Reducing operating cost and environmental footprint through energy advisory systems

The underlying project idea was to provide a technological basis for reducing the energy consumption for new and existing marine vessels and accommodate new environmental regulations facing the local and global maritime industry. In particular, the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP), which requires ship owners to assess operational measures to save fuel, is now mandatory for all ships. Reducing the energy consumption will thus improve profitability, cut the environmental footprint and meet new regulations. Although oil prices have decreased in the last years, the shipping market is highly competitive and benefits are critical. Lower operational cost is critical and perhaps even more important today than at the project start. The outcome of this project provides a basis for an energy advisory system that monitors and may analyze vessel and on-board equipment usage to provide information on how to minimize emissions and energy consumption. Advice could be propulsion mode optimization, trim adjustment, thrust rate, propeller optimizing, and possible reductions in number of thrusters or generators. We also consider improved mathematical models and active control of functions and settings in existing onboard systems such as the dynamic positioning, autopilot or the automation system. The result: improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions without physical modifications to the vessel. This research and development activities followed two axes: analytics of vessel performance data and software development for automatic vessel control. The main research and development activities has been: -Utilized in-house information to obtain and improve computer models of vessel equipment and systems for optimal usage in active control and simulation applications. -Develop efficient tools for offshore collection and analysis of operational data from sensors that provide real-time information to the operator -Onshore analysis and provide detailed expert analysis tools for optimizing vessel performance and equipment usage. -Find methods for data analysis to find optimal working conditions for different operational profiles -Determine new thrust allocation methods, optimizing optimal thruster configurations and usage and minimize energy expenditure during different operations. -Develop energy-efficient vessel position and heading control systems that take advantage of environmental forces The project has initiated and supported several MSc projects at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics and Department of Marine Technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim: -Weather Routing for Offshore Vessels in the North Sea - Solving the Supply Vessel Weather Routing Problem, by Joakim Kjølleberg (2014-15). Department of Marine Technology, NTNU. -Optimal control of controllable pitch controller, by Anders Brevik (2015). Department of Engineering Cybernetics, NTNU -Optimal trim/draft using IMUs, by Lars Roen Hansen (2015). Department of Engineering Cybernetics, NTNU.

Fuel account for the majority of a vessels operating cost and due to high oil prices there is a major commercial incentive to save fuel. At the same time, there is pressure from regulators for shipping to improve its environmental performances. Reducing t he energy consumption will thus improve profitability, cut the environmental footprint and meet new regulations. Rolls-Royce Marine is currently developing energy-efficient vessel equipment such as designs, motors and propulsion systems. But there has bee n little focus on how to use both new and existing equipment in an energy-optimal manner. This project will provide a basis for a Marine Energy Advisory System that monitors and analyzes vessel and on-board equipment usage to provide information on how to minimize emissions and energy consumption while maintaining vessel safety. Specific advice may include propulsion mode optimization, trim adjustment, thrust rate, propeller optimizing, and possible reductions in number of thrusters or generators. It may also be able to offer specific advice on enabling functions and settings in e.g. the dynamic positioning, autopilot or the automation system. Advice can be given before or, with necessary instrumentation, during an operation. The result: improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions without modifications to the vessel. Data and results will be shared by Rolls-Royce Marine AS and ship owner. This information can be analyzed to improve the energy management system, provide fuel saving details, and impr ove company best practice.