2.89%log(Re) 6.4-8.09%log(Re) 6.6-17.45%log(Re) 6.75
Flow speed · 1-17 m/sMethod · Clear-coat measurement
Nineteen speeds.
Twelve pressure points.
Two flat, 1.2 m panels are fitted inside the SVA friction tunnel to form a narrow rectangular channel. The panels are coated with the system under investigation, with or without DelphySkin®, and water passes through at 19 steps between 1 and 17 m/s.
- 01Flow rate and pressure loss are measured simultaneously at 12 positions.
- 02Wall shear stress is detected and the surface friction-resistance coefficient calculated.
- 03Each plate pair receives 1 hour of conditioning and 2.5 hours of measurement.
- 04Every measurement consists of three runs that are averaged.
Results are plotted against Reynolds number, an equivalent expression of flow speed. Smooth stainless-steel reference plates at the start and end of the campaign provide classification points.
03
PPG Whitford · Automotive clear coat
More cycles.
Less surface friction.
Two automotive clear-coat systems were compared in scratch tests. The presentation attributes the much higher cycle count of the DelphySkin®-modified samples to reduced friction. The display below is a new web visualisation of the reported values.
Clear coat 01
516
2,200
Clear coat 02
1,000
>2,500
0-sample · cyclesDelphySkin® modified · cycles
Wind-tunnel context · redacted vehicle study
6-8%friction share of total vehicle resistance
4-9%calculated reduction in frictional resistance
Δcw 0.001reported series-condition change
Δcw 0.002-0.003reported change without cooling air
The source redacts the vehicle and company identifiers. This website therefore preserves only the stated measurement ranges and does not infer a manufacturer.
04
SONEM · Ultrasonic test · 1.0 MHz
A molecular
fingerprint.
SONEM uses molecular acoustics rather than conventional imaging ultrasound. The received signal becomes a detailed dataset - the SONEM fingerprint - from which statistical algorithms can infer multiple medium attributes for further processing in the SONEM cloud.
Hemmelrath Technologies supplied approximately 200 ml of each paint system. Because the volume was too small for the SONEM SLAX sensor, a new individual laboratory setup was designed. It was explicitly a preliminary rig, not yet ready for series production.
The rig consists of a paint container, a frame holding the ultrasonic probes, measurement and evaluation electronics, a signal amplifier and adapted SONEM analysis software.
TOF Time of FlightRMS Signal value20/50 points per mean
Untreated and DSK-modified paint were measured at 1.0 MHz. Each plotted point represents the mean of 20 or 50 measurements; the error cross shows the complete deviation within a paint system.
05
Baia di Trieste · 10 June 2025
Same boat.
Different demand.
A Boston Whaler 320 Outrage was tested first with Micron 350 and then with Micron 350 treated with DelphySkin®. Every run was repeated three times and the average recorded.
- Weight
- 4,430 kg incl. engines
- Engines
- 2 × Verado 275 CXXL
- Power
- 202 kW / 275 hp each
- Dimensions
- 10.80 × 3.09 × 0.55 m
- Load
- 3 people · 600 l fuel
- Conditions
- Shallow water · 2 kts wind
GPS measurement, no wind beyond 2 knots and a small constant ocean current in the same direction. At 09:00 the freshly sprayed Micron 350 surface was tested after light sanding; at 14:00 it was lightly sanded, over-sprayed and tested with DelphySkin®-treated Micron 350.
At 25 ktsRPMFuel
Without4,50066.8 l/h
With DelphySkin®4,05055.1 l/h
17%less fuel consumption
at 25 knots
at 25 knots
04Field observation · North Sea
Lackabriebstest · Finnmaster 7050
Two colours.
One season.
A real-world comparison documented by the boat owner after one year of use in the North Sea. The observation is presented as reported by the source and is not a controlled laboratory trial.
2017 → 2018
Original coating beside the DelphySkin®-treated version.
In November 2017, a Finnmaster 7050 built in 2006 received a new two-colour coating. The light-blue area used International VC Offshore EU in its original form. The dark-blue area used the same paint after treatment with DelphySkin® technology.
After one year of operation in the North Sea, the boat was taken ashore for comparison. Owner Sven Eggerstedt reported that the dark-blue, DelphySkin®-treated paint adhered better than the light-blue original coating.
View the original ship-test report ↗Less visible erosion and better adhesion were interpreted by the owner as evidence of lower friction and a longer-lasting coating.
Sven Eggerstedt · Seevetal near Hamburg
Dark blue · treated
Light blue · original
05Applications
One principle.
More ways to move.
Lower friction, more speed, cleaner hulls and reduced energy demand are the stated goals across water and hydraulic systems.
Hull surfaces
After a year in the North Sea, a 2006 Finnmaster 7050 carried two versions of International VC Offshore EU: original light blue and dark blue treated with DelphySkin®. Owner Sven Eggerstedt reported better adhesion and less erosion on the treated area, indicating a longer-lasting coating.
Owner observation · Seevetal near Hamburg · 2017/18DelphySkin® clear coats
PPG Whitford scratch tests report 2,200 cycles for a modified clear-coat system versus 516 cycles for the untreated sample.
A second system reached more than 2,500 cycles after modification, compared with 1,000 cycles for the original clear coat.
Beyond water
- Aviation
- Shipbuilding
- High-performance sport
- Industrial liquids
06Delftex® engine oil
Automotive tests · presentation data
Less friction.
Measured in motion.
Delftex® is the brand for the engine-oil technology. DelphySkin® remains the brand for coating systems.
The source presentation reports tests from the German automotive industry using petrol and diesel engines, a flat-belt test bench and portable emissions measurement in urban driving. Every chart below is a new web-native reconstruction from the stated values - no original presentation diagram is reproduced.
Surface systemsDelphySkin®Paints and clear coats
Lubrication systemsDelftex®Low-friction engine oil
Headline values stated in the company presentation; they have not been independently verified for this website.
Animated mechanism simulation
From ignition
to rapid downstroke.
Both pistons run through the same power stroke. The comparison visualises how the oil film in the narrow gap between piston and cylinder wall behaves differently in the stated Delftex® model.
A / Conventional engine oil
disorderedTurbulent vortices
Ignition · pressure pulse
Oil filmEddies and cross-flow
B / Delftex®
stabilisedLaminar flow
Ignition · pressure pulse
Oil filmParallel streamlines
01Ignition02Pressure rise03Rapid downstroke04Oil flow in the clearance
Conceptual, simplified illustration of the stated mechanism — not a CFD calculation, a to-scale engine geometry or an additional measured result.
Test 01
≈7.2%lower group meanPetrol engine · WLTP
Standard oil
8.656-8.781L/100 km · 4 measurements8.6568.7168.7438.781
Delftex® oil
8.044-8.118L/100 km · 3 measurements8.0448.1188.114
8.08.28.48.68.8 L/100 km
The presentation summarises the comparison as a reduction from about 8.7 to 8.1 L/100 km.
Test 02
Diesel engine · five paired runs
StandardDelftex®
-14.7%WLTP warm 01
-15.7%WLTP warm 02
-17.1%NEDC warm 01
-17.7%NEDC warm 02
-10.5%NEDC warm 03
Values in L/100 km. Two WLTP-warm and three NEDC-warm comparisons are shown as reported.
Test 03
7.64 → 6.96L/100 km · high to finalUrban PEMS · three-week trend
7.54
7.64
7.42
7.34
7.21
7.30
7.23
7.22
7.07
7.08
7.10
7.04
7.00
6.96
Conventional 5W-30Delftex® · progression across the trial →Week 3
A 2-litre petrol car was measured under urban PEMS conditions. The presentation describes a continuing decrease after switching to Delftex®.
Test 04
6.14 → 5.69L/100 km · outer readingsFlat-belt test bench
Conventional 5W-30baseline
6.146.07Delftex®after 1 day
6.015.93Delftex®after 3 weeks
5.745.69Two readings per stage; values are reconstructed from the six labels in the source presentation.
Worked examples from the presentation
What the reported percentages mean in a year.
These examples retain the source assumptions and prices; they are illustrations, not a current fuel-price forecast.
- Distance
- 20,000 km/year
- Consumption
- 7.6 L/100 km
- Fuel
- 1,520 L at €1.80
- Saving used
- 5%
- 30.000 km
- €206
- Distance
- 20,000 km/year
- Consumption
- 8.2 L/100 km
- Fuel
- 1,700 L at €1.50*
- Saving used
- 12%
- 30.000 km
- €459
* Quantity shown exactly as stated in the presentation.
Source boundary
All values in this section are presentation-reported test or calculation values. The diagrams are original HTML/CSS visualisations made for this website.
CO₂ impact · derived from the presentation claim
Less fuel.
Less tailpipe CO₂.
One vehicle · 20,000 km/year300-600 kgcalculated annual CO₂ reduction
20,000 km × the presentation-reported 15-30 g CO₂/km range.
Why fleet scale matters
A reduction measured in grams per kilometre becomes material across annual mileage and a vehicle fleet. These are transparent extrapolations of the company presentation's 15-30 g/km claim, not additional emissions measurements. They refer to tailpipe CO₂ and exclude fuel production, oil manufacture and other lifecycle effects.
Formula: vehicles × km/year × 15-30 g/km ÷ 1,000,000 = tonnes CO₂/year07Contact
Let's reduce
resistance.
info@delftex.com ↗DelphySkin Ltd
SOHO St. Julian's
Punchbowl Centre, Elia Zammit Street
STJ 3154 St. Julian's, Malta
Trade registrationC93160
EU VAT IDMT26850308