HRS ship - Ship concepts for Harvesting, Recovery and Storage of Energy

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Rising fuel prices and emissions regulations drive the maritime industry towards more cost-effective and environmentally friendly technologies and operations. The project objective is to improve significantly the efficiency of ships via detailed mapping o f energy losses and introduction of energy Harvesting, Recovery & Storage (HRS) systems. Onboard measurements on an LNG ship will be performed to map the total ship energy flow. Exergy analysis on the data will reveal the sources of energy losses. The poi nts of high energy loss will become the focus for energy Harvesting (e.g. solar), Recovery (e.g. thermoelectrics, cold LNG energy, ORC) and Storage (e.g. heat tanks, batteries). Screened HRS combinations will be assessed and ranked via model-based simulat ions. The introduction of HRS systems can be used to optimise the performance of the energy system and maximize total ship energy efficiency. A decision support tool will also be developed for ship-specific assessment of the potential and impact of HRS te chnologies. In this effort there are R&D challenges involving measurements, mapping of the ship energy flow, HRS component design, power management and control and system integration. Further, qualification of HRS technologies for marine use, safety and o perability are of significant importance but also complex. To address these challenges considerable effort is required in applying a holistic model-based systems engineering and integration approach, capable to concurrently manage these issues. Upon succe ssful accomplishment of the project the energy savings and application potential of HRS technologies is expected to be significant. The novel methods and tools to be developed will provide ship oners with the opportunity to select the best HRS solution fo r their specific requirements, minimising fuel costs and environmental impact. The strong market position of the consortium partners guarantees the effective dissemination of results in the shipping industry.