Energy Technologies Institute has launched a new project which aims to develop and demonstrate a Waste Heat Recovery System for ships, that could deliver fuel efficiency savings of at least 8%. The 26 month project should see the waste heat recovery system installed on an offshore support vessel, by end of 2018 ahead of a further six months of testing.
The project will be led by Avid Technology who are based in Cramlington, North East England. They will work alongside RED Marine Limited of Hexham, Newcastle-based Royston Power and Enogia S.A.S. based in Marseille to deliver a cost effective waste heat recovery system for use across all types of ships.
Unlike the power and heat sectors and other forms of transport, there does not seem to be a credible alternative to fossil fuels to power vessels, so in the medium to long term, the best potential to achieve substantial CO2 reductions is by reducing fuel consumption.
Fuel efficiency in shipping can be improved by reducing the electrical load provided by the ship’s generators, through recovering heat energy from the exhaust stream, in addition, substantially reducing the temperature of the exhaust gas by converting the heat to electricity.
The technology being developed in the ETI’s project should be capable of being deployed on a range of marine vessels, including chemical tankers, general cargo vessels, container feeders, offshore support vessels and roll on roll off passenger ships.
Ryan Maughan, founder and managing director of AVID Technology, which specialises in the design and manufacture of electrically powered systems for low emission vehicles said:
“Unlike other forms of transport, the marine industry has yet to establish a credible alternative to fossil fuels so the immediate priority is to achieve substantial carbon dioxide reductions by reducing fuel consumption. The technology solution we are targeting with our partners is based on improving fuel efficiency by recovering heat energy from the exhaust stream therefore reducing the electrical load provided by the ship’s generators and by lowering the temperature of the exhaust gas by converting heat to electricity.”
The project is one of a number of demonstrations currently being commissioned by the ETI that will seek to reduce emissions and increase the efficiency of shipping fleet.
The ETI has recently published an insight report, which analyses the UK shipping fleet, the potential opportunities for ship owners and operators and identifies the most promising technologies that could reduce fuel consumption economically.
Source & Image credit: ETI
