NEWS
BRIEFS Best practice
In a move to support the commitment of The Nautical Institute’s work to promote professionalism, best practice and safety throughout the maritime industry, Ocean Technologies Group has agreed to be the Institute’s first Sapphire Affiliate member.
Operational team
V.Group is strengthening its leadership team with the appointment of Ulla Eithz Nielsen as Managing Director for V.Ships Germany. Based in Hamburg, Ulla joined V.Group in 2019 and previously held the role of Chief Operating Officer of Operational Excellence.
Oslo listing
Swire Pacific Offshore has announced its intention to list Swire Blue Ocean on the Oslo Stock Exchange. In connection with the listing, Swire Blue Ocean will undergo a full rebranding, and future operations will be executed under a new name: Cadeler.
Agent engine
Yanmar Europe BV has signed an agreement with the Danish independent service provider VMS Group A/S as a new service agent for engines and spares. VMS Group will service the medium and high speed commercial marine diesel engines.
Warsash
Seafarer, academic and keen sailor, Lars Lippuner, has been announced as Director of the UK’s Solent University Warsash Maritime School. Lars joined Solent University’s Warsash Maritime Academy in 2012. He went on to lead the overall commercial operations for the University’s Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering in 2017.
4 | OCTOBER 2020
IRON, YES IRON! AS A FUTURE FUEL A team of Dutch students is working on a project to develop a green energy system that will use iron powder as the basic fuel to generate steam with the aim of creating a propulsion system using recyclable fuels writes Dag Pike. Burning iron seems a most unlikely phenomenon but it is the form of iron that is used that makes it combustible. The students are using iron powder which is iron in a very fine form comparable to finely sifted flour. In the system being developed in Holland, the initial ignition of the iron powder is started by using a propane igniter but once the powder has been ignited it burns in a self-sustaining way at a temperature of around 850°C. WATER INTO STEAM The flame from the burning iron powder can then be used in a boiler to turn water into steam and that steam can then be used to drive a turbine for direct power or to drive a generator for electrical power with no emissions. At the end of the process oxygen from the air has been added to the iron powder to form an iron oxide which is basically rust. It is then possible to convert that rust back to iron powder with the use of
8 A diagram of the iron combustion cycle
hydrogen which would combine with the oxygen to form water. Used in this way the iron powder becomes fully recyclable meaning that the iron powder burner is an energy storage system, taking energy in and producing energy outwards and more effective than say batteries or other current systems as a means of storing electricity. BURNING PROCESS Because the conversion back to iron powder can be carried out away from the burning process this burning of iron powder can be particularly suitable for transport and the next step for the students
is to develop a system that could work for boat propulsion. In a boat system the iron powder would be loaded as the ‘fuel’ for the ship. It would be burned to create the steam with this steam then being used in a conventional way to drive a reciprocating engine or a turbine either with direct propulsion or via an electrical system. The waste product from the combustion, the rust, would then be off-loaded in port and fresh ‘fuel’ in the form of iron power loaded on board more or less like conventional refuelling leaving the ship emitting no harmful emissions.
€10M OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY PER WIND TURBINE Wind energy provides 300,000 jobs in Europe and contributes €37bn to EU GDP every year according to WindEurope’s new report: ‘Wind Energy and economic recovery in Europe - How wind energy will put communities at the heart of the European recovery”. Investing in wind energy will help Europe’s recovery says the 400 member industry group. Each new turbine installed in Europe generates on average €10m of economic activity. This is spread across the 248 factories in Europe that
produce turbines and components - and all involved in planning, construction, logistics and R&D. Expanding wind energy will also help Europe strengthen
its global leadership in wind. Five of the world’s top ten turbine manufacturers are European and collectively they have a 42% global market share.
For the latest news and analysis go to www.maritimejournal.com/news101
