By
Alice Chambers |
The Netherlands-based institute for hydrodynamic and nautical research Marin has begun an EU-funded research and innovation project called Optiwise to demonstrate energy savings using wind propulsion and hydrodynamic improvements for commercial ships.
The three-year long project, which is supported by €5.1 million in funding, will involve extensive simulations where different disciplines, such as aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, routing and energy management will be brought holistically together.
Optiwise will then deliver open guidelines for integrated system optimisation with wind propulsion and smart measurement and control for best operation.
“Our overall ambition is to develop and employ holistic design and control methods for ground-breaking new ship concepts utilising wind propulsion while considering realistic operational scenarios,” said a spokesperson from the Optiwise consortium. “With these methods we expect to realise average energy savings between 30 and 50 per cent when compared to equivalent conventional ships while ensuring operational feasibility in a realistic wind climate.”
Partners contributing towards Optiwise include Core IC; SSPA; AYRO; Chantiers de l’Atlantique; Flikkema Innovation Management & Consultancy; Wärtsilä Netherlands; Università degli Studi di Genova; Euronav; and Anemoi Marine.
Optiwise will pursue its objectives by building sustainable passenger vessels with Chantiers de l’Atlinque Solid Sail, and by developing bulk carriers with ANEMOI Rotor Sails and tankers with AYRO OceanWings.
“We are aware of the huge challenge that the maritime industry is facing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions according to the International Maritime Organization’s ambition, and the gradually introduced regulations to advance this effort,” said Konstantinos Papoutsis, group sustainability manager at Euronav. “Zero-emission fuels are assumed to be the main solution. However, sufficient and affordable supply of such fuels is highly uncertain for the foreseeable future, which means that energy saving onboard is expected to be increasingly important, both environmentally and economically. We expect that the knowledge built through such research and development efforts will benefit the waterborne industry in its decarbonisation journey.”
The project will also deliver open guidelines for integrated system optimisation with wind propulsion and smart measurement for better control of ship operations. These guidelines will be demonstrated in experimental model tests, bridge simulations and measurements on wind propulsion.
“Fruitful and promising progress has been made with the introduction of new devices to the market, with more than 15 ships sailing commercially with wind propulsion in the world fleet,” said Rogier Eggers, project manager at Marin. “Wind propulsion is so far mostly applied without reconsidering the overall ship design and operations. Whereas that fits within a ‘business as usual’ scenario, it does limit the attainable savings. With Optiwise we are building on research and development with the consortium partners and re-thinking the design process and energy management of ships with wind propulsion, while still making sure that these ships conform to common operational and regulatory requirements. We thereby expect to enable and showcase much higher savings than what can be seen in the present market applications.”