The Motorship July 2020

JULY 2020

Vol. 101 Issue 1183

WinGD iCER

Slashes CH4 slip

BWTS feature

Market developments

MS100 GTT:

Julien Bec interview

MTU 16V pure gas

Doeksen ferry reference

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Thrusters and propulsors | EEXI and ferries | Voith eVSP | WinGD Volkmar Galke interview

CONTENTS

JULY 2020

8

4

NEWS 24 EU ETS looms

The prospect of the EU’s emissions trading scheme being extended to cover shipping moved closer in July, a move that many in shipping fear will lead to a series of regional regulations.

13 Brunvoll extends range

Thruster maker Brunvoll has launched a new range of dedicated main propulsion azimuthing thruster units consists of both pulling units with open propellers and ducted units. The company has already delivered several of both types.

20 Not so blissful ignorance

Håkan Persson, Manager Business Development & Marketing, PureBallast warns many customers remains unaware of the upcoming introduction of revised G-8 requirements (BWMS Code), with potentially serious commercial implications.

10 REGULARS 8 Leader Briefing

Volkmar Galke, WinGD’s Global Director of Sales, discusses demand for iCER-ready designs, the market outlook and preparations to meet the market’s demand for fuels after 2030.

10 Ship Design

If the IMO adopts the EEXI approach, the new rules will have a particular impact on the ferry sector, Kari Reinikainen hears.

38 Ship Description

Online motorship.com 5 Latest news 5 Comment & analysis 5 Industry database 5 Events

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25

FEATURES

Two new Japanese long-distance ro-pax ferries offer upgraded design and improved performance, and a first reference in Japan’s ferry market for Wärtsilä’s W31 engine.

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For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

16 Gearless wonder

Dirk Juergens, Voith’s vice president of marine R&D, discusses the challenges of applying a PM motor to its iconic VSP propulsor, and the solution’s efficiency advantages across the load range.

22 Less slip, more power

The first technology unveiled as ‘supporting act’ for WinGD’s recently released X-DF 2.0 platform promises to open up the engine’s operating window, writes Stevie Knight.

25 Making a statement

When Dutch ferry operator Doeksen sent the first of two new ferries, Willem Barentsz to sea on 1 July, it also marked the first reference for MTU’s pure gas 16-cylinder Series 4000 engines.

26 Entry ignition combustion

We’re used to engines which pretty much explode the gases inside the chamber: however, there is a way to avoid it, writes Stevie Knight.

38 MS100 – GTT

As part of our series of articles celebrating The Motorship’s centenary, we feature an interview with Julien Bec, Vice President, LNG as Fuel division at Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT).

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JULY 2020 | 3

NEWS REVIEW

EUROPEAN ETS FOR SHIPPING MOVES ONE STEP CLOSER

VIEWPOINT NICK EDSTROM | Editor nedstrom@motorship.com

Chronicle of a tax foretold The proposed extension of the European Union’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) to encompass shipping within the 27-member trading bloc has been debated before, and it is unclear whether the latest proposals will receive approval from the European Parliament in September.

We covered the initial response of the industry to the European Parliament decision in early July, which naturally focused on the effect that the proposal would have on IMO-level discussions.

However, there is a feeling that “this time is different” among observers of EU-level negotiations. The European Commission is understood to be close to announcing a separate proposal for the extension of the ETS before the last quarter of 2020.

More widely speaking, the balance of interests among member states, and particularly among the EU’s largest economies and net contributors have changed. Leaving aside the loss of the UK’s restraining influence on EU regulatory ambitions, a number of northern European countries are increasingly identifying the Energy Transition as an important national economic prize. Germany’s hydrogen strategy was an important development.

Meanwhile, the EU under Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has launched its own far-reaching agenda, the Green Deal, which will also affect shipping in the region. Offshore wind farm operators’ desire for zero-emissions OSVs is driving innovation in vessel design, as we touch on in our interview with Dirk Juergens, Voith’s vice president of marine R&D in this issue.

Elsewhere, we feature an interview with MTU’s project manager, Peter Kunz, as part of a two-page focus around the entry into service of MTU’s new 16V pure gas engines.

Having covered an earlier version of the ETS from the perspective of the European steel industry, the announcement of permit allocations was a closely followed event. A common complaint by highly efficient Austrian and German steelmakers was that by rewarding improvements from a baseline, the scheme perversely penalised them for preceding investments, compared with less efficient facilities located in newer accession members. While the scheme has evolved since then, and will change again before 2023, it demonstrates how some officials in DG Environment believed that tighter regulation could encourage improved and innovative technology to be brought to market.

Leaving aside the politics within Brussels’ Ring, the ETS scheme will introduce additional layers of complexity for ship owners and operators. The proposed extension of the scope of the ETS to encompass methane emissions will also increase focus on methane slip, regardless of the final CH4/CO2 conversion factor.

Methane slip reduction is an area of focus for engine designers.

WinGD launched its new methane emissions reduction technology, iCER, in June. We feature an interview with Dominik Schneiter of WinGD, in which he describes the solution, which will lower CH4 emissions from its X-DF engines by around 50%, and also offers fuel efficiency benefits.

Elsewhere in the issue, we cover a recent study on the possibilities offered by organic rankine cycle waste cold recovery for LNG-fuelled vessels.

4 | JULY 2020

The European Parliament’s Environment Committee has given the go-ahead today for shipping to be included in the trading bloc’s emissions trading scheme, a move that many in shipping fear will lead to a series of regional regulations and potential disruption to the global supply chain.

Following the Environment Committee’s decision, members of the European Parliament will vote on the issue at a plenary session in September.

Observers cite the development as another example of European regulators interfering in a global transport business which requires universal regulations, not local ones. The Environment Committee’s approval for the plan effectively undermines the 174-nation IMO, which has its own monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system in place requiring ships of more than 5,000 gross tons to operate a Fuel Oil Data Collection System reporting data to a central IMO database.

Shipping sources point out that unlike power plants or steel mills, ships are constantly moving in widely varying conditions. Tracking emissions is a dynamic process that poses a complex challenge.

Harald Solberg, Norwegian Shipowners’ Association CEO, summed up the industry’s position: “We are following the issue closely, but our position is that we are opposed. The EU is not the only global superpower and regional initiatives like this could pave the way for a patchwork of regulations and emission trading schemes,” he

8 The EU emissions trading scheme was initially focused on heavy industry and power generation but has recently been expanded to cover aviation within the EEA

said. “We also have practical concerns about how such a scheme would work. The IMO has to be the regulating body for international shipping to ensure a consistent framework that works to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases.”

Lars Robert Pedersen, Deputy Secretary General of BIMCO, commented: “The European Green Deal appears to suggest that the EU emissions trading scheme should be used as a funding mechanism towards the wider EU budget. That may be the reason for the accelerated pace of introducing shipping into the EU scheme and setting unrealistic targets for the IMO.” It is worth noting that the shipping industry would be included in an upcoming Phase 4 of the ETS scheme, which will enter effect in 2021. The fourth phase will feature an accelerated tapering scheme (of over 2% per year), while ending the previous permit allocation system.

Wider practical concerns about the scheme concern carbon leakage and geographical applicability. The risk of carbon leakage is thought to be a particular issue in shipping where assets (and company headquarters) move. And if trading in the European Economic Area becomes onerous, it is possible that some shipowners and their customers will seek other options to minimise their exposure.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

NEWS REVIEW Heat exchanger specialist Kelvion has launched a new compact heat exchanger that integrates its double tube safety technology.

The ComFinSafety solution is designed for applications that require high safety levels and where the media properties are significantly different, such as oil cooling by water.

The solution is expected to lead to reduce the footprint of Kelvion components in enginemounted shell and tube heat exchangers, for example. In addition to the improvement in compactness, the new solution extends Kelvion’s double tube safety heat exchange portfolio in terms of operating costs, while efficiency is improved thanks to enlarged surface through fins.

The product is available in both standardized and customized coolers in the product lines Shell & Tube Double Safety and

KELVION LAUNCHES COMPACT HEAT EXCHANGER PRODUCT

After closing a deal on 30 June to buy Caterpillar Propulsion AB and re-establish Berg Propulsion, the company announced plans to consolidate its manufacturing in Sweden.

The plans, announced by CEO Stefan Sedersten (right), will make its manufacturing and R&D departments neighbours.

At present, its products are made both in Sweden and Singapore and Mr Sedersten said in a statement issued on 6 July that the move will enable increased warehouse capacity for spare parts and swing units. The move is due to be completed this

BERG PROPULSION REORGANISES AFTER CATERPILLAR PURCHASE

BRIEFS Ice-breaking vessel

Shipyard Royal Niestern Sander is building the world’s first shallow draft ice-breaking walk-to-work vessel for operation off the east coast of Sakhalin Island. Pon Power is providing a diesel-electric propulsion package including two Cat® 3516C (2350kW) engines, two Cat C32 (994kW) engines and a Cat C9.3 (275kW) generator set.

The hull design is based on proven Wagenborg icebreaking technology.

6 | JULY 2020

Transformer Cooling Systems (Transformer Oil Water Coolers).

ComFinSafety ensures reliable separation of media allowing no contamination of both neither the cooling water nor the oil in the system.

The tube system consists of

8 Kelvion’s new more compact ComFinSafety heat exchanger

copper outer tubes and inner tubes which can be manufactured from CuNi alloys or stainless steel, with an optional inside coating.

Between inner and outer tube there are leakage channels,

connected to a leakage detection system which triggers an alarm in the case of leakage. In such a case, one of the tubes would be damaged - the other tube would continue working. The compact fins are made of aluminium or copper. Fin pitches are available in variable configurations. Tube bundles come in diameters of 100 - 600 mm and lengths of 250 3,600 mm. The heat exchangers are designed for a pressure of up to 60 bar g and temperatures between -10°C and 200°C. Water, sea water, oil, refrigerants or air can be used as media.

Aside from the marine market, the product’s end-user markets include energy, power grids, transportation, heavy industry and HVAC.

year with further investment in assembly and warehouse capacity taking place at the same time so as to be ready by the beginning of 2021.

Berg Propulsion’s senior managers see this warehousing as a significant benefit, as its after sales director Joel Edman made clear in the same statement. “This investment enables us to further increase our service levels and speed to market with aftermarket support being at the very heart of our strategy,” he said. Its CFO, Jon Töyrä, said the strategy will enable

the company to invest in a way that reflects “the synergies of the widespread parts commonality between our products.”

As The Motorship reported, ported, the purchase covers Caterpillar pillar Propulsion AB and its subsidiaries, including Caterpillar Propulsion ropulsion Production AB, Caterpillar llar Propulsion Pte Ltd, its subsidiary Caterpillar Propulsion International Trading (Shanghai) Shanghai) Co. Ltd and its Dubai branch. ranch.

The deal covers products ducts such as controllable pitch propellers, ropellers, azimuthing and transverse erse

thrusters and associated control systems. It re-establishes Berg Propulsion, which was taken over

by Caterpillar in 2013.

Auto FLUME trial

Wärtsilä 2-stroke PM

Alfa Laval eyes Neles

Hoppe Marine has developed a fully automatic version of its FLUME roll damping tank. The first installation will be fitted on a 15,000 TEU CMA CGM container ship, which is under construction

by Shanghai Jiangnan Changxing Shipbuilding. The open channel box type roll damping tank’s level will be automatically adjusted to the current loading condition of the vessel via a data connection with the loading computer.

This reduces crew supervision requirements, the company said.

Wärtsilä is extending the scope of its digital predictive maintenance product, Expert Insight, to cover 2-stroke engines. Expert Insight was launched for 4-stroke coverage in November 2019. The solution is available for Wärtsilä RT-flex type two-stroke diesel engines, but is also compatible with more recent WinGD two-stroke engine types, and covered diesel and LNG fuel types.

Alfa Laval is making a cash offer for all issued and outstanding shares in valve manufacturing specialist, Neles. Neles is a global leader in flow control solutions and services and Alfa Laval has identified the industrial flow control market as a key growth area. The transaction will enable Alfa Laval to strengthen its presence in the large industrial flow control space where the company currently offers mainly energy efficiency solutions.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

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LEADER BRIEFING

DESIGNING SOLUTIONS TO MEET DEMAND AFTER 2030 The company has recently announced a significant evolution in its dual-fuel engine programme, and will be introducing an exhaust gas recycling solution (iCER) later this year. [We feature an interview with Dominik Schneiter on the iCER elsewhere in this issue].

The introduction of iCER into WinGD’s dual-fuel portfolio would have a transformational effect. “As the first stage in our X-DF2.0 concept, it will enable further efficiency and environmental footprint improvement,” Galke said.

The development has provoked a strong response, attracting interest from shipyards as well as existing customers. For ship owners who want to amend newbuilding engine room designs to allow for subsequent retrofit of the iCER, WinGD can already offer flow data, dimensions and product data on a case by case basis to customers. “We have already had some ship owners request iCER-ready designs,” Galke noted.

Meanwhile, WinGD planned to launch an iCER retrofit solution within the next 12 months for existing X-DF engines to ensure existing customers could benefit from the improved fuel consumption and reduced methane slip offered by the solution.

Zero carbon is coming Speaking shortly before a European Parliament committee voted to submit plans for the extension of the Emissions Trading Scheme to a vote in September, Galke touched on the subject of environmental regulations briefly. Future environmental regulation remains a key subject for ship owners to factor into investment decisions. “Zero carbon is coming,” Galke warned.

But Galke had a reassuring message for owners concerned about the likely fuel mix propelling the fleet after 2030. “We don’t know what the fuel mix will be, but WinGD will have solutions ready for whatever fuel or fuels the market decides upon,” Galke said, adding he could see the X engine platform continuing to meet demand for liquid fuels after 2030.

This approach was informing the company’s crowded research and development agenda. “We are looking at digitalisation and X-fuels and are also actively carrying out research into a number of liquid alternative fuels.” Concrete examples of such research projects include volatile organic compounds, biofuels and LBG. Even after WinGD launches its second Winterthur-based test engine (a single-cylinder version), accompanied by two additional full-scale test engines in China, research objectives will have to remain focused.

Galke also touched on the company’s work on system hybridisation and for energy efficiency optimisation. Another area of interest are developments for increasing the level of autonomy of engine rooms equipped with WinGD products.

Leaving aside their potential applicability for autonomous vessel research, this would ease the ship’s operations both technically and commercially. “We have remote engine monitoring and advisory solutions with WiDE along with state-of-the-art training for the crew,” Galke said simply.

8 | JULY 2020

Image: WinGD

While LNG remains the best near-term choice as a transition fuel, work to meet market demand after 2030 is accelerating, Volkmar Galke, WinGD’s Global Director of Sales, tells The Motorship

8 Increasing engine room autonomy offers technical and commercial advantages for ship owners, according to Volkmar Galke, WinGD’s Global Director of Sales

LNG market Turning back to the present, Galke noted WinGD retained a near 60% market share of dual-fuel engine orders in 2019.

The engine designer has over 60 X-DF engines in service clocking over 550,000 operating hours. “We have booked over 320 orders as of today,” Galke added.

With the delivery and successful type approval test of the 12X92DF order represented a technical milestone, the extension of the company’s dual-fuel portfolio to the full range of engine sizes in 2019 was a commercial one. The company has now secured orders from five vessel segments for its dual-fuel engines.

“We secured our first orders for our X82DF-1.0 engine for VLCCs, which was a significant step for us,” Galke said.

Elsewhere in the tanker market, the pace of orders for dualfuel engines from the Aframax segment has continued.

Interest in shuttle tankers using LNG and volatile organic compounds (VOC) as fuel is also increasing, propelled by potential LNG consumption reductions of by up to 20%.

Other segments were also looking closely at LNG as a fuel, although fuel prices remained a factor. “One of the barriers to increased penetration in new markets is the slow development of LNG bunker price transparency,” Galke said.

Taking a wider perspective, Galke noted that while the number of vessel types using LNG as a fuel was growing, and bunker supply was continuing to expand, the wider market cooled towards the end of 2019, with a number of orders for LNG carriers postponed.

WinGD has plans to introduce further stages of their X-DF2.0 concept which will include variable compression ratio technology.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

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SHIP DESIGN

APPROACH POSES CHALLENGES FOR FERRY SEGMENT

Image: ForSea Ferries, Photographer/Anders Ebefeldt

If the IMO adopts the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) approach, the new rules will have a particular impact on the ferry sector, Kari Reinikainen hears

The IMO will choose the way ahead from four basic options at its meeting in the autumn. The first one involves speed restrictions of ships, the second one limitations on engine power, the third one focuses on energy efficiency of operations and the final one on basically extending the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) to existing ships.

“This now seems like the option most likely to be approved, although its implementation will involve a number of challenges,” Marttinen told The Motorship and referring to the final option.

The basis challenge is that EEDI is designed to work best on ships where the weight of the cargo is the most important limiting factor, such as tankers and dry bulk carriers. However, it is less well suited for passenger and roro vessels - in the last named, the volume of cargo being the key limiting factor.

The forthcoming EEXI legislation is likely lead to a need to technically upgrade the ships involved in 2022-23 so that the ships will meet the requirements of the IMO, said Vesa Marttinen from MarineCycles, a new Finnish consultancy company.

Technology retrofit wave likely to follow “EEXI is scheduled to take effect in 2023, so some kind of wave of technology retrofits is likely to take place in 2022-23,” Marttinen continued. This would involve ways to reduce resistance, including the location of the propulsor; how to increase the efficiency of the power plant and that of other users of power on board, from cranes and pumps to various aspects of the hotel department on cruise ships and ferries.

“These could include ways to reuse waste energy or to use the shaft to provide power for other users etc.,” he said.

The three ways maritime has reduced its environmental

10 | JULY 2020

8 A narrowly restrictive EEXI approach would risk penalising early adopters, such as ForSeas’ battery-powered Aurora (pictured in Helsingborg)

footprint so far have been use of data to improve operations, use of operational learning to improve new buildings and new technology for the vessels. All these three options that are on the table will be needed for the shipping industry to meet the IMO’s goals to cut green house gas emissions by half by 2050 from the levels of 2050.

From an investment payback time, changing operations would offer the best option, but this would require broader changes to the contract infrastructure and other business models of shipping. “A vessel will have to arrive at a port as stipulated by the charter party, irrespective whether or not a berth is available for it to load or discharge,” Marttinen explained.

Slower speeds would require more vessels to perform the same transport work. Here the focus should be not only on the emissions from operations but the environmental effect from building all the additional tonnage.

“This is a very serious matter. If the shipping industry fails to meet its environmental challenges, its image in the face of the public may suffer very irrevocably. It will be harder for the industry to employ talented young people and a failure would encourage moving production closer to consumption.

Globalisation of raw materials, production and consumers is the force that powers shipping,” Marttinen concluded.

Questionable if shipping has funds to invest in upgrades Among the EEXI options on the table, the IMO is likely to choose the one that resembles EEDI, although other ones also remain in discussion, agreed Esa Jokioinen Director of Sales & Marketing at Deltamarin, the Finnish consultant naval architects.

In the EEDI-based option, a reference line of emission intensity would be calculated for each ship type - grammes of

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

SHIP DESIGN CO2, divided by deadweight tonnage and multiplied by nautical miles traveled. “This reference lines would then be tightened over time and if a vessel does not meet the new requirement, its engine output will have to be limited, the fuel it uses changed, its efficiency improved by e.g. the installation of energy saving devises and if none of these work, the ship would have to be scrapped,” he told The Motorship.

The situation now resembles that a decade ago, when EEDI was under discussion. A key challenge is that there is no good and simple solution suitable for everyone, Jokioinen said.

The financial position of the shipping industry poses a dilemma in its own right. On one hand, owners of cargo vessels - passenger ships are an entirely different matter - are unwilling to make significant investments in tonnage more than 10 years old, while on the other, significant improvements in the fuel efficiency of large numbers of existing vessels would be required for the measures to significantly reduce emissions.

Owners are already struggling with a sharply reduced world trade as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the aftermath of the IMO 2020 emission control rules and uncertain prospects for the recovery of the global economy. It is questionable if the shipping industry has the financial resources to make the necessary investments in upgrading existing tonnage or to order newbuildings to replace inefficient tonnage in the next few years.

Jokioinen said that he is monitoring closely the cooperation of lenders to shipping under the Poseidon Principles banner and e.g. green house gas emissions ratings developed by RightShip.

“I believe that they will come to a wide use at a shorter timeframe and steer owners to the same direction as EEXI for existing ships and for new investment. At the end of the day, this is steering shipping in the right direction - although not in the one that is the easiest from a financial point of view. Old, inefficient tonnage will have to be removed from service and replaced by more efficient vessels and gradually the industry needs to move to more CO2 emission friendly friends,” Jokioinen pointed out.

Although the IMO is promoting an important and just cause with EEXI, Jokioinen said that the proposals underestimate the technical and financial challenges that arise from its objectives. “Ultimately, this will be a political decision and not a rational one,” he noted.

Assuming that the IMO will come to the same conclusion, a door remains open for a way out: emissions trading. In his previous job, Jokioinen followed developments in the aviation industry. It was soon discovered that cutting emissions by the ways, which are now on the table in shipping would not succeed, emissions trading emerged as the most viable solution to move things forward. This could be the case in shipping as well. The European Parliament ent is due to debate precisely such a proposal in September.

EEXI approach would not reward the company’s achievement in any way.

“The IMO is typically sceptical of allowing operational measures to demonstrate compliance as they are more difficult to verify than design arrangements,” Roos said.

However, as most ferries only operate between two ports, operational requirements should not really pose a problem as they can be continuously monitored by flag state, port state and class.

Reducing the engine power or speed of ferries could pose major challenges for operators, because these vessels operate often tight schedules with limited time of turnaround in port. If the crossing took longer in the future, then this could not be compensated for faster turnaround in ports, which could lead to a fall in the frequency of crossings with all its economic implications.

Additionally, all ferries have more engine power than they need to meet their design speed, as a back-up in case something goes wrong. “We will not support any scheme that mandates lowering power on-board, but we are agreeable to operators getting full recognition for any carbon emission saving measure they put in place; be it bio-fuels, batteries, new propellers or lowering their average speed when appropriate,” he told The Motorship.

It would seem that a fluid and pragmatic approach from the IMO rather than a one-size-fits-all one would be much in the interest of the shipping industry. Whether the political will exists to take such an approach is another matter. If not, there is a risk that the ferry industry’s good work towards meeting emission reduction targets might be undermined. This cannot be the aim of the proposed legislation.

Set ship-specific targets for ferries The best way for the ferry industry to reach each emission control targets of the IMO would be to set targets gets specific to each vessel and let the owner to decide how this his should be reached, said Johan Roos Director of Regulatory Affairs at Interferry, the global organisation representing the ferry y industry.

Ferry industry is in the lead to develop and test new solutions to power ships and the adaption of a less fluid approach by the IMO could mean that the incentives to innovate ovate could be wiped out. Roos mentions a ferry service between ween his home city of Helsingborg and Helsingor in Denmark.

Ferries on the 20 minute crossing use batteries for the d at wind farms, which entire trip and the electricity is generated ons Yet the proposed means that the operation has zero emissions

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

8 Vesa Marttinen from MarineCycles

8 Esa Jokioinen Director of Sales & Marketing at Deltamarin

JULY 2020 | 11

THRUSTERS & PROPULSORS

SCHOTTEL PLANS NEW MODELS AND REMOTE MONITORING Higher powered models of Schottel’s retractable rim thruster (SRT-R) are expected to follow the launch in June of an initial model that covers the power range up to 500kW As The Motorship reported on 23 June, the SRT-RT can serve as both a transverse thrusters in its retracted position within the hull or as a directional unit nit offering full 360° thrust in its lowered position. However, its rated power output is less than the he 800kW available from its non-retractable version ersion but Schottel has exclusively told The Motorship that it is focusing on that power range ange as an initial entry into the market. “The technology behind it is scalable and therefore also expandable for other performance ranges,” the company advised.

Due to non-disclosure agreements ments attached to such contracts, Schottel el is not able to publish any details of any contracts tracts it might have for the new version, but confirmed med that this it will open up new markets. Not only y is its design relevant for dynamic positioning applications, lications, but the device “meets all requirements for a quiet, low-weight and space-saving thruster,” ter,” the company said. This makes it suitable ble for craft such as large yachts and “opens ens up greater design freedom for ship designers,” igners,” Schottel’s statement said.

One aspect of the thruster’s design mentioned in our previous report wass that its blades had been designed to be resistant sistant to cavitation and Schottel has since explained that it has many years of experience of using CFD simulations in its hydrodynamic design process but that it does not rely on these exclusively.

For new products such as the SRT and the SRT-R, CFD provides “valuable flow insights in detail, accompanying the model tests.”

These analyses cover a wide range of different applications to assess the risk of cavitation or noise alongside other propeller performance parameters and vessel characteristics, such as its resistance and manoeuvrability.

Alongside Schottel’s SRT-R development work, it has also

been making progress with its EcoPeller, which went into service in 2017. As The Motorship reported then, the EcoPeller uses Sch Schottels High Torque Gear technology, which increased increa drive torque by up to 15% compared with equivalent thruster assemblies.

In April, A we reported the first EcoPeller retrofit, when two tw SRE 340 L CPs were installed on board a ferry owned by Norway-based Torghatten Trafikkselskap.

Trafi These were rated at 750kW each, eac reflecting a move into lower powers from the th original SRE 340 models, which were rated at 1,000+kW. Schottel’s M-series, covering the power range 400-1,000kW, has proved to be successful, s the company told The Motorship, so “the expansion to the smallest thruster types is now also being implemented.” These will be suitable for craft such as small ferries, tourist vessels and yachts, ya its statement said.

It is also developing an intelligent system for f automation and digitalisation, after taking a 50% stake in Blue CTRL in July 2019. That company was formerly an Ulstein subsidiary but is now an independent company owned equally by Ulstein and Schottel. It uses the X-Connect platform that Ulstein had developed from 2011.

In its statement to The Motorship, Schottel said that this will enable the company to offer customers smarter and integrated controls for newbuilds and retrofits and “provide a solid basis for offering hybrid and electric solutions.”

It promised that it will be presenting new developments in the field of automation systems shortly and gave as an example its IoT gateway MariHub. This combines remote monitoring and data acquisition abilities and supports 24/7 onboard surveillance of the propulsion system. This “can significantly improve service and maintenance scheduling,” Schottel said.

8 (Left) The success of Schottel’s M-Series, such as this SRE 210 model, has prompted development of smaller thrusters

8 Schottel’s MariHub will support 24/7 onboard equipment monitoring

12 | JULY 2020

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

THRUSTERS & PROPULSORS

BRUNVOLL PLANS FOR AN AUTONOMOUS FUTURE

Image: Brunvoll

Thruster maker Brunvoll is investing in automation systems while formally launching a range of dedicated main propulsion units, some of which have already been delivered

It is leading a four-year project, Safe Energy-efficient Autonomous Operations of Ships (SEAOPS), along with the Norwegian research organisation Sintef Ocean, class society DNV GL, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a shipowner to develop an autonomous control system.

A pilot installation “will be extensively tested both by advanced simulation tools and by extensive on-board measurements,” a statement issued by Brunvoll in June said.

Its own work on autonomous ship operation is based around advanced vessel simulators to reduce sea trials and it is planning to work on various autonomous systems, including certified DP systems, voyage systems and automated docking systems.

It has taken on a number of staff to work on these projects and has appointed a vice president of autonomy, Frode Bloch, who will join the company from Kongsberg Maritime in October.

Brunvoll’s new range of dedicated main propulsion azimuthing thruster units consists of both pulling units with open propellers and ducted units and it has already delivered several of both types. It describes the pulling thrusters, designated as type PU74 as “highly efficient” with a power range of up to 1,350kW. As mentioned and pictured in The Motorship on 3 July, its type AUP115 ducted thrusters have a power range of up to 3,500kW. In a statement in June announcing these models, Brunvoll stressed that all its thrusters can be delivered with a configuration that prevents oil-based lubricants leaking into the sea. It has also developed an arrangement that allows

8 Knut Andresen has ambitious investment plans for Brunvoll

environmentally-acceptable lubricants to be used for all outer barriers.

It named Knut Andresen, Brunvoll’s EVP of business and product development, who described the company’s development plans and its ambition to be a preferred supplier of complete propulsion and manoeuvring systems, including advanced systems for autonomous operation.

One part of this is its Condition Monitoring System (CMS), which gives shipowners enhanced operational control, early detection of any abnormal incidents and reduced lifecycle costs, the statement said. This service has been included with orders signed since the start of this year, which include more than 30 retractable azimuth thrusters in the upper size in its product range. This gives “a great opportunity to invest more in product development,” Mr Andresen said.

Some of this investment is going into recruiting more R&D staff and continuing a long-term strategy to produce all major components in its own facilities. “This capability is very important for our development work and implementation of new technologies,” he explained.

This service has been included with orders signed since the start of this year, which include more than 30 retractable azimuth thrusters in the upper size in its product range

‘‘

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JULY 2020 | 13

THRUSTERS & PROPULSORS

WÄRTSILÄ TEASES WITH PROMISE OF THRUSTER PLANS Mr Bast would provide any details about the upcoming announcement when The Motorship spoke to him, but he may have given some clues as to what that announcement will not contain.

First, Wärtsilä has been focusing on DP systems for offshore service, particularly for the offshore wind sector, in recent years. With larger vessels operating in deeper waters has come a need for higher-powered thrusters, making use of Wärtsilä’s tilted shaft arrangement, which was introduced in 2011 with an 8° tilt on the shaft and is now applied to both propulsion and retractable thrusters.

It was December 2017 when it launched its WST-24R, the industry’s first tilted steerable thruster with combined electric retraction and steering. Claiming an advantage of about 20% less fuel consumption than for a conventional thruster, it has proved popular with customers and now there are plans to adjust its range of tilted retractable thrusters while withdrawing some of its older units.

This will probably result in fewer models across the portfolio, each one capable of a wider power range made possible by new optimised gears. This project is still in its development phase and does not form part of the announcement later this year, he said.

There are no plans to replace all its thrusters models with tilted shafts, however. For many applications - such as smaller ferries and tugs - there is little benefit from a tilted shaft because they need thrust in just one direction for transit power or bollard pull.

Another area of development that will not be in its announcement is connectivity. Conscious that thrusters could play an important role in future autonomous ship concepts, Wärtsilä is exploring control systems and software that could interface between its thrusters and other networks.

Image: Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä is planning to announce thruster-related developments later in 2020, its product sales manager for thrusters, Vincent Bast, told The Motorship

8 Wärtsilä’s WST-24R thruster, in its retracted and lowered positions

The Motorship readers will recall that Wärtsilä is already involved in autonomous ship research. In March this year we reported successful trials of PSA Polaris, a harbour tug owned

by PSA Marine in Singapore, that has been fitted with a suite of Wärtsilä technology to enable autonomous navigation.

The tug is at the heart of the IntelliTug research project to support the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships initiative. Although that tug does not have Wärtsilä thrusters, the project documentation notes that it is providing a platform to refine Wärtsilä’s sensor fusion algorithms, test new features, study how the tug behaves under manual operation, verify sensor detection capability under different conditions and look for any anomalies and performance issues.

Voith studies remote control as eVSP secures early order A Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) is uniquely suited to autonomous ships, suggested its market communication manager for the EMEA region and its key contact for Voith Turbo Mobility, Philip Bäuerle.

Asked how VSPs can be integrated into an IoT environment and how they can relate to remote monitoring and control systems, Mr Bäuerle told The Motorship that the VSP “is predestined for this”, because its operation is based on X- and Y- coordinates to control thrust direction, giving it a fast reaction time and no reversing forces. These factors “make it the ideal drive for such projects.”

In fact, Voith is currently working on various research projects dealing with remote

14 | JULY 2020

control of tugs or automation of ferries. “We are thus consistently pursuing the path of further networking and autonomisation and the gradual use of artificial intelligence for marine applications,” he said. He made his remarks just a few days after Voith had received an order for eight of its new electric VSP (eVSP) thrusters for four newbuild offshore service vessels on order in two Spanish yards for Edda Wind, the offshore wind segment of Norway’s Østensjø Group.

And that order itself came just weeks after the eVSP itself was announced, as reported

by The Motorship on 17 June.

A statement release by Mr Bäuerle to mark the Østensjø contract reported that

accurate dynamic positioning (DP) and the highest manoeuvring performance were the decisive factors in selecting eVSP propulsion, in particular to serve the offshore wind sector. These abilities are critical because of the harsh environmental conditions, very fast starting and leaving of the wind turbines and the need for safe and quick transfers, the statement said.

8 The newbuilds were by Salt Ship Design, Norway in close cooperation with Østensjø Rederi. One pair will be chartered to Ocean Breeze for 11 years, starting in 1Q 2021 and the other pair are chartered to MHI Vestas for 15 years starting in Q2 2022.

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THRUSTERS & PROPULSORS

MAN ES SCREWS DOWN ON PROPULSION EFFICIENCY And so are diesel engines, which gives any discussion about further efficiency improvements in propulsion technology a broader perspective feel.

There is no doubt that significant savings can still be made, as some of the retrofit case studies on MAN Energy Solutions’ website illustrate: two 8,500TEU container ships cut their engine power by 35% yet maintained speed after fitting MAN ES-supplied Kappel propellers; a fleet of tankers saw a 20% energy saving.

Such gains “sometimes [seem] beyond belief” Mr Ring Nielsen said, when he gives presentations about the company’s propeller options, but “it’s not only the propeller we are me looking at,” he said in an exclusive interview with The Motorship. MAN ES’s philosophy is to “look at the complete propulsion drive train in a holistic fashion where components are viewed in terms of the mutual influence they have on each other,” the container ship case study mentioned above noted as it described other changes, such as a new bulbous bow and a propeller boss cap with fins.

MAN ES itself offers “a catalogue of efficiency improving devices,” he said and he identified the pairing of a Kappel propeller with a rudder bulb as a particular combination that “we know always gives a good result.”

That was certainly the case for the tanker project mentioned above, which involved 19 chemical tankers for Odfjell and, as well as a new propeller, included modifications elsewhere, such as to their engines and PTO gearing to better reflect their operating profile.

One area where there is potential to improve propulsion efficiency is to control the flow into a propeller, and Mr Ring Nielsen spoke of cooperating with a number of design bureaux, naval architects and innovation start-ups that have approached MAN ES for advice on such proposals. These devices “always leads to a better working environment for the propeller,” he said.

As an example, he mentioned the growing number of twin-screw vessels with shafts protruding from the hull that are supported by struts. Even these can be shaped and orientated to improve the inflow to the propellers if it is done early in the design process.

Although propeller efficiency now leaves little room for improvement, there is a new focus for design improvements: underwater radiated noise (URN). Two class societies - DNV GL and Lloyd’s Register - offer notations to recognise designs that have reached certain standards in this area.

This requires balancing vibration and cavitation against efficiency to achieve an optimum propeller but there is a trade-off between those two goals, he said.

This has led to a Version 2.0 of the Kappel propeller. The original design is recognisable for its distinctive blade tips and, to the casual observer, it would be impossible to see the difference between that and a Version 2.0 equivalent. But small changes have reduced cavitation and erosion in the tip region, and thus radiated noise, without reducing its efficiency, he said. This is now the standard version that is supplied for ship installations.

Image: MAN ES

Propellers are now just about as efficient as they can get, believes Jens Ring Nielsen, a senior technical engineer for MAN PrimeServ in Denmark.

One driver for the demand for more efficient propulsion has been IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), which Mr Ring Nielsen welcomes. It “takes the power away from the economists and moves it back to the engineers,” he said, and it prompts customers to contact the company at a much earlier stage in their projects than before, he said.

EEDI has also made it necessary for shipowners to verify their ships’ performance, encouraging a wider demand for performance verification. This has extended not only to propeller efficiency but also to its cavitation and vibration characteristics, which marks a significant change from when Mr Ring Nielsen first joined MAN ES 30 years ago. Then, only “on a rare occasion would a shipowner want to have his performance verified,” he recalled.

Alongside a greater demand for verification has come a more focused approach to optimising propeller performance.

This is particularly important for controllable pitch (CP) propeller arrangements that, in the past, would have been designed to suit a main engine running at 85-90% of its output and at constant speed to suit a shaft generator. But in an era when ships are often running at reduced speed, for CP propellers this means reducing the propellers’ pitch and running them inefficiently.

But Mr Ring Nielsen described a tool that was introduced in October 2019, called EcoOptimizer, that it has developed to be used at the vessel’s design stage. It takes account of the ship’s hull shape and engine performance to develop specific combinatory curves to be used in service for propeller speed and pitch across the speed range to minimise fuel consumption.

This means that the main engine operates at its minimum specific fuel oil consumption while the propeller at its most efficient point, saving up to 20% compared with constantspeed installations. For variable-speed CP propeller installations, savings of around 6% are claimed in the company’s literature. “The key point here is that you agree with your customer where to optimise it,” he said.

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8 Propellers are about as efficient as they can be, says Jens Ring Nielsen

JULY 2020 | 15

THRUSTERS & PROPULSORS

VOITH’S SYNCHRONOUS eVSP REVOLUTION Voith’s established technology has become ‘future-proof’, writes Stevie Knight A recent update to the well-established Voith Schneider Propeller is resulting in useful pairings with innovative, but demanding vessel designs. Take Østensjø Rederi’s new CSOVs: DP2 vessels which are to serve as motherships in the fast-developing wind commissioning and maintenance field.

So, what tipped the choice in favour of Voith’s technology?

Firstly, “the ship can still operate in much higher waves because the thrust can be adjusted quickly”, says Dirk Juergens, Voith’s vice president of marine R&D. Further, “on a DP2 ship, the worst case single failure has to be considered...

If this should occur and a driveline fails, a VSP-driven vessel can hold its position most safely”. Again, “the reason is the fast pitch adjustment” he explains.

However, while the (almost) century-old technology has seen incremental changes along the way, this last update is arguably the most significant: an electrical version, the eVSP, is gaining a “remarkable” amount of interest says Juergens.

Interestingly, the story really began with a different technology. More than a decade ago, the Voith Inline Thruster (VIT) was fitted with a permanent magnet motor. “Up till then a typical thruster had an electrical induction motor running to a gear-linked propeller, but a rim drive is quite different,” says Juergens’s colleague, Michael Rommel. The rotor has a series of permanent magnets around its perimeter, so it doesn’t need a power supply, resulting in a more straightforward, more robust construction. Further, a rim drive results in lower radial and axial stresses and much quieter running.

The question was, could the advantages cross over to other propulsors? A considered look at the well-known Voith Schneider Propeller suggested there were enough similarities to make it worthwhile, despite a sizeable step up in scale: the largest VSP is a 4MW model.

There was a certain impetus as several challenges “had already been overcome” on the VIT, says Juergens. For example, the VIT’s drive is adequately cooled by seawater without additional systems; partly as PM motors operate at lower temperatures than induction motors. Moreover, it was shown that the solid-state electrical components could be encapsulated in resin, preventing water ingress.

Perhaps most convincingly, he explains that the VIT had achieved a high degree of efficiency “not only at the nominal RPM but especially in the partial load ranges”.

However, translating the electrical design to the VSP entailed significant changes, including dispensing with the huge, almost iconic circular bevel gear... a necessary step to clear the ground for “a very large diameter, high torque and relatively low RPM permanent magnet motor” he explains.

But to understand why it makes such a good match, you have to dig deep into the design of the VSP. At its heart are vertical blades that circle round on their base, changing their angle of attack to suit both the size and direction of thrust, with no need for a rudder. If you look at the path of a single blade, it is somewhat reminiscent of the way a cyclist will angle a pedal to gain maximum traction at the right moment.

Interestingly, as this thrust force is set at right angles to the axis of rotation it’s liberated from much of the hydrodynamic inertia inherent in standard propeller design. Therefore, it can

16 | JULY 2020

8 The eVSP in sectional view (and mechanical view in shadow)

neatly switch direction “in seconds” says Rommel, just by changing the blade’s orientation. But there are no two ways about it; this still involves high load transfers.

This is where the characteristics of a synchronous motor come in. It works by exciting a number of stator windings in turn, causing the magnets on the rotor to chase after a moving field: as a result, the rotor spins at a synchronous speed - one that won’t drop away even given abrupt load changes. In short, it simply remains locked to the excitation. Despite some control fade-out at very high RPM, the resulting load-independent rotation makes it particularly attractive for the eVSP as it avoids any drop in power output, even when meeting dynamic forces arising from a sharp change of direction.

Further, while standard propellers need to rotate faster for a given thrust, on a VSP the force is generated by varying the pitch of the blades, not by speed alone, allowing the PM motor to work well within its sweet spot. Further, the eVSP’s large diameter allows for rapid, high-torque pick up “and so we can vary the RPM very quickly”, says Juergens. But efficiency “is the most important criterion” adding that “compared to an asynchronous motor, the efficiency advantages come to about 2% across the full load range - but importantly, it’s 5% for partial loads”. This is particularly relevant for the offshore and renewables support sector.

Finally, compared with ducted screw propellers in model tests, an average advantage of 15% for the eVSP was measured with regard to power requirements in transit.

There are installation advantages as well, explains

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Rommel. Changing the rotor RPM requires a variable frequency drive (the flip side of that synchronous ‘lock’ on speed is that you can’t control a PM motor by merely dropping the voltage). However, removing a number of mechanical components more than makes up for it, allowing for “a compact build” he adds. Moreover “completely dispensing with the gears means the PM motor is very easily accessible from within the ship”.

It’s worth noting the mechanical components also benefit from an overall efficiency rise of 4% in total over a standard VSP, mostly due to fewer bearings - and of course, the absence of gears. It all helps to reduce noise and vibration: trials on a testbed corresponding to a blade diameter of 1.2m have shown it’s exceptionally quiet, making it a potential solution “for research vessels, mine-countermeasure vessels (MCMVs) and passenger ships”, says Juergens. This alone should make those 120 people (crew and technicians) stationed onboard Østensjø Rederi’s CSOVs more comfortable, but it’s also combined with the way the eVSP can reduce rolling motion by up to 70%, both during transit and also while stationary in the field.

However, there are further applications for the eVSPs onboard the ships of the future: these CSOVs, like other vessels, are being prepared for zero-emission running. The arising issue is that there’s quite a drop in volumetric energy density of many of the green energy carriers, including hydrogen and batteries. “As a result, they require comparably better efficiency, not just at higher RPM but across the entire speed range,” says Rommel. Again, this calls out to PM technology such as the eVSP.

Image: Voith

THRUSTERS & PROPULSORS

But there’s another aspect: the ships of the future will likely utilise alternative energy sources such as photovoltaics, wind or fuel cells, so the likelihood is that they won’t want to lose efficiency to unnecessary energy conversions. Likewise, an eventual move to remote or unmanned ships will require electrical, rather than mechanical propulsion control: it’s more straightforward (and the solutions more robust) if the mechanical elements are kept to a minimum.

Despite all this, the eVSP remains suitable for retrofitting in place of a mechanical model or azimuth thruster. Further, as it is power-source agnostic “you can choose where the energy for the eVSP will come from - including battery, hydrogen or other future fuels”, says Juergens, adding that likewise, “you can switch your power source in the future”.

8 Østensjø Rederi new wind support ships will gain responsiveness and comfort from the eVSP installation

Kongsberg lands first Incat order for large jets Kongsberg is to supply the waterjets for the first of a new generation of high speed catamarans developed by Incat Tasmania.

The Australian high speed vessel specialist has been contracted to build a 76m craft for South Korean coastal passenger transport company Seaworld Express Ferry, which will operate it on a new route between Jindo and Jeju from early 2022.

The 3,000gt ferry will be able to carry up to 700 passengers and 79 cars at speeds of up to 42 knots, driven by four Kongsberg Kamewa S90-4 waterjets that will be powered by four diesel main engines. These will be rated at about 5,500kW at 100% mcr, For Kongsberg, this order is “a milestone order” that marks its first delivery of large-size steel waterjets to Incat. Its steel waterjets are said to offer maximum performance at minimum weight and their compact reversing bucket and steering nozzle “enables superior position keeping and manoeuvrability at low and high speed,” its literature reports.

They will be instrumental in delivering Incat’s ambition for its new design, which Incat’s CEO Tim Burnell said in a statement will “benefit from vastly improved speed and fuel consumption.”

Along with the waterjets themselves, Kongsberg will supply a touch screen remote control system incorporating a

8 A compact reversing bucket and steering zle is said to give Kongsberg Kamewa nozzle terjets superior manoeuvrability waterjets

CanMan M T Touch h jjoystick, ti k which hi h enables bl th the ship to be manoeuvred remotely from the bridge. The company’s standard two-tiller configuration for both the centre helm seat and navigator’s seat will be adapted in this instance to a single centre helm tiller, which it says demonstrates the company’s “willingness to carry out bespoke modifications to suit clients’ requirements.”

Kongsberg will also be providing a separate aft-facing console comprising two touch screens, one Polar joystick with heading knob, two backup panels incorporating clutch in/

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clutch out buttons and one analogue steering and bucket position gauge per jet.

Incat has based its new design on the 112m Natchan Rera, which operates in Taiwan. The resulting 76m version “will be radically different” from its established 74m and 78m vessels, Incat said. The builder has recently redesigned its hullforms, including a completely new bow arrangement, giving the new vessel “a significant improvement to both the waterline length and vessel trim compared with those earlier craft,” Mr Burnell said.

JULY 2020 | 17

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INTEREST IN INDICATIVE TEST KITS GROWS DESPITE UNCERTAINTY

Credit: Chelsea Technologies

The IMO has agreed to adopt a resolution asking administrations to verify that treatment systems are working by taking samples and making sure that the organisms counts do not grossly exceed the D-2 standard

While the requirement has been applauded by both shipowners and administrations, Jad Mouawad, CEO of Mouawad Consulting, says it remains to be proven efficient as: 1) IMO procedures for indicative testing have not yet been developed.

2) Different flag states are implementing the requirement in different ways and through a different timeline.

3) The quality and capacity of the testing facilities, especially in China, remains to be proven.

Dimitrios Tsoulos, EMEA Sales Manager, De Nora, says it is a critical time for the IMO. “Shipowners expect easy availability and easy compliance yet must deal with unexpected issues and uncertainty. There has been a heated debate on ballast water compliance testing, on the process and form it may take as well as the types and sizes of samples required. The regulators are responsible for creating these standards, yet we are still left to debate while shipowners are left in the dark.

Unanswered questions have a real impact, and the IMO’s current focus on impending biofouling regulations must not be allowed to side-track or delay this clarification.

Meanwhile, manufacturers of indicative testing kits are seeing increased interest in their products. Insatech has developed kits for indicative testing to both IMO D-2 and US Coast Guard standards, and the company is also an agent for

18 | JULY 2020

FastBallast, a high accuracy, portable monitor from Chelsea Technologies Group. Insatech Product Manager Mads H. Mathiassen recommends shipowners test more than they are required to by regulation to proactively ensure they are in compliance. If a system is malfunctioning, they then have time to contact port authorities in advance and make alternative arrangements rather than be fined.

Chelsea Technologies’ FastBallast Compliance Monitor is a small, lightweight and rapid ballast water testing instrument, designed to provide a lab-accurate assessment of ship’s ballast water discharge against key elements of the D-2 standard in around two minutes. The instrument uses patented Single-Turnover Active Fluorometry y technology. gy Matthew Kenney, Head of Sales ales at Chelsea Technologies, says he is seeing ng growing demand for the FastBallast device vice from a diverse range of stakeholders holders including the Belgian Government. rnment.

“Indicative testing is a vital tool for both reducing the risks shipowners owners are exposed to and allowing g the regulations to have the positive ositive hey are environmental impact that they designed to achieve,” he says.

8 The IMO is to adopt a resolution asking administrations to verify that BWT systems are working by taking samples

8 Matthew Kenney, He Head of Sales at Ch Chelsea Technolog Technologies

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BWTS

Deckhouse system for tankers Damen has developed Ex certified deckhouses that can withstand the slamming of waves and are suited for housing its ballast water treatment systems on the open deck of tankers.

Shipping containers are not designed to withstand slamming forces, and Damen’s deckhouse has an eight millimetre wall thickness. Each deckhouse is delivered as a

pre-assembled unit, including the ballast water treatment system with all internal piping and wiring. If needed, a booster pump unit can be integrated. Damen has built the deckhouses for various tankers with 1,000/1,500/2,000 m3/h ballast water treatment systems.

Ecochlor boosts logistics offering

Concerns about the convention are on-going

Ballast water treatment system manufacturer Ecochlor has teamed up with Horizon Air Freight to provide worldwide logistical support for Ecochlor customers. Horizon Air Freight has agents in 32 countries and delivers more than 18,000 shipments per year with an on-time delivery rate of 99 percent. The company boasts a state-of-the-art IT track and tracing freight management system, with experienced key managers trained to expedite shipments for clients. Ecochlor’s treatment system is unique. It uses chlorine dioxide, generated onboard the vessel to treat the ballast water in a single pass during uptake.

8 Damen Balcon BWT system on deck

Research into the impacts of ballast water continues, and a study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin late last year highlights that microplastics in ballast water are an emerging source and vector for harmful chemicals, antibiotics, metals and bacterial pathogens. Researchers from three research institutions, including the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, in India say that microplastics in ballast waters serve as hotspots for the development and spread of multiple drug-resistant human pathogens that may pose a serious threat to human health.

They conclude that there is a pressing need to include microplastics in the BWMC.

Elite Marine receives BWMS code approval

China-based Elite Marine Corporation has received revised G-8 (BWMS Code) type approval for Seascape® treatment system from DNV GL. To obtaining the approval, additional freshwater, brackish and marine water test cycles were conducted at DHI Denmark together with the tests for US Coast Guard type approval. The system uses a combination of filtration, UV and ultrasonic treatment during ballasting and deballasting. It also features patented two-stage auto-backflushing filtration technology. It covers the flows from 80-5,000 m3/h with UV-transmittance as low as 50 percent.

Guarantee compliance by selecting the best www.ballast-water-treatment.com om io-uv.c

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JULY 2020 | 19

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LOW FLOW SYSTEM TARGETS YACHT AND OSV MARKET BIO-UV Group is diversifying its equipment range and has now received both IMO and US Coast Guard type approval for its low flow rate ballast water treatment system range The range has been designed specifically for the luxury yacht, expedition cruise and offshore vessel segments where ballast water pump flow rate capacities are often under 100m3/h. BIO-SEA L is not a derivative of the company’s existing BIO-SEA B product. Rather it is based on a new 6kW UV lamp arrangement that treats flow rates of between 20m3/h and 90m3/h in US Coast Guard mode and up to 120m3/h in IMO mode.

Xavier Deval, Business Director, BIO-SEA, says: “As a flat packed, split-skid solution, we are able to simplify the installation process and reduce installation costs and time, as a BIO-SEA L Easy-to-Fit can easily fit through existing hatches and doors, without having to cut access holes into the vessel.”

BIO-UV continues to work through IMO regulatory approvals. The BIO-SEA system has received US Coast Guard type approval and will be IMO new G8 compliant in October 2020. Land-based tests have been completed with no holding time.

Deval says the company’s supply chains have not been unduly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Where we have seen some problems is on the customer side, with retrofit and drydock projects rescheduled and newbuild projects delayed. This has been due to the lockdown and social distancing measures the yards have implemented, combined with the reduced availability of engineers and surveyors many of whom have been unable to travel.

“Nevertheless, our inventory is at a level commensurate with anticipated demand and our orderbook is in line with

our forecast. While we see lower levels of market activity, we do anticipate a bounce back as the businesses restart and activities return to normal.”

Alfa Laval warns on IMO Regulations Alfa Laval has published a white paper on commissioning testing, recommending that the equipment manufacturer be involved. The paper follows one issued by SGS Global Marine Services describing its experience with commissioning testing for 95 systems: one fifth failed to meet the D-2 performance standard.

Håkan Persson, Manager Business Development & Marketing, PureBallast, at Alfa Laval, says that it is key that ballast tanks have been cleaned and sediments removed. The failures SGS discuss for organisms ≥50μm could indicate that the source is from within the vessel, since most makers have a filter mesh of 50μm or smaller. Alfa Laval’s PureBallast use a 20μm mesh. Also leaking vales and dead ends can cause contamination.

“A successful installation starts long before the actual installation finish,” says

20 | JULY 2020

Persson. “That is why we also offer the possibility to review drawings during the engineering review.”

He sees another issue looming. After October 28 this year, all systems installed must be approved according to the revised G-8 requirements (BWMS Code). “Though close to implementation, we still see that this is unknown to many of our customers. Given the potential impact, it is surprising. Using the top 10 container ports as an example, 95% are in IMO waters, and not having an approved system would shut the vessel out from these markets.”

Alfa Laval has expanded the options for Chinese shipowners, as PureBallast 3 has become one of the first non-Chinese ballast water treatment solutions to be type approved by the China Classification Society.

PureBallast 3 systems can now be installed on vessels that fly the Chinese flag.

8 BIO-SEA expects its system to be compliant with the IMO revised G8 in October 2020

8 An Alfa Laval PureBallast 3 reactor

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BWTS

UV SYSTEM MANUFACTURERS WORK TO US REQUIREMENTS That has yet to be confirmed, and in the meantime, UV equipment manufacturers continue to press ahead with meeting regulatory requirements.

Mark Riggio, Senior Market Manager for Hyde Marine, states the issue that all UV equipment manufacturers face in meeting the US requirements: “The inflexibility of the Coast Guard to accept the best available science has made systems perform with a tighter performance envelope without actually improving the treatment efficacy of the systems. The manipulations we made to our system to pass the US Coast Guard stain test (increased power, slower flow) do not improve the overall treatment performance of our system.”

The Hyde GUARDIAN-US (Universal Service) has now been awarded type approval by the US Coast Guard. It operates with a pioneering dose-based performance algorithm, says Riggio. This ensures that most water is delivered through the system that is possible for the given conditions.

The company has announced other innovations too including the GUARDIAN control system which features a treatment alarm that alerts crews when the system is operating outside performance boundaries. “While this does not necessarily mean the water is non-compliant, it allows the crew to decide whether to implement contingency measures if they are not sure whether their water is properly treated,” says Riggio. “And if there are any problems with the system, each GUARDIAN-US is fitted with remote access so we can troubleshoot and, in some cases, even repair the system before the vessel even enters port.”

Some other UV equipment manufacturers are offering two different operating modes, one with slower flow rates and maximum power settings to meet US requirements.

Equipment manufacturer DESMI has chosen not to reduce

Image: Hyde Marine

The US Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) could see IMO and US efficacy determinations align by explicitly expanding the definition of “living” to exclude organisms that are alive but cannot reproduce

flow rates and points to the pitfalls in a recently released white paper: “Naturally, the selection of either IMO or US mode becomes quite complicated if the operator does not know where the ballast water he is taking on board is going to be discharged.”

The white paper argues that the impact of maintaining flow rates on power costs is insignificant: While power consumption makes up a proportion of a ship’s OPEX over time, systems are only operated a few percent of the time in a year. So when comparing systems, the difference in annual OPEX is actually insignificant. The paper concludes: “UV-treatment ballast water management systems are considered CAPEX competitive for flow rates up to 1,000 - 1,500 m3/h. While ECbased systems are considered competitive when it comes to CAPEX for flow rates above 1,000 -1,500 m3/h, their installation and complexity should be considered.”

8 The Hyde GUARDIAN-US (Universal Service) has now been awarded type approval by the US Coast Guard

Operational success on tanker The operational experiences with a Techcross Electro-Cleen system aboard a tanker built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in 2017 have been positive, Jayantha Halangode, General Manager for ASP Marine & Technical Services reports.

The deck mounted ballast water treatment system (Ex-ECS 750 x 2 sets) was installed onboard the ASP Ships Group owned 50,000dwt MR tanker Kokako which is currently operating in New Zealand coastal waters and is classed with DNV GL. The ballast water treatment system has worked well for the past three years, says Halangode. “For us, it is a practical system.”

He says the electrolysis-based disinfection system was chosen because of its low power consumption and low consumables

8 MR tanker Kokako and the Techcross system on deck (port side)

requirements, and it minimises the manual effort required to manage filters. A sensor checks salinity on ballasting, and

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chemical doses to neutralise total residual oxidant (TRO) levels on deballasting are controlled automatically.

There is a downside though, he says. “If you are on a big ship going long distances, say 10-15 days, the TRO level automatically comes down, and chemical dosing is minimal. You can pump overboard straight away. But, we have to spend on the chemical for coastal operations to get the TRO level down to an acceptable level before deballasting. That is one of the drawbacks.”

The Electro-Cleen System obtained the world’s first IMO Basic Approval in 2006.

Techcross says it has upgraded the system through continuous research and development involving tests and approvals with classification societies for better performance.

JULY 2020 | 21

LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

FOR NOW... AND FOR THE FUTURE The first technology unveiled as ‘supporting act’ for WinGD’s recently released X-DF 2.0 platform promises to open up the engine’s operating window, writes Stevie Knight The grand-sounding Intelligent Control by Exhaust Recycling (iCER) is actually rather a clever addition to WinGD’s portfolio.

Starting with the basics, the X-DF engine has a very lean burning gas combustion cycle. During LNG operation it already meets toxic emission requirements with very low particulates and NOx down to “one-tenth of Tier III levels” says WinGD’s Dominik Schneiter.

However, it has a small but dirty secret: “Not quite all of the fuel gets burned,” he admits. While the X-DF’s gas mode gets close to complete combustion, a lean-burn Otto cycle always leaves a little unoxidised LNG to be released into the air. In short, it’s methane slip.

The iCER goes some way to address the problem, “by taking exhaust gas out after the turbine, and bringing it back into the air intake channel,” he explains.

Fundamentally, it’s a version of an Exhaust Gas Recirculation system. But while EGRs have been typically utilised on a diesel cycle to lower NOx emissions by bringing down the combustion temperature, here it has a slightly different focus.

Firstly it helps reduce wasted fuel, “because if you can pull it back for a second burn we can make the whole system more efficient,” says Schneiter, resulting in 3% reduced energy consumption in gas mode. Interestingly, the hard numbers from testbed trials measuring methane slip go much further, demonstrating that it can halve emissions of this particular greenhouse gas.

But it also has another use. Schneiter outlines the issue: “The problem is that while a diesel cycle only injects the fuel when the crankshaft is in the right position, in an [Otto cycle] engine the premixed fuel-air is already in compression in the combustion chamber, so there’s not as much control over the ignition.” It is especially problematic for lean-burn LNG operation, making higher loads somewhat tricky to handle despite tweaks to fuel admission and ignition timing.

Unfortunately, staying out of the ‘rich-mixture danger zone’ on one side can push engines into combustion instability on the other.

However, the iCER “gives us another degree of freedom”, says Schneiter. Replacing just 1% or 2% of the charge air’s oxygen with inert, largely oxidised gas reins in the tendency toward uncontrolled, early ignition and knocking. It also slows overly fast combustion, damping down the pressure peaks and reducing the sudden torque on the crankshaft, plus, it makes life a little easier for the other mechanical components.

It’s rather a neat system: for example, it avoids using a blower to overcome the pressure difference between the exhaust gas and the scavenging air receiver. Just closing a flap reduces the volume of exhaust gas flowing to the economiser, pushing the air back to the compressor side of the turbocharger, which in turn creates a suction effect. “We can force the excess gas to recirculate by physics alone, so there’s no parasitic load,” Schneiter says. “That’s one of the advantages.”

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been developmental challenges: “The iCER recirculates about 40% to 50% of the exhaust gas, but to take it straight off the turbine would constantly increase the temperature in the combustion chamber - until the engine finally destroyed itself,” he explains.

22 | JULY 2020

8 The iCER raises WinGD’s X-DF efficiency, but also helps control combustion

Therefore, the exhaust gas needs to drop from postturbine temperatures averaging around 200C to around 40C, or just within ‘hand-hot’ wash temperatures.

It’s a big step down. “First of all we started with a platecooler approach, but we found the volumes were too large, so we decided to partner with Alfa Laval as they’re the experts in this field,” he explains. The resulting Cascade Exhaust Cooler (CEC) is close to an off-the-shelf tower of the type Alfa Laval commonly uses with scrubber equipment.

This uses a freshwater spray on the hot gas, but the clean gas fuel and combustion results in negligible contamination of the cooling water, so it can be captured returned without depositing noxious substances into the sea.

Interestingly, the iCER has an optional extra economiser as despite somewhat variable temperatures from the exhaust, capturing enough thermal energy for steam production remains a necessity for LNG fuelled ships. Therefore, a second, smaller economiser sits in parallel with the CEC, creating an alternative, bypassing heat stream (while also doing its bit to cool the flow).

Alternatives So, how does it play with the energy carriers of future?

Schneiter points out “as long as these are gaseous fuels such as LNG, synthetic or bio-methane, we can use the technology as it is, since the fuel’s characteristics will be much the same”.

He adds: “This gives us an immediate, sustainable solution with a zero-carbon footprint based on the X-DF platform.”

However, that’s not the end of the story: the iCER also opens up the potential for a second modification to WinGD’s 2.0 platform in future. As it effectively gives the X-DF engines

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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

THE RIGHT MOMENT According to Schneiter, the iCER has been waiting in the wings for the right moment. While it’s already been applied to high-speed gas engines, when it came to these low-speed two-strokes “we wanted to ensure reliable operation of the X-DF engines in service first - before adding technical complexity”, he explains.

However, he adds that this is not the only innovation about to make use of the X-DF platform - others are just around the corner. This includes Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) technology. It effectively changes the length of the conrod by introducing a pressurised chamber into its ‘eye’. As a result, it can raise the piston’s top position to burn a reduced volume of fuel or lower it, creating a responsive compression ratio.

“Using VCR, we can optimise the fuel performance of the engine, whether it’s in gas or diesel mode,” says Schneiter: “Additionally, it allows us the possibility of operating on new fuels.”

“Although we are currently running LNG, alternatives include ethanol, methanol and other alcohols - and even ammonia is becoming a popular topic for discussion,” he adds. While these fuels may require somewhat adapted supply systems, “VCR technology gives us a huge advantage

Graphic: WinGD

enough elbow room for an increase in the maximum brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), it could raise the power density of the X-DF from its current 17.3 bar: “Some of the fuel alternatives will be limited by lower BMEP, so the iCER could help to raise their BMEP maximum - although the exact potential needs to be investigated,” he says.

as we can create a range of combustion settings”, he says.

That includes “low or high compression, or two fuels running at different mean effective pressures”. Admittedly, the technology is still in the R&D phase, but test engine trials are not that far off.

Certainly, given the X-DF’s ability to move between Otto and Diesel cycles, the additional scope of the VCR “makes me believe that even if the picture is not yet so clear, we are pretty safe in claiming we’re prepared for the future”, concludes Schneiter.

8 Diagram showing rich mixture limits on one side of the X-DF combustion, and lean limits on the other

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JULY 2020 | 23

LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

LBG OFFERS POSSIBILITY OF FURTHER EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS

Image: Rederij Doeksen

The environmental requirements of operating in the Wadden Sea a Unesco World Heritage Site - meant that sustainability had been a focus for Doeksen throughout the project, managing director Paul Melles told The Motorship.

This focus influenced the choice of catamaran hull design, which offered efficiency advantages compared with a conventional hull design in the shallow waters of the Wadden Sea, managing director Paul Melles told The Motorship.

The choice of LNG as fuel for the Willem Barentsz and its sister ship Willem de Vlamingh was an obvious choice for Doeksen, Melles added. But the choice of LNG was dependent on ensuring availability from the port of Harlingen.

Melles recognised the help provided

by NGOs such as the National LNG Platform in during the initial stages of obtaining permits for LNG bunkering at Harlingen.

Supplier Titan LNG will provide truck-to-ship bunkering for the two vessels, transporting supplies from Rotterdam.

The choice was also based on longer term considerations, Melles said. LNG would be a transition fuel until 2040 or 2050, adding that none of the other alternative fuels would be available before the late 2030s.

Doeksen was still looking at ways to reduce CO2 emissions from its vessels in due course. “Our strategy is to promote the production of bio LNG or LBG in our region to gradually replace our use of fossil LNG with LBG.” 8 Paul Melles, managing director at Doeksen

CLASS RULES DIVERGE OVER GAS ENGINES Development of MTU’s Series 6 engines began in 2016 when there were no regulations in place governing their gas technology.

That changed on 1 January 2017 when IMO’s International Code of Safety for Ships using Gasses or other Low-Flashpoint Fuels (The IGF Code) came into force.

Its arrival gave the MTU valuable guidance to focus their development but the engine’s project manager Peter Kunz said that during the discussion with class societies, “we recognised that every one of them has its individual interpretation” of the code. This “made it difficult because we had to incorporate all their requirements.”

MTU worked specifically with four societies - Lloyd’s Register, Bureau Veritas, DNV GL and ABS - and a number of

24 | JULY 2020

changes were made to the engine’s basic design to reach a final arrangement that met all their requirements.

This unexpected work delayed the project, a fact that was acknowledged by Doeksen’s managing director Paul Melles in February 2019. In an article published on MTU’s website at that time, he said that the time taken to obtain class certification for the engine was “a major challenge” that made him doubt whether “the pilot project would actually be brought to a successful conclusion.”

WHAT NEXT FOR MTU’S GAS ENGINES? With its 16-cylinder gas engine now in service and its eight-cylinder due to follow by the end of the year, MTU is already planning ahead.

“We definitely see an interesting market” for these gas engines, Phil Kordic, MTU’s sales manager for the ferry and offshore sectors, told

The Motorship. They could find applications in craft such as tugs and inland waterways vessels, as well as ferries so “we’re very excited about the engine,” he said.

If demand for the engine meets its expectations, that will “give us the assurance to commit to developing further cylinder variants,” he explained, which are likely to include V12 and V20 versions. In fact, it already has experience of running a 12-cylinder version, since the predevelopment test engine was that size.

As mentioned above, minimising methane slip was an important design parameter and to reduce it further, other technologies are being considered by MTU’s pre-development department, said Peter Kunz. These include adding pre-turbocharger catalysts or even a dual-fuel arrangement, requiring high-pressure gas and direct injection.

But - like its decision about adding new sizes to the range - whether those developments become reality will depend on market demand.

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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

MTU’s NEW ENGINE MAKES POWERFUL STATEMENT As The Motorship reported at the time, the ferry is powered by the first pair of Rolls-Royce MTU’s pure gas 16-cylinder Series 4000 engines, each delivering 1,492kW. But in an exclusive interview with The Motorship a few days earlier, Phil Kordic - MTU’s sales manager for the ferry and offshore sectors - said that the event marked more than just the first delivery of a new engine model because the engine’s concept itself is unique.

It is the first high-speed gas engine to offer variable speed in its power segment, he said. All similarly-rated engines are either dual-fuel - and predominately medium speed - or constant-speed genset engines.

Yet MTU’s new engine “has similar performance characteristics to an equivalent high speed diesel engine,” Mr Kordic said. Its transient capabilities give it very good load acceptance and acceleration behaviours, making it suitable for applications that would normally use diesel engines, and it meets IMO’s Tier III NOx emissions standard without requiring any exhaust after-treatment. In addition, because of its variable speed, it can drive fixed-pitch propellers.

This represents a significant change from the ship’s original concept, which included another maker’s constant speed engine and controllable-pitch propellers. But this would not have had the necessary load acceptance characteristics, Mr Kordic said, and changing to MTU’s pure gas option allowed the propulsion arrangement to be reconfigured to Doeksen’s advantage.

An important aspect of the engine’s development was focused on minimising its methane slip. With any LNGfuelled engine there will inevitably be some methane slip, but the engine’s project manager, Peter Kunz, said they had managed to meet the EU’s Non-Road Mobile Machinery Stage V standards on methane slip.

To achieve this, the combustion process has been optimised and a complex engine control system oversees its operation. This responds to the fuel’s methane number and to the combustion pressure in each cylinder in real time. This, combined with multi-point fuel injection and the engine’s turbocharging arrangement, “is what really gives the engine its outstanding transient behaviour and allows us to maintain stable power output,” Mr Kordic added.

But there is a trade-off between methane slip and acceleration behaviour. To make the engine more dynamic requires a richer mixture of gas and combustion air, but this increases methane slip, “so we had to find out an optimum between these two goals,” Mr Kunz explained.

He believes that the engine’s designers arrived at a balance between those two that secured the minimum methane slip possible from the engine but, as explained in the box below, MTU’s developers are already exploring ways of reducing it further.

Because it uses only gas, it is also a lean-burn engine, which gives it lower firing pressures than dual-fuel engines and contributes to a longer time between overhauls and thus lower maintenance costs.

Image: MTU

When Dutch ferry operator Doeksen sent the first of two new ferries, Willem Barentsz to sea on 1 July, it also marked a historic moment for its main engines

MTU’s new engine has similar performance characteristics to an equivalent high speed diesel engine

‘‘

8 MTU’s 16-cylinder gas engine is unique in its power range

It is also gas-safe, with features such as double-walled piping with no additional ventilation required in the machinery space. This has an advantage for shipyards, Mr Kordic said, because they can install the engine in a similar way to how they would fit a diesel engine.

As the first 16-cylinder versions of the engine enter service, their eight-cylinder stablemates are not far behind. Two of those 746kW engines have been delivered for installation on a ferry that will be operated by Bodensee-Reederei on Lake Constance, which borders Germany, Austria and Switzerland and is a popular holiday area. That ship is due to be in service by the end of this year.

Once both variants are in service, “the engines will be released [for] full mainstream production,” Mr Kordic said, marking the end of a four-year development journey since MTU unveiled its mobile gas engines for marine propulsion in September 2016. Pre-production 16-cylinder engines were delivered to Vietnam’s Strategic Marine at the end of 2017 where they were installed in Doeksen’s two catamaran ferries. The second, Willem de Vlamingh, is due to enter service shortly and both will operate in the Wadden Sea between Harlingen and the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling, each carrying 600 passengers.

These engines are also significant for MTU’s parent company Rolls-Royce, which sees them as part of its ‘Green and High-Tech’ programme, through which it is investing in technologies aimed at reducing emissions, energy consumption and raw materials use.

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JULY 2020 | 25

LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

AVOIDING THE BUMP: 2-STROKE ENTRY IGNITION INNOVATION

Image: RevolutionaryEngines.com

We’re used to engines which pretty much explode the gases inside the chamber: however, there is a way to avoid it, writes Stevie Knight

Supposing there was a combustion process that didn’t conform to the ‘suck-squeeze-bang-blow’ description?

Didn’t, in fact, ‘bang’ in the usual way at all? There’s potentially a lot to gain in efficiency, little-to-no NOx creation, more complete burn of hydrocarbons and less mechanical stress... plus fuel flexibility. All of which are very useful characteristics for the marine industry.

It’s called ‘entry ignition’ (EI) and basically, it takes the two stages - compression and combustion - and splits them across different chambers.

But, surely, efficiency is affected, or cost, or both? “No,” says developer (and ex-NASA scientist) Dr Peter Cheeseman, explaining that instead, each stage “plays to its strengths”.

While it’s possible to achieve this process with just a pair of cylinders, for optimum efficiency, Cheeseman’s concept has four stages - despite this engine being, technically, a two stroke. It begins by introducing air into the first cylinder, where it is partially compressed: then it’s pushed into a second chamber, where it’s squeezed again. Here, the pressure (which could exceed a huge 70 bar) opens a check valve leading into a reservoir. “So far, it’s basically just a twostage air compressor,” he explains.

At this point “the magic happens”, says Cheeseman. Fuel is sprayed into an adjacent chamber, with enough time for a thorough mixing with the doubly-compressed air before it moves through a slider valve. This opens into the combustion chamber below, igniting as it hits extremely hot gases - in

26 | JULY 2020

8 Schematic of the EI process across four cylinders: A (first stage compression) B (second stage compression) C (main combustion) D (final expansion stroke)

fact, the exhaust valve closes a little early on the previous cycle, so although the pressure is low the cylinder retains enough heat to kickstart combustion.

Normally, add ignition to a premixed charge and the result is a horrible pressure spike... but EI avoids all of this. “When people first encounter the idea there are typical misconceptions... they are so used to pressure pulses as the fuel ignites that the idea of a continuous smooth combustion, with no accumulation, is surprising”, he explains.

The principle gets fairly close to a Brayton cycle: that is, a constant pressure burn, “but in a practical, achievable engine” he underlines. However, understanding how it works requires a good look at both timing and the specially designed slider valve.

Rather than up and down, these valve blades move laterally across the entry port: tiny triangular notches create pinpoint openings that slowly widen as the piston descends, changing the valve’s geometry - timing also controls power output and torque.

As it opens little ‘flamelets’ appear at each of the slots where the gases flow into the main combustion chamber and ignite. “The resulting pattern is something like a multiheaded bunsen,” says Cheeseman.

Significantly, there’s no flame propagating across the chamber, no accumulation of unburned fuel-air mixture, and as it all ignites as it enters, there’s also little pressure fluctuation.

It’s also worth noting that it allows for a continuous path

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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS While for typical combustion turbulence is your friend and most standard engines they go to lengths to create it to mix the fuel or propagate the flame, this is behind the high heat transfer rates

‘‘

Staged compression The main advantage of splitting the cycle is that various elements “can be optimised for those pressure and temperatures of each specific stage”, explains Cheeseman.

For example, as the first chamber is an air compressor, it doesn’t have to be thick walled, its temperature resistance doesn’t have to be high, and the surface area can be larger.

The second-stage piston has a rather smaller diameter: it’s less of a pancake in order to lower the heat loss.

However, the third, main combustion chamber is rather different: while in a typical engine fresh air cools the cylinder walls, an entry ignition engine doesn’t have cold air coming in on the intake stroke. “The third cylinder is always exposed to the hot gases,” points out Cheeseman, “there’s no thermal cycling”.

But, he adds: “While for typical combustion turbulence is your friend - and most standard engines they go to lengths to create it to mix the fuel or propagate the flame, this is behind the high heat transfer rates.”

By contrast, the EI flame pattern has little turbulence, and what there is remains localised around the slider valve entry.

Therefore this third chamber, while running hot, avoids the extremely labile thermal cycles and pressure spikes common to SI and CI engines.

Given that the gases retain most of the heat, it’s worthwhile pushing them to a fourth, larger cylinder which again expands the burned gases near to atmospheric pressure, wringing most of the energy out of them. The result is two alternating power strokes for each cycle.

There is one area that needs extra support: start up. There are no left-over hot gases to ignite the charge, so a spark plug is introduced into the mixing chamber - though it won’t be needed for more than a cycle says Cheeseman.

Image: RevolutionaryEngines.com

from the pre-mixing area to combustion chamber during ignition, so as the descending piston draws in the flow, the reservoir behind it is also being refreshed. In fact, the slider valve only finally closes to isolate the combustion chamber from the reservoir at the end of the burn. While the hot gases to continue to push the piston downward the injector again sprays in fuel into the mixing chamber.

seems to go hand-in-hand with a lower compression effort, and so the engines should prove efficient both up and down the speed range. “It promises to be quite a bit more efficient than standard SI or CI at high and low RPM,” predicts Cheeseman.

Alternative fuels Importantly, separating the stages means that the engine could burn “pretty much any fuel that mixes with air ”, says Cheeseman, including ammonia, propane and various alcohols - but the extra layer of control also means it could be used for trickier fuels, such as hydrogen.

However, his favourite option is LNG “as it has a very high octane rating, so you can go to high compression ratios and still not risk autoignition”. Further, port to port, it “works out to be a cost-effective solution”. But in his view, longer term, “I think we are looking at synthetic gas”.

While this is currently just “a paper engine” admits Cheeseman, there appears to be rising interest: alternatives are developing but the power density of a combustion engine is still proving hard to beat.

However, as ICE technology “will probably be with us for the foreseeable future”, he concludes that hybrid solutions, matched with cleaner, greener, more efficient and flexible engines - such as entry ignition - are now more necessary than ever.

Advantages Certainly, there are pollution advantages: entry ignition burns a homogeneous charge like an SI engine, avoiding the hot spots and resulting pollution of a diesel cycle. It also burns lean with a minimum air-fuel ratio of 2.8 (lambda) for complete combustion of conventional fuels. This is the sweet spot: above 2.8 and it will have CO in the exhaust, while below 1.7 will see significant NOx “but in between, no clean up is necessary”, he underscores.

It’s also efficient, as entry ignition avoids the knock-limits “so we can choose to go to the highest compression without auto igniting the fuel” he adds.

Further, EI engines have a fairly flat efficiency curve: this

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8 The pre-mixed charge moves through the slider valve into the combustion chamber below, igniting as it hits hot gases - avoiding a pressure spike

8 The EI burn would present a local flame pattern similar to a multihead burner - and result in near constant pressure combustion

JULY 2020 | 27

LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

METHANOL AS MARINE FUEL BUILDS MOMENTUM

Image: Stena Line

Multiple projects are bringing the potential of this clean, sustainable fuel closer to users, writes Chris Chatterton, Chief Operating Officer, The Methanol Institute

As one of the top five seaborne chemical commodities, Methanol has been safely shipped and handled around the world for decades. Methanol has also been used as a road transport fuel for many years, however its application to shipping only began in earnest five years ago with the conversion of RoPax ferry Stena Germanica.

As a result of this successful adoption, Methanol has attracted interest within the shipping community and several shipowners interested in Methanol-fuelled vessels. We have also seen similar interest from shipyards, engine OEMs and fuel suppliers.

Methanol fuelled ships have already been built to equivalent technology standards so the flag state and classification community understands it is safe and practical.

The final regulatory framework will be put in place once draft IMO interim guidelines are fully approved for adoption into the IGF Code, which was expected to take place at the IMO’s MSC 102nd session, originally scheduled for May 2020.

Because it is a liquid at ambient temperature and pressure, bunkering of Methanol is similarly straightforward - very much like bunkering distillate fuel. The Methanol Institute, together with Lloyd’s Register, is currently developing methanol bunkering operational guidelines, complete with a bunkering checklist and relevant regulatory provisions for flag states and ports, to further promote knowledge around safe Methanol bunkering procedures. A marine methanol fuel standard is being developed by the ISO under mandate from the IMO and is expected to be released by early 2021.

Research undertaken for the Methanol Institute suggests it can be bunkered at more than 100 ports globally and is either available on site or within close proximity to berths, with very little modification required to the existing bunkering infrastructure. The new data on the global availability of Methanol is hosted on the DNV GL Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform and is available to all registered users.

In addition, a number of locations around the world Antwerp, Rotterdam, Singapore and several Chinese ports -

28 | JULY 2020

8 Stena Germanica, the world’s first methanol powered commercial vessel

are already looking into providing Methanol as bunker fuel and there are several global bunkering suppliers and fuel trading platforms interested in providing it as fuel for ships.

Their reasons are clear – we cannot wait for a perfect solution and methanol is available now in both conventional and renewable formats.

Efficiency and Sustainability The Methanol Institute is currently engaged in a pilot project in Singapore converting a crew transport service vessel which will also bunker Methanol regularly. Among the elements being studied is the availability of both conventional and renewable/bio methanol so that we can move further towards a low/net carbon neutral environment, faster and in an economically viable manner.

Vessels running on Methanol have reported gains of 4% in fuel efficiency over the same engine burning diesel due to the superior combustion characteristics of methanol. By combining or blending low levels of methanol with MGO or HFO on scrubbed vessels, fuel savings have been recorded of up to 10% with a payback of only 18 months on this technology.

A number of large shipowners have lost substantial sums in the last couple of months due to high volatility and bunker stock price devaluation. Timing is everything and delaying decisions over compliant, future fuel will only be exacerbated going forward.

When used as a fuel, Methanol has low carbon emissions, but is not totally carbon-free. As more Methanol is produced from renewable sources and captured CO2, it has the potential to significantly reduce the lifecycle of GHG emissions on land and at sea.

Based on over 60,000 hours of dual fuel engine testing conducted over three years by MAN Energy Solutions, a 2-stroke engine running on Methanol can reduce CO2 emissions by 15% compared with Tier II engines on HFO. Non-GHG emissions under the same IMO Protocol include SOx, NOx and PM with cuts of 90-97%, 30-50% and 90%,

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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

Projects Accelerate As the process of awareness-raising continues, several initiatives that strengthen the ecosystem around the use of Methanol as clean fuel are continuing. These projects recognise in particular that achieving the IMO’s targeted reductions in CO2 emissions requires the industry to come forward with conversion and retrofit solutions for the existing fleet as well as exploring newbuild technology solutions.

The Green Maritime Methanol consortium, founded by some of the Netherlands’ leading shipowners and builders and OEMs, is studying the possibilities for renewable Methanol as a maritime transport fuel.

The partners recognise that Methanol is widely available, is easily stored onboard ships and can be burned in engines with only minor modifications. Renewable Methanol is an important candidate as a future-proof fuel for the shipping industry if more can be produced in a sustainable way.

Earlier this year, project reached a new milestone with the successful start of an engine test programme on 100% Methanol. Further tests are planned and important new partners have joined the consortium recently.

Meanwhile the Danish Technological Institute is conducting a new project to develop technology to retrofit existing diesel engines enabling them to run on alternative biofuels of the future, such as Methanol.

The project, which is supported by the Danish Energy Agency’s support program EUDP, will enable many existing vessels to run on Methanol according to DTI, which is working with project partners including MAN Energy Solutions, Nouryon Surface Chemistry, Alfa Laval, DTU and Nordic Green.

The goal is to create a ‘shortcut’ for ships with diesel engines to become fossil-free, applying a simple solution for existing engines, so that owners can ultimately replace diesel with Methanol as a CO2 neutral fuel. The project partners will work address a number of technical areas, but without major intervention into the engine itself.

Start-Ups and Research Maritime start-up FUELSAVE has attracted more shipowners to its FS MARINE+ process for dynamic and load-based injection of Hydrogen, Oxygen, Methanol and water into marine engine fuel delivery systems. This results in the cleaner and more thorough combustion of fuel – typically HFO - is a dilution of the effects of a dirty primary fuel with a clean-burning alcohol distillate.

FS MARINE+ is an ‘efficiency enhancement and emissions reduction’ solution that achieves real net cost savings while reducing a vessel’s carbon footprint and air pollution. The

Image: Coalition partner Ørsted’s Anholt offshore wind farm

respectively for Methanol-fueled engines. Longer term, renewable Methanol will provide a solution for compliance with IMO’s emission regulations with minimal additional investment from shipowners.

To meet the IMO targets, transitional technologies are key.

Research into the application of hydrogen and ammonia as fuels are increasing, but Methanol can support an energyefficient transition, used now to begin bringing down shipping’s emissions slate and leading towards greater adoption of renewable Methanol into the low and net carbon neutral fuel solutions in the future.

company has demonstrated that the system, which can be typically installed onboard a ship in a matter of days and classed accordingly, can reduce emissions of CO2 by around 8-15%; sulphur oxides by 10-20%; nitrogen oxides by 30-80%; particulate matter by 40% and black carbon by 33%, depending on vessel type and voyage.

Finally, the EU-backed FASTWATER project will see the conversion of four vessels to Methanol fuel operation, as well as developing common conversion kit for diesel engines.

EU’s Joint Research Centre’s study on alternative fuels for shipping believes that Methanol is one of the most promising options to decarbonise the shipping sector.

FASTWATER aims to start a fast transitionary path to move waterborne transport away from fossil fuels, and reduce its pollutant emissions to zero impact, through the use of Methanol as fuel.

The FASTWATER consortium has a strong track record with Methanol projects particularly for waterborne transport and includes shipyards, a shipowner, engine manufacturers, an equipment supplier, a classification society, a Methanol producer, a major port and research institutes.

The project will develop and demonstrate an evolutionary pathway for Methanol technology, including retrofit solutions as well as next generation systems. Universal, scalable retrofit kits, medium speed and high speed Methanol engines will be developed, demonstrated and commercialised.

While these projects progress, the degree to which Methanol is already accepted as a marine fuel can be judged from the interest it has generated in just a short time – and even before final confirmation of the IGF Code. Some nine chemical tankerss having been trading internationally for three years using g methanol as primary fuel, with orders placed for a further er 10 from owners in Europe and Asia.

Further newbuild uild orders have been placed for a Multipurpose ipurpose vessel and a dry bulk carrier, together gether demonstrating that Methanol offers the global shipping fleet with h a safe,

8 A.P. Moller-Maersk is part of a Danish consortium seeking to produce low carbon methanol from offshore wind energy for marine, aviation and road transportation use by 2027

8 Chris Chatterton

Ports must be able to check the background nd of all vessels and show bodies such as OFAC AC that they have the technology to screen ships for suspected sanctions evasion

‘‘

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

JULY 2020 | 29

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LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

LNG COLD ENERGY POTENTIAL FOR CONTAINER SHIP AND FERRY The potential benefits of LNG cold energy recovery via an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) unit have been theoretically evaluated for a container ship and a ferry, with promising fuel saving potential

8 The largest fuel savings aboard a container vessel could be achieved using engine exhaust gases as a heat source for the ORC unit

Wärtsilä’s patented cold energy recovery system has already demonstrated operational savings on the LNG-fuelled ferry Viking Grace by reducing the amount of electricity consumed in HVAC system cooling compressors, but a new study from Denmark looks beyond that to the potential of LNG cold energy for vessels with dual-fuel engines.

Enrico Baldasso from the Technical University of Denmark is lead author of a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production that theoretically evaluates the potential benefits of LNG cold energy recovery for HVAC, for further cooling of engine scavenge air and for multiple uses via an ORC unit.

ORC units use an organic working fluid with a low boiling point to recover low-grade heat, and they can be an efficient option when recovering energy from a cold source as well because the working fluid also has a low freezing point.

Baldasso and co-authors from Technical University of Denmark and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore evaluated the value of harnessing LNG cold energy on a container ship, with a high pressure LNG gas supply system connected to a two-stroke dual-fuel MAN 9S90ME engine, and a ferry with a low pressure LNG supply system connected to two Wärtsilä 7L46DF four-stroke engines.

The researchers found that the highest fuel savings were attained for the ferry: up to 2.37 percent for the ferry and 0.87 percent for the container ship. The higher potential of the ferry was due to a higher amount of cold energy being available when LNG is supplied to the engine at low pressure.

The specific cooling effect that can be extracted from the LNG is 743.4 kJ/kg for a low pressure supply system and 482.1 kJ/kg for a high pressure supply system.

Main engine exhaust gases, jacket cooling water, seawater and an intermediate glycol-water system ystem for HVAC cooling were considered as heat sources for or the ORC unit. The maximum power output was obtained ned using butane as the working fluid for the seawater water and glycolwater configurations, iso-pentane for jacket water and n-pentane for engine exhaust gases.

For both ships, the largest fuel savings could be achieved using engine exhaust gases has heat source for the ORC unit. The exhaust haust gases were available at 365.4oC on the ferry and 210oC on the container ship. Therefore, the greater ter savings for

the ferry were not only due to a higher recovery of LNG cold energy, but connected to the higher temperature of the exhaust gases.

The results for using the ORC unit to absorb heat from the engine jacket cooling water were found to be comparable with the ones attainable using the concept installed on Viking Grace, and in the range from 0.5 to 1.15 percent.

The savings attainable when using the LNG cold energy to further cool engine scavenge air (to increase engine efficiency and reduce NOx emissions) were highly dependent on relative air humidity. High humidity meant that up to 39 percent of the heat was used to condense the water vapour rather than to cool the air in tropical conditions. The estimated fuel savings under ISO conditions (ambient temperature of 25oC and relative humidity of 30 percent) ranged from 0.41 to 0.44 percent.

The study authors note that an ORC system requires a large number of components to be installed, whereas the use of LNG cold energy for HVAC and scavenge air cooling require only the installation of a heat exchanger and perhaps an intermediate glycol loop for transferring the cold energy to where it is required. However, an ORC unit suffers only minor weather effects and the electricity can be used for a variety of onboard purposes.

The installation of an ORC unit on the exhaust line of a marine engine does, however, increase engine back pressure, resulting in a decrease of the engine performance and variation in available waste heat. In further research published in Applied Thermal Engineering, Baldasso and co-authors presented a methodology for determining an optimal design and evaluated it for an LNG-fuelled container ship.

Baldasso is also lead author on a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production P that presents a novel way to supply zero-em zero-emission power during port stays. The system combin combines thermal energy storage with a waste heat rrecovery system based on ORC technology, and an it was evaluated for a hypothetical ferry requiring 1MW of auxiliary power. The results suggest that tthe proposed system could reduce CO2 emissions emission by eight percent and could be economically c competitive with the installation of battery system systems to supply power during port stays, especially fo for newbuilds.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

JULY 2020 | 31

LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

DON’T WAIT FOR THE FUTURE TO COME TO YOU

Image: SAL

The shipping industry needs to change its perception of how and where to find future fuels required for decarbonisation, says Chris Chatterton, The Methanol Institute

When the industry’s best-known container line puts its faith in renewable methanol to power a share of its future fleet, we know something has changed in the conversation around decarbonisation.

The news that AP Moller Maersk will partner with DSV Panalpina, DFDS, SAS and Ørsted in the development of a plant to produce green hydrogen for motor vehicles and green methanol for ships illustrates that the shipping giant is prepared to take steps to secure its future fuel supply chain.

For Methanol as marine fuel, this is not yet a tipping point perhaps, but it is a clear signal of intent; one that others will inevitably have to consider.

It’s a typically bold move from Maersk but atypical of the industry as a whole, which was grappling with the existential threat of decarbonisation long before COVID-19 shortened the strategy horizon to weeks and months rather than years.

There are exceptions but in the main, the industry appears to be working on the principle that if it talks the talk on sustainability, then somehow the fuels – not to mention the vessel designs - will be available at scale in good time to comply with IMO regulations.

That assumption would be incorrect.

This was illustrated very neatly by the recent survey for classification society ABS which found that while nearly 60% of respondents said they viewed Hydrogen and Ammonia as the most attractive fuel choices in the long-term, nearly two thirds of them currently have no decarbonization strategy in place.

The contradiction is hardly surprising; the previous pattern for regulatory compliance normally involves a process of denial, can-kicking, followed by acceptance and compliance.

Decarbonisation is different. It is not IMO2020, it is not Common Structural Rules, STCW or even Ballast Water Management. It means a complete change of mindset, probably a new business plan and a different operational profile.

What it cannot mean is business as usual until December 2029, which is what Maersk and its partners have recognised.

If the fuels of the future are going to be available at the scale required, by the time we need them, we had better start developing them now.

The process can begin today. The transition for shipping can start now by using conventional Methanol as a fuel and

32 | JULY 2020

8 FuelSave’s FS+ kit is being fitted to six cargo vessels, starting with SAL’s MV Trina

then introducing renewable Methanol as production matures at industrial scale – as Maersk and partners are leading – following a similar “cost-out journey” as we’ve seen with renewable energy technologies over the past decade.

This needs more vision than the industry has displayed until now and a more realistic approach. There will be other drivers, not least the Poseidon Principles which will prod and push owners in the right direction with a proven combination of carrot and stick.

More than anything it does not mean that owners can sit and wait for Ammonia and Hydrogen to present themselves as ready-made solutions. As has been observed on several occasions the odds are if not stacked against these options, then at least heavily weighted in favour of the alternatives.

The interest in hydrogen and ammonia is led by a simplistic view that since these molecules contain no carbon atoms they offer the promise of zero carbon shipping. The industry has not spent a lot of time studying what is required to adopt either, because if it had, I doubt the percentage of positive responses to the ABS survey would have been that high. You do not procure, bunker or consume hydrogen or ammonia like LSFO, the capacity does not exist to do so, nor it should be said do the vessels that will use it.

A more holistic view, would search out options for net carbon neutral fuels. The transition for vessel operators and fuel suppliers using a clean liquid fuel that closely resembles current bunker fuels will be quicker and reach further into the existing fleet.

One thing we can be assured of is that there will no cheap marine fuels in future. Another is that the fuel supply chain will look completely different – starting with chemical plants rather than refiners and moving all the way to shipside delivery.

But if the industry still believes it can somehow take the path of least resistance to a decarbonised future, then it needs to understand that no easy options exist.

When the calculations are done, it could be that many more realise a future built on liquid fuels like green Methanol that can be stored and handed safely and easily is not one that simply materialises out of vapour. It must be worked towards in partnership and invested in; because it is too important to leave to chance.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

LNG & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

LNG GAINS FOOTHOLD IN VLCC SECTOR The increasing uptake and ever-widening application of LNG in the global merchant fleet offers the clearest confirmation that shipowners view LNG as the most pragmatic, commercially-viable solution transition fuel.

The recent nomination of LNG dual-fuel power for VLCC newbuild projects in China and South Korea signifies increased recognition both of LNG’s compelling emissions, investment, logistic and regulatory credentials, while advances in methane slip mitigation also raise confidence within the shipping community in adopting dual-fuel powering. The prospect of further reductions through the potential use of liquefied biomethane (LBM) and liquefied synthetic methane (LSM) in deepsea shipping also provide comfort for shipowners interested in tonnage renewal.

In the meantime, the opening months of 2020 have seen the confirmation of a dual-fuel installation employing LNG as the primary fuel in a 318,000dwt crude carrier booked from Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC) in China, and in two LNG dual-fuel VLCCs contracted at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Geoje Island yard on the Korean peninsula.

Industry sources suggest that COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation (CSET) has paid an additional US$6 million to change the specification of one of four VLCC newbuilds at Dalian from diesel to dual-fuel main and auxiliary power. The quartet had been ordered in 2017. The tanker will meet the highest standards of IMO Tier III and achieve Phase 3 criteria of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). Long-term value is also attached to the deal, since it takes Chinese shipping and shipbuilding into a new sphere of environmental compatibility in large crude carrier operation and construction.

WinGD low-pressure, X-DF dual-fuel two-stroke propulsion machinery has been selected for the newbuild at Dalian, denoting one of the first contracts for the X82DF, wide-bore design released to the market in mid-2019 by the Chinese-owned, Swiss-based engine designer. The CSET VLCC installation will be a seven-cylinder example with a nominal, maximum continuous rating of 30,240kW at 84rpm, making for a per-cylinder power output of 4,320kW. The X82DF is IMO Tier III NOx compliant in gas mode without the need for exhaust gas aftertreatment. Due to the comparatively small amount of pilot oil fuel required, stated as less than 0.5% at 75% load, the engine achieves low SOx and particulate matter emissions.

The decision to adopt LNG fuel, not only for propulsion but also in the ship’s three gensets and the two auxiliary boilers,

Due to the comparatively small amount of pilot oil fuel required, stated as less than 0.5% at 75% load, the engine achieves low SOx and particulate matter emissions

‘‘

Image credit: DSIC

LNG dual-fuel power has achieved a breakthrough in the VLCC category, via newbuild contracts in China and South Korea, writes David Tinsley

has provided a domestic manufacturer with an extensive contract for the fuel gas containment, handling and supply equipment. Constituting the largest-ever single order for such equipment secured by the company, LGM Engineering (formerly Gloryholder LGM) has been entrusted with two LNG storage tanks and two bunkering stations, LNG vaporisers and heaters, a boil-off gas (BOG) compressor skid, water/glycol skid, nitrogen generator system, and controls.

Each of the Type C tanks will hold 3,500m3 of LNG and will be located on the after part of the weatherdeck, just forward of the superstructure. The positioning minimises the impact on the ship’s overall layout and leaves the cargo capacity unchanged from the original diesel-powered design retained for the three other vessels in the series. The fuel gas supply pressure will be about 15 bar in the case of the two-stroke main engine, and some 6.5 bar as regards the genset fourstroke engines and boiler plant.

On 14 April, Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) disclosed in its regulatory filing that it had clinched a deal with a Bermudabased shipowner to build two LNG-fuelled VLCCs for delivery by April 2022. The contract commanded an overall price of KRW253.6 billion (US$207 million). The latest order from unidentified Bermuda interests signifies a further stage of business development, as the yard’s first-ever dual-fuel tanker construction project in the VLCC category.

The Samsung yard has extensive experience of building crude oil tankers specified for operation on LNG, logged over 20 orders by the end of May 2020. A major contract landed last year entailed a series of 10 dual-fuel Aframax carriers booked to the account of South Korean group Sinokor, and due to be phased into service through 2021 and 2022 under charter to Shell Tankers (Singapore).

Proprietary technology will be applied to the newbuilds, including the S-FuGaS LNG fuel storage, bunkering and supply system. The configuration of the S-FuGaS installation will depend on the gas delivery pressure determined by whichever main engine is selected, i.e. whether a lowpressure or high-pressure solution is needed, and will be fed from Type C storage tanks arranged for mounting on deck.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

8 Low-pressure dual-fuel, twostroke propulsion has been chosen for a VLCC from Dalian

JULY 2020 | 33

MS100 Focus: GTT

COLLABORATION KEY TO MEETING FUTURE CHALLENGES The Motorship magazine is celebrating its centenary in 2020 and is marking the occasion with a series of interviews with landmark companies that have thrived over the period Julien Bec, Vice President, LNG as Fuel division at French technology and engineering company Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT), offers his perspective on the lessons that the introduction of LNG into the fuel mix offers for other alternative fuels, and discusses the challenges of anticipating customer demand.

From an engineering and materials perspective, what do you think have been the most important technological innovations during your career?

I have seen a number of important innovations in several sectors. I started my career as an engineer at automaker Peugeot in the 1990s, where we were already conducting research into battery hybridisation. And I spent an important phase of my career at [leading French specialty steelmaker] Vallourec. The tubes Vallourec supplied during the Deepwater Horizon emergency remediation operation were incredible pieces of engineering – and they worked.

Some of the advance in materials have been very impressive.

But selecting a single advance in LNG is very difficult. If you compare one of the latest most sophisticated LNG-fuelled vessels, such as CMA CGM’s 23,000 TEU Jacques Saade – which is a superlative vessel – and compare it with the first LNG-fuelled vessels operating off Norway, which had tanks with a capacity of perhaps 300cbm, and did not even have gas compressors, every aspect of the vessel has been transformed. The Jacques Saade is a record-breaking vessel: The largest LNG tank. The biggest Otto cycle engine. Even MOL’s Gas agility vessel that will bunker the Jacques Saade is the largest ever built.

Q A

Are there any projects that you have been involved in since you joined GTT that have been technological landmarks?

I enjoyed the development of an LNG bunker barge fitted with a Membrane containment system in Conrad Shipyard in Texas, US that will serve TOTE’s Marlin Class container vessels. At the time, we did not know whether it would be a challenge to bunker a vessel with Type C tanks from a high-pressure system. Not only did we resolve that, but we have also successfully carried out bunkering in reverse. Now people forget that it was ever a challenge.

Q A

GTT has developed a set of close relationships in the world of LNG. Why do you think close relationships are so important for LNG containment?

Our close relationships reflect the technical advantages of our containment solutions, as well as our deep understanding of how LNG performs as a fuel. We undertook research projects into different aspects of LNG’s performance as a fuel, such as its ageing behaviour, or boil off rates in the past. To give you a specific example: we started to carry out research into LNG bunkering six years ago in order to be ready long before the first large scale LNG bunkering transfer. Thanks to the innovations that we carried out over

Q A

34 | JULY 2020

the last decades, we are considered as a reference to understand what is going on across the LNG vessel lifespan – we understand the integration of LNG into the ecosystem of the ship.

Another example of that is our experience developing solutions for the use of LNG carriersin Arctic operating conditions. [The Motorship notes that GTT has been chosen to supply NO96 GW membrane cryogenic containment systems to DSME for two of the largest Floating LNG storage units (FSUs) ever built that will operate in the Bay of Kamchatka for Novatek.]

The challenge of designing systems to operate in Arctic conditions affects everything from valve designs through to LNG pump towers and everything in between. This is an area that we have been carrying out research into for over 10 years. We began working on the qualification process with Yamal LNG and Total in 2008. This is an example of how our collaborative approach with our customers sets us apart.

8 Julien Bec

How would you characterise the growth of LNG as a fuel for marine propulsion?

I think we are undergoing a shift in fuel, like the Royal Navy’s switch from coal to oil before the First World War. I think that the shift to LNG is a similar transition. And I believe that in a century, they will look back on the Jacques Saade as a landmark project in the use of LNG.

Q A

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

MS100 Focus: GTT

8 LNG-fuelled vessels, such as the 400-metre long ultralarge container ship CMA CGM Jacques Saade (pictured), account for 17% of the global order book in 2019, on a gross tonnage basis

How has GTT prepared for the growth in demand for LNG as a fuel from different vessels?

Our designs for 174,000 cbm LNG carriers needed to be adapted for smaller tank sizes. One part of the change was developing solutions ahead of demand from new customer groups: this meant modifying the design so they could be fitted for new applications, by new entrant and smaller shipyards. The tanks also needed to be adapted to the operational profile of new vessel types using LNG as a fuel. This meant understanding the ageing of the LNG, the sloshing, the boil-off gas, the bunkering – and sorting out all the details for the crew.

Q A

How is GTT looking at improving the economics of switching to LNG in new vessel classes?

Another landmark project that we have been involved in was the retrofit project of the Sajir with Hapag-Lloyd.

This has been an important project for us in a lot of ways and has involved close cooperation with MAN ES and MAN Cryo.

We have looked at alternative approaches to working to ensure the economics of the retrofit.

By contrast, working within the tanker market has posed a different set of challenges. As OPEX are lower, it means we need to find other ways to lower the CAPEX to shorten the payback period. We have ways to ensure that the construction can be cost-efficient, making use of a section or block strategy, for example.

But even if the payback period for oil tankers is slightly longer than for containerships, the case remains attractive.

We are seeing rapid growth in LNG-fuelled Aframax and MR tanker orders, as well as the first LNG-fuelled VLCC projects.

And aside from the economics - you are assured of compliance with current and future IMO regulations..

Q A

What are the next vessel classes that you would expect to adopt LNG? The price structure is a key consideration for the Bulk carriers market. But I think the Newcastlemax and VLOC bulkers could be the next vessel class to switch to LNG. A second vessel class is PCTCs. First LNG orders already occurred and we know the auto industry is very keen to lower its CO2 footprint, and LNG is an interesting solution.

The wider tramp industry is limited by the need for the deployment of small LNG bunker vessels dedicated to ensuring availability in Asia and Africa.

Q A

Q A

How do you see LNG’s role as a fuel for marine transportation in 2050?

We anticipate that a number of different fuels will enter the marine fuel mix. But concentrating on the deep sea

market, which accounts for the majority of environmental emissions at the moment, DNV GL expects LNG to occupy a strong position in 2050 at about 40%.

Engine designers are continuing to improve the performance of their engines. We did not fix everything yet.

And remember that fuel density remains key in the deep sea market. Taking an ultra large container vessel as an example, a liquefied ammonia-fuelled ULCV would require a fuel tank of 36,000m3, twice the size of an LNG fuel tank. It will be then a challenge to make sure that container lines will keep a strong business model with such constraints.

How is the recent increase in interest in alternative fuels, such as ammonia and hydrogen, influencing how GTT selects areas in which to focus research?

I remember clearly discussing hydrogen as a fuel for cars in the 1990s, when it was regarded as tomorrow’s fuel. One of my bosses told me that it would still be tomorrow’s fuel when I retired. [laughs]. Introducing a new fuel is like space travel – to get to Mars, you do not have to fix one problem, but all of them.

But you have to have a vision when you are in business, and an idea of where will be the market. Particularly when there is such a long difference between product development cycles and customer order cycles.

As a company, we’re actively carrying out research into liquefied hydrogen and ammonia containment systems at the moment, and also looking into LBG and synthetic methane.

Liquefied hydrogen is interesting, as its cryogenic temperature (-253°C) poses challenges for large-scale containment designs. At -253°C, we are dealing with temperatures below nitrogen’s freezing point.

We are also involved in a research project in which we are looking at ammonia containments. Our challenge is to make sure that our containment designs, will be able to cope with ammonia specific constraints such as its corrosive properties.

Q A

I think we are undergoing a shift in fuel, like the Royal Navy’s switch from coal to oil before the First World War. I think that the shift to LNG is a similar transition. And I believe that in a century, they will look back on the Jacques Saade as a landmark project in the use of LNG

‘‘

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

JULY 2020 | 35

DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE

ABS OPTIMISATION OF DOUBLE SLOPE STERN TUBE BEARINGS Optimal geometric parameters for double slope aft stern-tube bearings have been determined to further reduce the risk of bearing failure When shafts bend inside the aft stern tube bearing, the white metal liner also compresses, impacting the oil film between the shaft and the bearing. Double slope stern tube bearings have led to a reduction in resulting failures compared to single angle, however, further work can be accomplished if one can determine the optimal parameters for the bearings when operating under extreme conditions.

The double slope design concept involves two angles and their transition point axial location or “knuckle point.” The design increases the contact area between the shaft and the bearing bottom and can reduce the risk of some bearing failures. However, the design calculations are not simple, and a new study published in Tribology International furthers the study of optimisation algorithms.

Researcher Chris Leontopoulos Director of Engineering, Global Ship Systems Centre, ABS, explains the challenge: “Optimising the two angles and the axial location of the knuckle point is a challenging calculation largely because of the oil film modelling, including variations on viscosity, temperature, shaft deformation and white metal deformation as well.”

EEDI and stern tube bearings The safety benefits of a double slope design have become more pressing. Vessels designed to meet the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) targets tend to have a more flexible hull, shorter shafts, high-powered slow speed engines and large diameter, heavy propellers. A larger propeller produces greater forces due to its interaction with water and therefore upsets the shaft and its angle with the bearing bottom much more readily. Environmentally acceptable lubricants are also regarded as more shaft alignment sensitive than traditional mineral oils, says Leontopoulos.

Single slope bearings have not prevented failures resulting in loss of propulsion in modern VLCCs and ULCCs. However, failure rate has decreased since 2017 after ABS pioneered the concept of the double slope bearing.

Excessive shaft load can cause oil film failure, metal-tometal contact and eventual wiping and complete bearing failure. Analysis of recent failures has shown that in several cases single slope designs were inadequate, being too

8 Environmentally acceptable lubricants are more shaft alignment sensitive than traditional mineral oils

36 | JULY 2020

shallow under the high loading, and double slope geometry should be implemented to reduce the load on the bearing and achieve acceptable safety levels.

As the misaligned shaft is brought closer to the bearing surface, minimum lubricant film thickness decreases, and the hydrodynamic lubrication film becomes less able to support additional radial loads. The pressure distribution of the lubricant is altered and will form a distinct peak, with maximum pressure being located closer to the aft edge of the bearing and the longitudinal position of minimum film thickness. This is the main reason why single or double slope bearing designs are proposed.

There have been a number of initial discussions as to whether a “knuckle point”, the transition from the main slope to the secondary slope, could cause a stress concentration, when the shaft rests heavily on this edge. “This is not the case,” Leontopoulos explains. “The shaft material is way harder than the white metal material, and the concept is that the shaft weight smooths out this edge by slightly permanently deforming it through compression of the white metal material. This effectively, increases the contact area between the curved shaft and the ‘sloped’ bearing bottom.

The bearing run-in procedure is a very important process so that this ‘bedding-in’ process between the shaft and the bearing occurs gradually and not in a forceful way. At the end of the bearing run-in procedure the knuckle point is effectively eliminated and the transition from the main slope to the secondary slope is gradual and seamless.”

Another debatable point is the axial position of the knuckle point from the aft edge of the bearing. The simulation optimisation results showed that the knuckle point should be positioned somewhere close to the middle of the bearing length. This would produce the lowest pressure and the highest contact area between the shaft and the bearing.

However, this contradicted the reality, where most of the times the aftmost bearings appeared to have failed by being

8 The safety benefits of double slope stern tube designs are increasingly topical as vessel designs evolve to meet IMO EEDI targets

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE wiped at an area of 1/3 to 1/4 from the aft edge. It was found that this was a result of the propeller forces consideration. If the vessel sails in a straight course, the propeller side forces when interacting with the water cause the propeller to slightly lift and sometimes to be slightly pushed downwards.

While this operational scenario represents typically 90 percent of the vessel’s sailing time, it is not the so-called “worst case” scenario.

Turning to worst case scenarios The latter typically occurs when the propeller pushes hard downwards when bending moments in the vertical directions prevail. This happens when the vessel turns starboard for a clockwise rotating propeller and can be further exacerbated when the propeller is close to the water surface or partially immersed. Other such loading scenarios may apply with twin-screw vessels producing side loads as well. These worse case scenarios where the propeller causes the shaft to further bend downwards are the culprits for disaster, says Leontopoulos. The shaft curvature increases, and the pressure is maximised towards the aft end of the bearing.

The secondary slope is then called upon to accommodate these increased pressures loads, and thus the knuckle point must exist at around 1/4 to 1/3 from the aft edge, in accordance to simulations under various loading scenarios.

“We have seen sometimes in single sloped bearings that the shaft itself wants to “dig” a secondary slope in a forceful way.

This is good if it is done in a controlled manner, however, most of the times this process results in bearing wiping and failure,” says Leontopoulos and adds: “If the shaft wants a second slope then the designer must prudently provide one.”

Leontopoulos, along with Professor Christos Papadopoulos and Georgios Rossopoulos of the National Technical University of Athens, calculated optimal angles and knuckle point parameters to further reduce the risk of failure. Optimal geometric parameters were determined for maximising the effective pressure area between the bearing and the propeller shaft and minimising the maximum local pressure exerted on the bearing surface.

The researchers evaluated the necessity of the double slope geometry for two highly misaligned shafts and compared optimal single and double slope designs in terms of bearing performance and safety margins. A double slope design model for a given set of system parameters, such as bearing load, bearing length/diameter and lubricant, is proposed in the study paper. The optimised designs presented increase the contact area between the shaft and the bearing bottom so that the bearing film does not collapse.

There are a number of loading scenarios for which optimisation can be performed, says Leontopoulos.

Therefore, there is not a single best optimisation that mathematically covers all loading scenarios (e.g. straight ahead, turning, laden, ballast, etc.)

The modelling ensured that the single and double slope inclination of the bearing was accurate. Additionally, an extensive study was conducted to ensure the shaft was modelled as a bent beam within the bearing length. This required coupling of the shaft alignment calculations with the performance calculations.

The researchers calculated the equilibrium of pressure distribution on the unwrapped journal bearing geometry using a computational approach evolved from the solution of the Reynolds differential equation. A general-purpose optimiser was then used to calculate the optimum geometry based on two objective functions. Optimum designs for single and double slope bearings were calculated, and the performance parameters of the designs were compared for

normal and extreme operational conditions: a partially immersed propeller and a starboard turn of a clockwise rotating propeller for various drafts. Each calculation phase involved a number of iteration loops until a new equilibrium and convergence was established.

When minimum lubricant film thickness and maximum longitudinal pressure are considered, a bent shaft model was critical for an accurate representation of the lubricant film thickness. The linear shaft model could not detect that the shaft was in contact to the bearing surface at the aft end of the bearing length, so it could potentially create an erroneous sense of safety.

The double slope design was mostly affected by the longitudinal position of the theoretical contact point and additional power losses rather than vertical offset of the bearing and minimisation of lubricant film thickness. This, said the researchers, is vital for the survivability of the vessel in extreme loading conditions which can take place due to bad weather or due to failure, overloading or malfunction of other components in the shafting system.

Further optimisation under even more extreme conditions than those covered in the study is possible. The researchers note that the double slope bearing is not complex to manufacture and yet may not be a panacea. “Triple sloped and multi-sloped bearings could be even better than double-sloped,” says Leontopoulos.

Ultimately, a bearing multi-slope optimisation process will be driven by the selection of the vessel’s significant operating conditions. If worst case scenarios are considered, the optimisation may be different to that for straight ahead. Future work could include experimental tests, simulations under transient and dynamic loads, thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic simulations and finite element method (FEM) calculations.

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

8 Optimising a double slope stern tube bearing involves a number of challenging calculations because of the oil film modelling, Dr Chris Leontopoulos noted

8 The performance parameters of the designs were compared for normal and extreme operational conditions

JULY 2020 | 37

SHIP DESCRIPTIONS

VIGOROUS JAPANESE RO-PAX FLEET RENEWAL

Image: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding

The latest phase of investment in Japanese long-distance ferries couples design refinement with advances in medium-speed diesel propulsion

Japan’s long-haul coastal ferry service network forms a vital part of the country’s transport infrastructure, and continues to see vigorous fleet modernisation and renewal.

Without exception, ro-pax newbuild tonnage is sourced from domestic yards, ensuring a regular flow of work for select shipbuilders.

National endeavours to bring about a modal shift, to get freight off the country’s congested highways and on to coastwise shipping, together with rising environmental concerns and a lack of truck drivers, are viewed as positive influences for the sector.

Yards for whom ro-pax ferries constitute a core business have steadily refined the ‘products’ and production processes, attuned to the requirements of a market in which the transport function, rather than the leisure travel aspect, has long been the predominant concern. Nonetheless, rising passenger expectations, coupled with the growing vacationer and tourist potential, reflect in the significant upgrade of interiors and onboard facilities represented in the latest tonnage, complementing technological progression and innovation.

A central criterion is operators’ demand for propulsion arrangements that offer the speed, power reserve and reliability to ensure schedules on long-distance, overnight coastal passages in heavily-trafficked waters. Intensely competitive conditions and the regulatory backcloth underpin the drive for increased energy efficiency and emission control. Notwithstanding the still considerable depth and reach of Japan’s maritime industries, recourse to European medium-speed enginetechnology remains an

38 | JULY 2020

8 Japanese long-haul coastal ferry Settsu uses the latest Finnish medium-speed diesel technology

important feature of successive generations of ro-pax ferries plying the Seto Inland Sea and coastal routes on the country’s ocean fringes.

New investment for the Shinmoji/Kobe run, linking northern Kyushu Island with central Japan, entailing a full traverse of the Inland Sea, has taken the form of two 195-metre ro-pax ferries incorporating the latest in Wärtsilä power and exhaust gas treatment. The 36,000gt Settsu recently made her debut on the 454km route operated by Hankyu Ferry Co, and is due to be followed shortly by second-of-class Yamato.

Adhering to a 23.5-knot service speed requirement, the newbuild pair denotes a substantial advance in operating performance, environmental rating and standard of passenger facilities relative to the outgoing generation which has maintained the route for the past 17 years.

Construction has been undertaken at the Enoura works of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) subsidiary Mitsubishi Shipbuilding at Shimonoseki, on the Kanmon Strait in western Japan. The owner has thereby kept faith with the yard where its two previous, similar ships, the Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS)-equipped Izumi and Hibiki, were completed in 2015 for deployment between Shinmoji and Izumiotsu (Osaka). Shimonoseki also turned out the 2003-built ferries now being replaced, the existing Yamato and sister Tsukushi.

Settsu and her future consort have each been arranged for 663 passengers and a ro-ro payload of up to 277 trucks of 8.5m maximum length, as is widely suited to Japanese road haulage and goods distribution, and about 188 cars. As

For the latest news and analysis go to www.motorship.com/news101

SHIP DESCRIPTIONS Interior design and layout has been undertaken in such a way as to enable passengers to enjoy panoramic night views of sea and sky primarily freight carriers, the linear capacity corresponds to about 2,700 lane metres on three decks. Vehicular access and egress is by way of two side ramps and a stern, axial ramp.

Shinmoji/Kobe sailings take 12.5 hours, with departures from each end of the run during the early evening, for early morning arrival at the destination port. Interior design and layout has been undertaken in such a way as to enable passengers to enjoy panoramic night views of sea and sky.

Optimisation of hydrodynamic aspects, in conjunction with the adoption of a specific design of medium-speed diesel propulsion machinery, has yielded an improvement of around 6% in energy efficiency compared to earlier vessels.

In fact, Settsu provides the first reference in the Japanese ferry market for Wärtsilä’s W31 design platform, widely considered to have raised the bar in four-stroke marine engine performance. The chosen installation consists of two 14-cylinder vee-type diesel models, affording a combined power concentration of 17,080kW. Sister newbuild Yamato, nearing completion at Shimonoseki, has identical plant.

Reckoned to be the most fuel-conservant engine in its class, the 310mm-bore W31 builds on the Finnish group’s long track record in the ubiquitous 320mm-bore category and represents the leading edge of its latest technological achievements in medium-speed technology. The design blend features common-rail fuel injection, hydraulic valve control, two-stage turbocharging, and the integrated UNIC engine management and control system.

While the achieved gains in fuel efficiency provide the companion benefit of reduced noxious and greenhouse gas emissions, the W31’s patented, twin-needle fuel injector, incorporating a dedicated low-load injection nozzle, also results in less soot and particles across the engine load range. Salient to ferry operators’ drive for increased passenger appeal, the W31 design team gave close attention to noise attenuation, and one element is the exhaust noise suppression achieved with two-stage turbocharging.

Hankyu Ferry nominated a Wärtsilä hybrid scrubber system to ensure compliance with the 0.5% sulphur limit.

Claimed to be the first exhaust gas scrubber in a Japanese ro-pax newbuild, the plant is fitted in the ship’s large funnel casing. The choice of a hybrid configuration, allowing operation in either closed- or open-loop mode, affords better protection of the Inland Sea eco-system, obviating wash water discharge into the coastal waters.

Hankyu Ferry is no stranger to the Wärtsilä marque, having nominated the latter’s 380mm-bore machinery for its preceding stage of fleet investment realised five years ago, and for the two 2003-built ships which are now being superseded by the Settsu sisters.

The 2015-delivered Izumi and Hibiki are powered by twin 12V38C installations, producing a total 17,400kW. The outgoing Yamato and Tsukushi are each fitted with two 16V38B main engines, giving an aggregate output of just over 20,000kW. The fact that the Settsu class, with a larger gross tonnage, has a lower power concentration that delivers an equivalent service speed and margin at a higher efficiency and reduced fuel consumption is indicative of the progression achieved with the W31 engine.

Image: Wärtsilä

‘‘

Japanese ferries remain highly dependent on shipboard power generation while in port, as ‘cold-ironing’ is as yet not widely available. The auxiliary outfit in the Settsu is based on three Yanmar 6EY22ALW gensets of 1,370kW. For the at-sea load, the rotational energy produced by the main engines is harnessed by two 1,600kW shaft generators.

To render the necessary manoeuvrability in all normal conditions, independent of tug assistance, each of the new vessels has been specified with two 1,150kW bow thrusters and two 825kW stern tunnel thrusters fitted in the centre skeg.

Other leading coastal ro-pax operators in Japan have subsequently also endorsed Wärtsilä’s 31-series machinery.

Each of two newbuilds on the orderbook for Shin Nihonkai Ferry at MHI’s Nagasaki complex will each have four 14V31 engines, totalling 34,160kW. Wärtsilä I-SOx open-loop scrubbers have additionally been specified throughout.

Shin-Nihonkai plans to allocate the vessels to the Yokosuka/ Shinmoji service on delivery in 2021. Each has been laid out to carry a maximum 154 trucks of 12m, plus 30 cars and 268 passengers.

Most recently, dual-fuel variants of the W31 have been nominated for two ro-pax units contracted by the MOL subsidiary Ferry Sunflower for 2023 delivery from the Shimonoseki yard. These will be Japan’s first LNG-fuelled ferry newbuilds.

8 The Wärtsilä 31 medium-speed series, seen here as a dual-fuel model, is finding increasing favour in the Japanese ro-pax market

PRINCIPAL PARTICULARS - Settsu Length overall 195.0m Length bp 179.6m Breadth 29.6m Depth 10.0m Draught 6.7m Passengers 663 Ro-ro capacity 277 trucks @8.5m length, 188 cars Gross tonnage 16,300t(Japanese)/circa 36,000t(international) Main engine power 2 x 8,540kW Speed, service 23.5kts Flag Japan

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JULY 2020 | 39

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JULY 2020 | 41

50 YEARS AGO

THE CHANGING FACE OF MARINE PROPULSION

MOTORSHIP

THE

INSIGHT FOR MARINE TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS

The international magazine for senior marine engineers EDITORIAL & CONTENT Editor: Nick Edstrom editor@mercatormedia.com News Reporter: Rebecca Jeffrey rjeffrey@mercatormedia.com Correspondents Please contact our correspondents at editor@motorship.com Bill Thomson, David Tinsley, Tom Todd, Stevie Knight Production Ian Swain, David Blake, Gary Betteridge production@mercatormedia.com SALES & MARKETING t +44 1329 825335 f +44 1329 550192

The Motorship, July 1970 heralded a new development in engine design. Although the leading editorial article acknowledged that the low speed two-stroke engine was likely to retain its market dominance, the medium speed engine had advantages applicable to several applications.

Current medium speed engines on sale and under development were limited to around 1,100 bhp/ cylinder, but a new joint design by Doxford and Hawthorn Leslie, known as the Seahorse, promised up to 2,500bhp per cylinder. This, it was thought, could prove attractive for larger tankers and container ships wanting to enjoy the benefits of twin-screw installations. Four to seven cylinder inline engines were on the drawing board, offering a potential maximum power of 17,500bhp per engine. Although the 300rpm speed was considered a little low, and the opposed piston design eroded some of the height advantage of the geared multi-engine medium speed engine room, the new engine offered significant space and weight savings.

The trend for more machinery automation continued, with Sulzer offering a pneumatic remote control for its RD and RND engines, designed to continue operating even in the event of a complete electrical failure. The compressed air system was chosen for reliability, with fine adjustment carried out by simple electronic circuitry; thus emergency control would always be possible, either the coarse adjustments via the pneumatic system from the wheelhouse, or manual controls in the machinery space.

The main ship description centred on a series of 24 11,914 dwt general cargo vessels for Brazil’s fleet replacement programme. They were being built in three series of eight, at Brazilian subsidiaries of Ishikawajima and Verolme as well as the domestic CCN shipyard. The Ishikawajima vessels were to use Sulzer machinery, the Verolme yard would build B&W engines under licence, and CCN opted for MAN propulsion. All would be supplied with a UK-made equipment package, part of a deal which included an

42 | JULY 2020

Brand manager: Toni-Rhiannon Sibley tsibley @mercatormedia.com 8 Itaquiche, first of a new 24-ship Brazilian fleet. Inset: Lips’ most powerful CP propeller weighed in at 142t

additional 11 coasters and a bulk carrier, also part of the fleet renewal. The deal, worth a total of £18.6million, involved cargo handling, automation, pumps and refrigeration, steering gear and navigation/communication aids.

The August 1970 issue of The Motorship expressed concern over marine fuel oil pricing, with the demand for heavy oils exceeding supply, forcing the cost differential between HFO and marine diesel to narrow appreciably. It suggested that we could see a return to distillate fuel, with consequent economies due to simpler fuel systems and fewer cylinder overhauls, and maybe prompting greater adoption of gas turbine power. An article in that issue put the case for gas turbine propulsion for container ships, which suggested fast-improving materials and blade cooling technology would allow engines to operate at higher temperatures, improving efficiency. Developments in aero engines would filter through to marine gas turbines, whose size and weight benefits would allow greater utilisation of space for cargo. “It is certain that the gas turbine has a future in shipping, even if it is not particularly economical today,” the article concluded.

Again with the growing container shipping segment in mind, Lips had introduced a controllable pitch propeller capable of handling up to 35,000 bhp, described as the most powerful CP propeller yet.

Eight of these had been ordered for a new class of gas turbine powered Seatrain lines twin-screw container vessels. The ships were designed for a 25 knot-plus service speed, and to be capable of attaining full power from a dead start in under two minutes. The report concluded that CP propellers had progressed from use on fishing vessels - even then with misgivings - to this application in relatively few years, and even higher powers would be specified.

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by Mercator Media Limited Spinnaker House, Waterside Gardens, Fareham, Hampshire PO16 8SD, UK t +44 1329 825335 f +44 1329 550192 info@mercatormedia.com www.mercatormedia.com

Subscriptions Subscriptions@motorship.com or subscribe online at www.motorship.com Also, sign up to the weekly TMS E-Newsletter 1 year’s magazine subscription £GBP178.50 UK & EURO Post area £GBP178.50 Rest of the World © Mercator Media Limited 2020. ISSN 0027-2000 (print) ISSN 2633-4488 (online). Established 1920. The Motorship is a trade mark of Mercator Media Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine can be reproduced without the written consent of Mercator Media Ltd. Registered in England Company Number 2427909. Registered office: Spinnaker House, Waterside Gardens, Fareham, Hampshire PO16 8SD, UK. Printed in the UK by Holbrooks Printers Ltd, Portsmouth, PO3 5HX. Distributed by Mail Options Ltd, Unit 41, Waterside Trading Centre, Trumpers Way, London W7 2QD, UK.

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