A framework to ensure safe and sustainable shipping operations was developed providing a comprehensive overview of current challenges, key regulatory aspects and crucial considerations for achieving safe and sustainable operations. As a main component of the framework, a ship model was built combining various computational methods, surrogates, and evaluation techniques to optimize retrofit solutions. In order to feed the ship model and its components, a common repository is under construction gathering data of the different technologies and making them usable by the web-based catalogue. The various models for the ship component and systems will be used by the synthesis providing both the long term and short term optimization that are achieved by using multi-fidelity approximation methods using additive correction and stochastic radial basis functions. An efficient method was also developed to reduce the design space. The ship model accounts for all solutions developed in the project within a life cycle perspective.
The development of web-based platform has started: it is intended to provide a guidance on energy efficiency technologies and solutions, industry standards, regulatory approvals, and best practices. Users will be able to customize retrofitting strategies while minimizing commercial risk, simulating investment scenarios and measuring the performance of ships and fleets.
Hydrodynamic optimization studies for the ship’s propeller and hull were conducted starting from the real data of two use cases. The effects of operational parameters such as trim, draught and speed were investigated and the optimal trim in different loading conditions has been determined. Furthermore, preliminary analyses of the WASP systems were conducted to investigate the contribution to the thrust and the effects of the heel and yaw on the hydrodynamic performances. Similarly, a configuration to evaluate the effects of the interaction of the bubble carpet released by ALS with the propeller was designed.
A tool the monitoring of the condition of hull and propeller fouling was developed based on data-driven models using Machine Learning algorithms which can provide the estimate of the daily fuel cost due to the fouling accumulated since the last cleaning. The ship used as test case was modeled in the weather routing tools to predict the shaft power and the main engine fuel consumption. In the definition of the optimal route, safety criteria were taken into account, targeting the slamming, the deck wetness and the propeller immersion. The weather routing tool was further expanded to account for the WASP and ALS.
A scale model of the collapsible sail into a ISO container was built allowing to test the functionality of all systems. The model includes power, actuators and control systems for a fully automated solution. Models providing the lift and drag for different configurations of the sail and different wind and ship speed were produced which will be the basis for the operation of the sail. A risk assessment and systematic analysis for WASP solution was conducted together with a detailed Hazard Identification Study (HAZID). The study for the Approval in Principle confirmed that the system meets all required safety and functional criteria, with considerations for installation, operation, and maintenance on various vessel types. The impact of the system on ship safety, stability, fire protection, and automation requirements was also assessed.
The internal layout and piping of the ALS was defined. The effectiveness of the ALS was assessed via numerical simulations and an optimization study to locate the injectors on the hull bottom was done. The internal shape of the injectors was designed and the injectors for the two ship types were built. Towing tank tests of the two ship hulls were carried out to retrieve the baseline resistance. A microbubble generation system was designed and built and will be used to tune the air-water mixture to be injected beneath the hull in the towing tank tests.
Based on the ship data available, the most promising technologies for improving the efficiency of the electrical systems on board were analysed: generator sets, shaft generator systems, Cold ironing, Power conversion systems, Photovoltaic panels, Direct current integration, Waste heat recovery, Fuel cells and Batteries. Within this context, a survey study was carried out by analysing two specific electrification retrofitting solutions. Shipboard PV generators and application of shaft generator/motor (PTO/PTI) solutions are considered. For both two retrofitting measures the most relevant technical features, the target ship applications, and the open challenges were identified.
Sea trial protocols for the WASP systems identified three critical phases: i) Pre-sailing checks to ensure that all components are correctly installed and operational, with a focus on safety and reliability; ii) Ship manoeuvrability assessment to evaluate ship handling with the WASP operating system under different conditions; and iii) Functionality and savings tests to assess the performance and fuel-saving potential of the WASP system through multiple sea trial runs. The proposed methodology includes multiple runs, each one made of two legs in opposing directions, each one divided into two parts, one part with the WASP activated and one with the WASP deactivated. A data-driven model based on the sea trials and high-frequency datasets is under development and will integrate the ship model in the synthesis and in the weather routing tool.
