Symposium on Green Ship Technology (Greenship'2011) Wuxi, China, October 2011

Alternate Powering Options for Green Ship

Salma Sherbaz1 and Wenyang Duan2
College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, P.R. CHINA

ABSTRACT

Environmental issues obligate the exploration of alternate powering resources with lower emissions. Historically, the powering requirements of transportation media have been met by burning conventional fuels resulting in high emissions. Shipping industry is one of the stakeholders in
environmental issues, responsible for 3 % of global CO2 emissions, 14-15 % of global NOX emissions and 16 % of global SOX emissions. Shipping industry also has critical role in

global economy since 90 % of world trade goods are carried by ships. International Maritime Organization (IMO) is working on regulating CO2 emissions from shipping with unprecedented attention and it seems clear that CO2 emissions from shipping will be regulated within few years. Green ship concept requires exploring and implementing technologies/practices on ships to reduce emissions. Alternate powering resources are a valuable option for reducing emissions in shipping industry. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the alternate powering options for green ship. The paper will discuss in detail the basic concepts, principles, advantages, associated challenges and future scope of alternate powering options for green ship. The author will also comment on strategies for powering resources management to lower emissions in future.
Keywords

al 2007). In addition, shipping industry has critical role in global economy. Intercontinental trade, bulk transport of raw materials, and import/export of affordable food and goods is carried out through ships. It is estimated that almost 90 % of the world trade goods are carried by ships. For the most part, this trade has little or no alternative means of transportation other than ships at this point and foreseeable future. Furthermore, shipping is a better environmental option for transportation compared to other available means due to lowest gCO2/ton.km emissions, shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1. Global CO2 Emissions

green ship; alternate powering options; emissions; future ship; ship efficiency
1 INTRODUCTION

shipping

Global temperature increase by 2C above preindustrial level is expected to cause severe global consequences. The only way to overcome this challenge is to reduce global emissions. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007) concluded that global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to be 50-85 % below current levels in 2050 to reach this target. However, all IPCC scenarios indicate significant increase in global GHG emissions by 2050 which is alarming. Thus, all stakeholders responsible for GHG emissions face a great challenge to achieve this target. Shipping industry is one of the stakeholders. Shipping is responsible for approximately 3 % of global CO2 emissions, shown in Figure 1, 14-15 % of global NOX emissions and 16 % of global SOX emissions (Corbett et

Figure 2. Ship CO2 Emissions Comparison to Rail and Road

Future scenarios indicate that if preventive measures are not taken, CO2 emissions from ships will more than double by 2050. European Union (EU) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are pushing hard to regulate global emissions. International Maritime Organization (IMO) is currently working to establish GHG regulations for international shipping with technical, operational and market-based policy instruments. It seems clear that CO2 emissions from shipping will be regulated by IMO within few years.

Historically, maritime industry has been responsible and played a constructive role in global progress. It did have its share of mistakes and faced extreme criticism from accidents like Exxon Valdez oil spill and Deep-water Horizon oil spill (BP oil spill). However, genuine efforts from shipping industry in terms of volunteer fuel changes are praiseworthy compared to other sectors responsible for global emissions (Williams 2010). Historically, the powering requirements of transport media have been met by burning conventional fuels resulting with high emissions. At present, ships use inexpensive and carbon-intensive fuel for powering known as heavy or residual fuel oil. The heavy fuel oil needs to be gradually replaced by less carbon-intensive fuels and alternate powering resources to combat environmental issues. Green ship concept requires exploring and implementing technologies/practices on ships to reduce emissions. Alternate powering resources are a valuable option for reducing GHG emissions in shipping industry. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the alternate powering options for green ship. The paper will discuss in details the basic concepts, principles, advantages, associated challenges and future scope of alternate powering options for green ship. The author will also comment on strategies for powering resources management to lower emissions in future.
2 MARINE DIESEL OIL

4 ELECTRIC AND HYBRID ELECTRIC PROPULSION 4.1 Electric Propulsion

Electric propulsion is based on replacing the main diesel propulsion engine with electric motors for propulsion and several mall diesel generators for power generation. The concept is based on the principle that main diesel engine has a peak efficiency around its minimal operating window. In contrast, electric motors offer very high efficiency throughout the operating range. The operator

Figure 3. Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) LNG Powered Ship

Marine diesel oil (MDO) is a promising alternate powering option in shipping industry. Marine diesel oil contains less carbon content thus lower GHG emissions and has higher efficiency. It is reported that MDO would reduce PM by 63% and NOx by 5% (Corbett & Winebrake 2007, International Maritime Organization 2000, Feng & Zhan 2011). In addition, MDO requires less storage space since its highly efficient.
3 LNG AS FUEL

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a promising alternate powering option for shipping industry. LNG powering will result in much lower CO2 emission due to higher hydrogen-to-carbon ratio compared to powering by diesel fuels. LNG contains no suplhur so no SOX emissions and 90% less NOX emissions due to lower peak temperatures during burning. However, LNG usage will increase CH4 emissions so 15 % net reduction in global warming is expected (Einang 2009, Skjervheim 2008). The challenges associated with LNG usage are approximately three time larger space requirement considering volume, structural constraints and availability of LNG fuel in ports. LNG is viable only for new ships due to limitations of structural and storage modifications on old ships. In addition, LNG powering technology is currently available for four-stroke engines. The twostroke engines based on direct injection need more time to mature (Hei et al 2004).

selects optimal number of generators to provide the required power to highly efficient propulsive motors for given velocity. Electric propulsion is an effective option to increase efficiency outside minimal operating window. The result is higher powering efficiency and better environmental performance. In addition, electric propulsion provides better space utilization, higher redundancy and more economical operation (Graham 2005, Kruijt 2004, Warship Technology 2003). Electric propulsion is very effective for passenger and cruise vessels whose electric load is larger than propulsion load. Electric propulsion is promising for cruisers, destroyers and research vessels which operate in partial load condition for significant portion of time (Hodge & Mattick 1998). The main challenge for electric propulsion on marine vessels is size and weight of electric machines and prime movers. However, the electric ship technologies continue to develop along with increase in efficiency and operational effectiveness.
4.2 Battery Electric Technology

The use of batteries alone to power ships has the advantage of relying on one source for all powering requirements. The challenges are that the battery technology is expansive and limited power generation source. Furthermore, the current CO2 reduction by battery technology is also not enough. However, battery technology is expected to get breakthrough in near future due to extensive research on battery technology in last decade. The potential of battery electric technology on ships will need to be reviewed in couple of years (Breucker et al 2009, Rourke 2006).

been confidential and restricted to governmental use. The

4.3 Fuel Cell

The fuel cell employs electrochemical reactions to convert chemical energy of fuel to electricity. Fuel e.g. hydrogen is combined with an oxidizer i.e. oxygen to generate electric power. The result is much less CO2 emissions compared to diesel fuels, very little NOX emissions and no SOX emissions (Rourke 2006, McMullen 2003, McConnell 2010). The challenges associated with use of fuel cell on commercial scale are fairly constant load requirement, 2-3 times higher initial investment cost, relatively high installation and maintenance cost and requirement of highly technical crew. At present, fuel cells are suitable for auxiliary power supply in marine industry. These challenges associated with fuel cells will resolve with maturity of fuel cell technology. It is expected that fuel cells will gradually transition to hybrid powering solution for ships.
4.4 Propulsion with Outboard Electric Motor Drive (POD)

Figure 5. Fuel Cell Equipment Installation on Viking Lady

Propulsion with outboard electric motor drive (POD) system is based on the concept of integrating propulsion and steering systems together to increase efficiency. POD system consists of propeller, electric motor and rudder

use of nuclear technology for powering in commercial shipping industry has been fairly limited. The required electric conversion technology is available. However, the use of nuclear technology for powering in commercial shipping industry is expected to be relatively long term (Vergara & McKesson 2002, World Nuclear Association 2011, Simpson 1995). The challenges associated with nuclear power on merchant ships are highly technical crew, and regulatory and safety requirements.
6 BIOFUELS

Figure 4. Propulsion with Outboard Electric Motor Drive (POD)

combined as one unit, as shown in Figure 4. The motor rotates propeller and the rudder is responsible for maneuvering. The entire unit is installed outside the hull. Thus, called propulsion with outboard electric motor drive (POD) system (Ueda et al 2004, Ayaz et al 2005). The system can rotate 360 degrees, making the ship highly maneuverable. POD system is 10 to 15 % more efficient than conventional propulsion systems. POD is environment friendly powering option due to all electric drive. The only challenge is the design and installation of POD sealing system since water ingress can damage the entire system (Aksu et al 2006, Ayaz et al 2005).
5 NUCLEAR POWER

Bio fuels are a promising alternate powering option in shipping industry. Wartsila has reported that liquid biofuels are well suited for medium speed diesel engines. Wartsila has also developed the technology and required engine modifications to use biofuels. The use of biofuels will result in much lower emission, especially SOX emissions (Opdal & Hojem 2008, Manuel et al 2004). Biofuels can be extracted from variety of sources e.g. vegetables and animal fats. Biofuels have advantage over fossil fuels since biofuels are renewable in short time by plants. In contrast, fossil fuels need millions of years to complete the conversion cycle. Biofuels can also help agricultural economies to free themselves from foreign fossil oil dependence. However, supply requirements need to be assessed as conversion to biofuels is undertaken (Elsayed 2003). The details of common biofuels are discussed in following sections.
6.1 Biodiesel

Biodiesel, methyl esters, are diesel-equivalent processed fuel derived from biological sources such as vegetable oils. Biodiesel can be used on existing vehicles without any diesel-engine modifications. The use of biodiesel results in 60% less CO2 emissions than diesel, non-toxic, biodegradable and renewable by photosynthesis in plants (Weber et al 1998).
6.2 Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) and Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO)

Naval submarines have employed nuclear power for more than five decades by this point. The nuclear technology has been used on surface in aircraft careers and now also being integrated in cruisers. However, the technology has

Straight vegetable oil (SVO) is normal vegetable oil and waste vegetable oil (WVO) is used vegetable oil e.g.

discarded vegetable oil after use in restaurants. The properties of vegetable oil are similar to diesel fuel except for higher viscosity and lower oxidative stability. The viscosity of vegetable oil needs to be lowered to allow optimal fuel usage and preserve engine life (Matsuzaki 2004).
6.3 Biogas

8 WIND POWERING OPTIONS 8.1 Skysails

Biogas is a mixture of CH4 and CO2. Biogas is produced from bacterial digestion of biomass e.g. sewage sludge, animal wastes and industrial efuents in the absence of air between 10-72OC. Biogas has huge potential for producing power in future. Sweden has been using biogas in urban buses since 2004. Sweden is also exploring biogas for large scale applications such as centralized heat and power systems (Bengtsson et al 2011, Chen 1991).
7 SOLAR POWER

SkySails system consists of a large foil kite, an electronic control system for the kite and an automatic system to retract the kite. The system has been tested extensively in Baltic Sea before commercial implementation. The SkySails system can provide fuel savings of 10 to 35% subject to wind conditions. The SkySails system provides 50% fuels savings in optimal wind conditions. The SkySails-System can be installed on both new and existing ships without extensive modifications (Schlaak et al 2009, Brabeck 2007).
Figu

Solar cells consist of light absorbing materials. Solar cells absorb light and induce photogeneration of electrons and holes as charge carriers. These charge carriers are attracted to respective conductive contact to produce electric power. This conversion of light energy to electric energy is called photovoltaic effect (Green 2002). Solar power technology has been applied in variety of marine applications. The extent of powering requirements met by solar power depends on the technical design, number of solar cells carried, operational environment and operational cycle. A private yacht used on weekends may fulfill all of its powering requirements from solar cells whereas a commercial vessel with daily operations can only partially fulfill its powering requirements from solar cells. Approximately 150 solar powered passenger ships are currently in use in Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and the UK. In addition, solar power is being employed on small boats to hybrid power ferries. Australian Solar Sailor had significant success with 600 passenger hybrid ferries and reported 50 % fuel saving at the cost of 20 % higher design and construction investment (Josten & Isensee 1998, Glykas 2010).

re 7. SkySails system MS Beluga SkySails

Figure 8. Flettner Rotors on Marine Vessels 8.2 Flettner Rotors

Flettner Rotors, named after Anton Flettner, employ the Magnus effect. Flettner Rotors consist of vertical rotors installed on the deck of ship. These rotors convert wind energy to thrust to push the ship in forward direction (Mittal & Kumar 2003, Padrino & Joseph 2006, Kenneth & Morisseau 1985). ENERCON GmbH is deploying Flettner rotors to its energy efficient ship on large scale.
8.3 Wing-Sails

Wing-Sails consist of sails which employ aerofoil effect to create lift in desired direction. Modern wing-sails prompt significantly fuel savings. Wing-Sails are deployed along with engines when wind is available (Clayton 1987, Murata et al 1982, Walker 1985).
Figure 6: Solar Powered Marine Vessels

industry. LNG, electric propulsion, MDO and bio fuels can be implemented on ships right away. Fuel cell and battery electric propulsion are expected to be practical for hybrid ship powering in near future. Solar, wind and wave power need time to mature to be economic and practical on large scale. The future of utilization of nuclear power on commercial ships is in the hand of regulators and defense agencies.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Figure 9. Wing-Sails System 9 WAVE POWER

The research is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51079032) and Excellent Youth Foundation of Heilongjiang Province of China.
REFERENCES

Wave power systems are based on the principle of exploiting wave energy or motion of ship hull. Devices such as gyroscope-based internal systems, wave foils, stern flaps and systems designed to use relative movement between multiple hulls are few examples of wave power systems. However, ship integrated wave power systems involve high technical complexity, high cost, limited increase in efficiency and limited by minimal exploration of these systems. These systems are an alternate powering option in long term (Ageev 2002).
10 STRATEGIES FOR POWERING RESOURCES MANAGEMENT TO LOWER EMISSIONS IN FUTURE

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The powering industry is working to develop a consensus on strategies for powering resources management to lower emissions in future. The principles are to start integrating LNG to immediately control GHG emissions, followed by biofuels and then completely shift to clean renewable energy in long term. Wallenius Marines roadmap for future powering resources, based on same principles, is shown in Figure 10 (Williams 2010).

Figure 10. Wallenius Marines Roadmap for Future Powering Resources 11 CONCLUSIONS

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