Next generation short-sea ship dual-fuel engine and propulsion retrofit technologies

Project Information

SeaTech

Grant agreement ID: 857840

DOI 10.3030/857840

Closed project

EC signature date 4 May 2020

Start date 1 June 2020

End date 30 November 2023

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost € 6 478 472,25

EU contribution € 4 999 243,00

Coordinated by

WARTSILA NETHERLANDS BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SeaTech (Next generation short-sea ship dual-fuel engine and propulsion retrofit technologies)

Reporting period: 2020-06-01 to 2021-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The SeaTech consortium is proposing to develop two symbiotic ship engine and propulsion innovations, that when combined, lead to an increase of 30% in fuel efficiency and radical emission reductions of 99% for NOx, 99% for SOx, 46% for CO2 and 94% for particulate matter.

The innovations will be characterized by high retrofitability, maintainability and offer ship owners a return-on-investment of 400% due to fuel and operational cost savings. The proposed renewable-energy-based propulsion innovation is the bio-mimetic dynamic wing mounted at the ship bow to augment ship propulsion in moderate and higher sea states, capturing wave energy, producing extra thrust and damping ship motions. The proposed power generation innovation is based on the idea of achieving ultra-high energy conversion efficiency by precisely controlling the auto-ignition of the fuel mixture at every operating point of the engine for achieving radically reduced emissions.

The ultimate objective of the project is to upscale both technologies, demonstrate them in relevant environment and finally model the expected complementarities and synergy effects of deploying both innovations on a short-sea vessel scenario by extrapolating demonstration data with the help of a bespoke Advanced Data Analytics Framework.

Main objectives are:
1) Develop the full-scale engine innovation and validate relevant environmental performance in reducing NOx, SOx, PM and CO2
2) Develop the dynamic wing innovation and validate fuel savings potential, including feasibility of the retractable design
3) Conduct life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and operational and reliability requirements of the engine innovation
4) Conduct the LCCA, assess reliability and maintainability of the dynamic wing in variety of operational conditions
5) Build a bespoke Advanced Data Analytics Framework (ADAF) to integrate and process various data types from the wing/engine innovations and industrial processes, ultimately allowing for mathematical modelling of the combined performance of both innovations in the next step
6) Demonstrate the technical, economic and environmental synergies of the engine and dynamic wing innovation in a short-sea scenario from a lifecycle perspective
7) Disseminate the project outcomes and facilitate take-up by key stakeholders.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project showed good progress during the 1st reporting period, delivering as planned.

The engine innovation activities ran according to schedule, completing component design & manufacturing plus testing on time. Preparations for the demonstrator are underway.
Activities on the bio-mimetic wing also progressed largely on schedule, with one covid-19 related delay on towing tank activities at partner UoS. Numerous towing tank measurements have been completed and analyzed and the construction of a large scale model for demonstration at sea is underway. Multiple publications about the work have been drafted, accepted and published.
Progress on the advanced analytics data framework has also been good, with the lifecycle analysis part of the framework already in place and initial baseline calculations made.
The demonstration work package has not yet kicked off
Dissemination activities have started and will be intensified during the second reporting period as more results become available.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Progress beyond the state of the art was shown mostly in the work packages developing the two key technologies; the engine innovation aimed at ultra-low emissions and also the bio-mimetic wing development. Details of the latter are included in publications stemming from the project.

Expected results at the end of the project include the engine innovation demonstrated to work well at radically reducing part-load engine emissions and lower part-load energy consumption. For the bio-mimetic wing, the aim is to have the technology demonstrated at sea and to have a clear view of the conceptual design for a possible full-scale system. Using the ADAF, we will show the viability of both innovations combined, including their financial impact on shipowners' operations.

If succesfull, the SeaTech project envisages to commercialize both symbiotic innovations in the European and Asian short-sea market, followed by the adjacent deep-sea market. Assuming only 10% of EU short-sea vessels would be retrofitted with SeaTech, this would result in CO2 savings of 32.5 million tons annually, which equals the emissions of 200.000 passenger cars/year. Further impact includes savings of EUR 85.2 billion in health and climate change damages due to lower emissions, the creation of +100 jobs at the project partners with a cumulative net profit of EUR 820 million in the first 5 years post-commercialisation, and the indirect creation of 250 new jobs in the EU shipyard industry.

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