ICHzero - Integrated cooling and heating for zero-emission operation of offshore ships

In this innovation project, ship designers, ship owners, equipment suppliers and researchers collaborate to develop innovative HVAC design solutions to support energy-efficient and zero-emission operation of SOVs. To achieve this, a digital twin of the HVAC system will be developed, based on collection and processing of operational data, prediction of heating and cooling loads, and modelling and design of innovative HVAC technologies with combined heating and cooling. The HVAC digital twin enables simulations to guide ship designers in identifying the most efficient designs for future projects and can be used as a crew decision support tool for predictive planning of energy production and storage.

The urgent demand for renewable energy production has resulted in many offshore wind projects. To build and operate such wind parks in a sustainable way, there is a significant demand for service operation vessels (SOV) designed with zero-emission requirement. Ship design is a complex process, scattered throughout many different technical systems, software applications and information silos. With the increasingly stringent environmental and technical requirements ships are getting even more complex and integrated. Understanding how the subsystems interact and influence the overall system behaviour is paramount in successful ship design. Since the power generation on future SOVs is expected to be based on battery solutions with offshore charging, it is of crucial importance to reduce the ship's energy usage, including heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems. In this innovation project, ship designers, ship owners, equipment suppliers and researchers collaborate to develop innovative HVAC design solutions to support energy-efficient and zero-emission operation of SOVs. To achieve this, a digital twin of the HVAC system will be developed, based on collection and processing of operational data, prediction of heating and cooling loads, and modelling and design of innovative HVAC technologies with combined heating and cooling. The HVAC digital twin enables simulations to guide ship designers in identifying the most efficient designs for future projects, and can be used as a crew decision support tool for predictive planning of energy production and storage. Moreover, the process of developing the digital twin, utilising experience from various stakeholders, will contribute to a more efficient management of future design projects, in terms of improved understanding between designers, product developers, and their customers. Altogether, the project outcome is a crucial enabler to achieve zero emission operation, verify energy savings, and de-risk of future projects.