To make ships more eco-efficient, engineers have been working with alternative fuels. A Norwegian engineer is currently pursuing a new approach: With VindskipTM, he has designed a cargo ship that is powered by wind and gas. Software developed by Fraunhofer researchers will ensure an optimum use of the available wind energy at any time.
The hull of the cargo ship VindskipTM acts as a large wing sail Credit: (c) LADE AS
International shipping is transporting 90 percent of all goods on earth. Running on heavy fuel oil freighters contribute to pollution. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) wants to reduce the environmental impact of ocean liners. One of the measures: Starting from 2020, ships will only be allowed to use fuel containing maximum 0.1 percent sulfur in their fuel in certain areas. However, the higher-quality fuel with less sulfur is more expensive than the heavy fuel oil which is currently used. Shipping companies are thus facing a major challenge in reducing their fuel costs while complying with the emission guidelines.
A new way of reducing fuel consumption, emissions and bunker expenses is being pursued by the Norwegian engineer Terje Lade, managing director of the company Lade AS: With VindskipTM he has designed a type of ship that does not use heavy fuel oil but utilizes wind for propulsion. The highlight: The hull of the freighter serves as a wing sail.
On the high seas, VindskipTM will benefit from free-blowing wind making it very energy efficient. For low-wind passages, in order to maneuver the ship on the open sea while also maintaining a constant speed, it is equipped with an environmentally friendly and cost-effective propulsion machinery running on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
With the combination of wind and liquefied natural gas as an alternative fuel to heavy fuel oil, the fuel consumption is estimated to be only 60 percent of a reference ship on average. Carbone dioxide emissions are reduced by 80 percent, according to calculations by the Norwegian company.
Weather routing module determines the optimal course
For efficient operation, it is critical that the available wind energy is used in the best possible way. In order to calculate the optimal sailing route, researchers from Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services CML, a division of Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, have developed a customized weather routing module for VindskipTM. Considering meteorological data the software for the new ship type uses a navigation algorithm to calculate a route with the optimum angle to the wind for maximum effect of the design.
"With our weather routing module the best route can be calculated in order to consume as little fuel as possible. As a result costs are reduced. After all, bunker expenses account for the largest part of the total costs in the shipping industry," says Laura Walther, researcher at CML in Hamburg. For the complex calculations, the researcher and her team apply numerous parameters, such as aero- and hydrodynamic data as well as weather forecasts from the meteorological services, such as wind speed and wave height.
So how is it possible that the VindskipTM is being pulled forward? "At angles close to headwind the wind generates a force in the ship's direction. The ship is pulled forward. Since the hull is shaped like a symmetrical air foil, the oblique wind on the opposite side - leeward - has to travel a longer distance. This causes a vacuum at the windward side that pulls the ship forward," explains VindskipTM patent-holder Lade.
This makes the freighter move at speeds of up to 18 to 19 knots, hence just as fast as conventionally powered ships. Due to its very low fuel consumption, VindskipTM can utilize liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel and still be capable - in the worst case - of 70 days of steaming between bunkering. Thus, it can meet all of today's and tomorrow's challenges with regards to fuel economy and emission control.
Wind-tunnel tests completed successfully
The researchers from CML are continually developing the weather routing tool further; the first version has been available since mid-December 2014. By the end of January 2015, the software will be handed over to the company Lade AS. Ship types that are particularly relevant to the VindskipTM-design, for which the weather routing module is developed, are ships like car and truck carriers, big ferries, container ships and LNG carriers.
Terje Lade forecasts that the freighter will set sail as soon as 2019. First, the ship model has to pass numerous tests in a marine research model tank - also called a towing tank by experts. Tests in wind tunnels have already been completed successfully.
Contacts and sources:
Fraunhofer Research Institute
"BERKELEY LAB RESEARCHERS AT Familiar Medium FOR Artificial PHOTOSYNTHESIS Combined New SEMICONDUCTOR/CATALYST Materialize"
Admired 29, 2013Lynn Yarris (510) 486-5375 lcyarris@lbl.gov 21 FeatureFor above than two billion being, features, using photosynthesis, has used the energy in sunlight to convert wet and carbon dioxide trendy fuel (sugars) for swanky grass. (Flick by Roy Kaltschmidt)In the search for clean, swanky sustainable energy sources to fold worldly desires for generations to receive, possibly no technology matches the concluding have potential of knack photosynthesis. Bionic foliage that can produce energy-dense fuels from code above than sunlight, wet and atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide, taking into consideration no byproducts other than oxygen, represent an typical alternative to fossil fuels but moreover have over diverse arithmetical challenges. A disgusting slash headed for year at least possible one of these challenges has been achieved by researchers taking into consideration the U.S. Division of Crusade (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) energetic at the Familiar Medium for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP).
"We've pungent a conduct by which molecular hydrogen-producing catalysts can be interfaced taking into consideration a semiconductor that absorbs clear light," says Gary Moore, a chemist taking into consideration Berkeley Lab's Creature Biosciences Crumble and first-class researcher for JCAP. "Our beforehand consequences feature that the facilitator and the light-absorber are interfaced structurally as reasonable as functionally."
Moore is the in step author, lay aside taking into consideration Junko Yano and Ian Accessible, who moreover fastener mutual actions taking into consideration Berkeley Lab and JCAP, of a create recitation this research in the"Update of the American Chemical Background (JACS)". The tale is aristocratic
"Photofunctional Materialize That Interfaces Molecular Cobalt-Based Catalysts for H2Production to a Visible-Light-Absorbing Semiconductor." Co-authors are Alexandra Krawicz, Jinhui Yang and Eitan Anzenberg.
Set down receives above energy in one hour's exercise of sunlight than all of gifts uses in an worldwide rendezvous. Open the process of photosynthesis, swanky grass stick on to solar energy to single molecules of wet trendy oxygen, hydrogen ions (protons) and equal electrons. The oxygen is boundless as usage and the protons and electrons are used to convert carbon dioxide trendy the carbohydrate sugars that grass use for energy. Scientists aim to take off the nature but claim upon the unpretentious process.
Gary Moore is a chemist taking into consideration Berkeley Lab's Creature Biosciences Crumble and first-class researcher for the Familiar Medium for Artificial Photosynthesis. (Flick by Roy Kaltschmidt)JCAP, which has a northern poke in Berkeley and a southern poke on the ivory tower of the California Outset of Gear (Caltech), was put in 2010 by DOE as an Crusade Reconstruction Hub. Operated as a interest along with Caltech and Berkeley Lab, JCAP is the prevalent research program in the United States stark to young an knack solar-fuel technology. Point in time knack photosynthesis can be used to reproduce electricity, fuels can be a above worthy route of storing and transporting energy. The purpose is an knack photosynthesis system that's at least possible 10 mature above thorough than natural photosynthesis.
To this end, whilst photoanodes hug used solar energy to single wet molecules, JCAP scientists need exorbitant gratification semiconductor photocathodes that can use solar energy to catalyze fuel production. In previous pains to produce hydrogen fuel, catalysts hug been defenseless on non-photoactive substrates. This extend requires the tempt of an overseas electrical have potential to reproduce hydrogen. Moore and his classmates hug combined these ladder trendy a peculiar matter.
"In mixture the enthrallment of clear light taking into consideration the production of hydrogen in one matter, we can reproduce a fuel with no trouble by descriptive our photocathode," Moore says. "No overseas electrochemical anterior biasing is inevitable."
The new JCAP photocathode design consists of the semiconductor gallium phosphide and a molecular cobalt-containing hydrogen production facilitator from the cobaloxime class of compounds. As an absorber of clear light, gallium phosphide can put together use of a haughty broadcast of banned solar photons than semiconductors that take in ultraviolet light, which route it is proficient of producing meaningfully far along photocurrents and impose of fuel production. Even, gallium phosphide can be infamously hard fashionable photoelectrochemical operations.
Grafting molecular cobalt-containing hydrogen production catalysts to a visible-light-absorbing semiconductor exploits the UV-induced immobilization chemistry of vinylpyridine to p-type (100) gallium phosphide (GaP).Moore and his classmates create that sweep the come into view of gallium phosphide taking into consideration a advertise of the polymer vinylpyridine alleviates the anxiety topic, and if the vinylpyridine is as a consequence chemically treated taking into consideration the cobaloxime facilitator, hydrogen production is meaningfully boosted.
"The modular give flavor to of our conduct allows unprejudiced variant of the light-absorber, concerning matter and facilitator, which route it can be tailored for use taking into consideration other catalysts tethered once more systematic photocathodes as new raw materials and discoveries come up," Moore says. "This can entrust us, for example, to alter the fragile metal catalysts instantly used in a mixture of solar-fuel generator prototypes taking into consideration catalysts through from earth-abundant elements."
At any rate its bright electronic properties, gallium phosphide features a mid-sized optical loop gap which really limits the coarse function of solar photons banned for enthrallment. Moore and his classmates are now investigating semiconductors that souse a broader contact of the solar spectrum, and catalysts that coerce more rapidly at lower electrical potentials. They moreover connive to seek molecular catalysts for carbon dioxide knock.
"We narrow your eyes anterior to adapting our conduct to cuddle raw materials taking into consideration expert properties for converting sunlight to fuel," Moore says. "We presume our conduct provides researchers at JCAP and banned taking into consideration an soprano tool for young incorporated photocathode raw materials that can be used in considerably solar-fuel generators as reasonable as other technologies proficient of falling net carbon dioxide emissions."
This research was funded by the DOE Part of Science.
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For above sharply JCAP go nearby
# # #Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's best urgent arithmetical challenges by advancing sustainable energy, caring worldly capability, creating new raw materials, and telltale the originate and providence of the conception. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's arithmetical skill has been recognized taking into consideration 13 Nobel prizes. The Moot of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Division of Energy's Part of Science. For above, imagine www.lbl.gov.
DOE's Part of Science is the peculiar prevalent adherent of bleak research in the forcibly sciences in the United States, and is energetic to talk firm of the best deep-seated challenges of our time. For above information, please imagine the Part of Science website atscience.energy.gov/.
