Bulk Carrier to Ride on Bubbles to Reduce CO2 25%

[gf0012-aust]

Bulk Carrier to Ride on Bubbles to Reduce CO2 25%
Monday, October 17, 2011

(Photo: MHI)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed a new bulk carrier which it repotes will enable reductions in CO2 emissions by about 25% compared with conventional averaged bulk carriers. As the first commercial application of the new design, MHI will provide its conceptual design and green technologies to three grain carriers to be built for Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) of the U.S. MHI's new bulk carrier design adopts the company's proprietary Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS), which reduces frictional resistance between the vessel hull and seawater using air bubbles produced at the vessel bottom, along with high-efficiency hull form and enhanced propulsion system. Sumitomo Corporation of Japan has received the order for the ship construction from ADM, and Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of Nagasaki was selected to build the ships.

Besides the MALS, which uses blowers to create air bubbles under the vessel bottom, the three grain carriers will also feature a newly designed bow shape that will reduce wave-making resistances. For propulsion, the ship adopts a system to effectively convert the main engine power into propulsion power by positioning fins forward of the propellers and placing particular grooves in the propeller boss cap. MHI developed the MALS as a key measure to reduce CO2 emissions from ships. ADM's ships will be the first case in which MHI provides the system to another shipbuilder.

The three grain carriers will be 95,000 dwt vessels: 237m in length, 40m in width, and 12.5m in designed draft. The shallow draft of the ships facilitates the pursuit of energy savings and CO2 emission reduction efficiency by MALS. Oshima Shipbuilding will perform from the basic design work through construction based on the conceptual design and green technologies provided by MHI. Delivery of equipment related to MALS system from MHI is slated for 2014.

The talks to build the three dry bulk carriers began between ADM and MHI. MHI's Shipbuilding & Ocean Development segment has been implementing a policy to promote engineering business, including technological support to other shipbuilders. Under this policy, the company decided to collaborate for this time with Oshima Shipbuilding, a firm that has earned a solid reputation in bulk carrier design and construction through delivery/order receipt of about 60 post-Panamax* class ships. The collaboration has enabled the two companies to provide enhanced cost effectiveness to the customer.

ADM is one of the U.S.'s top-ranking grain companies. The three bulk carriers, which mark the first new shipbuilding order placed by ADM, are designed to accommodate new post-Panamax* needs.

The new bulk carriers are designed to make an important contribution to international efforts to fight global warming, a demand that is especially strong in the case of oceangoing vessels. Going forward MHI will continue to accord priority to the development of vessels addressing CO2 reduction needs by focusing on development of its "Eco-ship" and sales expansion of related systems and equipment.

Bulk Carrier to Ride on Bubbles to Reduce CO2

Interesting tech solution which I can see being relevant for some mil requirements.
It's a bastardised version of plasma generation first used by the americans in their own cavitating torpedo experiments done in the 70's (some 20 years before everyone got over excited about the Russian Skval cavitating torpedo).

It's been a while since I attended the briefs on cavitating/plasma tech in Hawai'i in 2002 but the concepts seem to be the same

 

[aussienscale]

Bulk Carrier to Ride on Bubbles to Reduce CO2 25%
Monday, October 17, 2011

(Photo: MHI)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed a new bulk carrier which it repotes will enable reductions in CO2 emissions by about 25% compared with conventional averaged bulk carriers. As the first commercial application of the new design, MHI will provide its conceptual design and green technologies to three grain carriers to be built for Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) of the U.S. MHI's new bulk carrier design adopts the company's proprietary Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System (MALS), which reduces frictional resistance between the vessel hull and seawater using air bubbles produced at the vessel bottom, along with high-efficiency hull form and enhanced propulsion system. Sumitomo Corporation of Japan has received the order for the ship construction from ADM, and Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of Nagasaki was selected to build the ships.

Besides the MALS, which uses blowers to create air bubbles under the vessel bottom, the three grain carriers will also feature a newly designed bow shape that will reduce wave-making resistances. For propulsion, the ship adopts a system to effectively convert the main engine power into propulsion power by positioning fins forward of the propellers and placing particular grooves in the propeller boss cap. MHI developed the MALS as a key measure to reduce CO2 emissions from ships. ADM's ships will be the first case in which MHI provides the system to another shipbuilder.

The three grain carriers will be 95,000 dwt vessels: 237m in length, 40m in width, and 12.5m in designed draft. The shallow draft of the ships facilitates the pursuit of energy savings and CO2 emission reduction efficiency by MALS. Oshima Shipbuilding will perform from the basic design work through construction based on the conceptual design and green technologies provided by MHI. Delivery of equipment related to MALS system from MHI is slated for 2014.

The talks to build the three dry bulk carriers began between ADM and MHI. MHI's Shipbuilding & Ocean Development segment has been implementing a policy to promote engineering business, including technological support to other shipbuilders. Under this policy, the company decided to collaborate for this time with Oshima Shipbuilding, a firm that has earned a solid reputation in bulk carrier design and construction through delivery/order receipt of about 60 post-Panamax* class ships. The collaboration has enabled the two companies to provide enhanced cost effectiveness to the customer.

ADM is one of the U.S.'s top-ranking grain companies. The three bulk carriers, which mark the first new shipbuilding order placed by ADM, are designed to accommodate new post-Panamax* needs.

The new bulk carriers are designed to make an important contribution to international efforts to fight global warming, a demand that is especially strong in the case of oceangoing vessels. Going forward MHI will continue to accord priority to the development of vessels addressing CO2 reduction needs by focusing on development of its "Eco-ship" and sales expansion of related systems and equipment.

Bulk Carrier to Ride on Bubbles to Reduce CO2

Interesting tech solution which I can see being relevant for some mil requirements.
It's a bastardised version of plasma generation first used by the americans in their own cavitating torpedo experiments done in the 70's (some 20 years before everyone got over excited about the Russian Skval cavitating torpedo).

It's been a while since I attended the briefs on cavitating/plasma tech in Hawai'i in 2002 but the concepts seem to be the same

Very interesting GF, from a military application point of view, what potential issues do you see with this as far as acoustic signatures go ? Pro's and Con's ? Could this wipe out or mask accoustic signatures of not only class/type of ship but also individual characteristics ?

Cheers

 

[StevoJH]

Would i be correct in assuming that a 25% decrease in emissions would roughly equal a 25% reduction in fuel usage?

Depending on implementation cost that would be a massive cost saving for shipping companies, and if passed on to the consumer it would give a significant decrease in freight costs.

 

[stuuu28]

Prairie / Masker

Very interesting GF, from a military application point of view, what potential issues do you see with this as far as acoustic signatures go ? Pro's and Con's ? Could this wipe out or mask accoustic signatures of not only class/type of ship but also individual characteristics ?

Cheers

Would not ships fitted with this system have noticed a difference in speed when it was operating as it looks like the same principal, or is it a matter of the scale.

Prairie / Masker

 

[My2Cents]

This quote is from the original article.

For propulsion, the ship adopts a system to effectively convert the main engine power into propulsion power by positioning fins forward of the propellers and placing particular grooves in the propeller boss cap.

Does anyone here know if this is a major change in propeller design, or are these just minor tweeks?

Thanks in advance.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Does anyone here know if this is a major change in propeller design, or are these just minor tweeks?

Thanks in advance.

only familiar with sub propellers, and they have basically reached the limits of current design tech.

merchies and the like have their props designed for different performance parameters, so I would have thought that as their primary design motivation is very different from subs that there would still be potential for improvement.

maybe alexas will do a drive by and comment as he's better placed to give an informed view...

 

[kato]

Does anyone here know if this is a major change in propeller design, or are these just minor tweeks?

Imho that's minor tweaks to improve waterflow ducting over the propeller.

 

[alexsa]

CO2 is a big issue for IMO and they are looking at technology to reduce all emmissions. Changes adopted in Annex VI of MARPOL are progressively coming into force to reduce SOx and NOx emmissions.

Merchant ships are very good at getting the most out of their fuel with HFO now runing at 500USD a tone and MDO at over 1000USD a tonnes. 1980 built box boats were buring 140 to 160 tonnes a day for 4000 TEU where the same capacity may burn as little as 85 tonnes on more modern vessels. The fuel burn per container for a given distacne is incredibly low compare to road or rail transport but its efficiency is best over longer distances.

The concept will be sound (see attached) but how it behaves in real life (remember the computrised sails on cargo ships) is a different issue. If the system is costly to fit AND maintain it may go the way of other grand ideas.... one or two will be built and it will be dropped as engine technology continues to develop. I would note that air lubrication only provide 5 to 10% with the rest of the 25 to 30% coming from other measures. I would also not the many of these measures (waste heat boilers) are already in use.

Happy reading.... it discussed prop design and rudder bulbs as well.

http://www.greenship.org/fpublic/gr...AL/GSF Bulk Carrier Concept Study - FINAL.pdf

 

[Twinblade]

Bulk Carrier to Ride on Bubbles to Reduce CO2

Interesting tech solution which I can see being relevant for some mil requirements.
It's a bastardised version of plasma generation first used by the americans in their own cavitating torpedo experiments done in the 70's (some 20 years before everyone got over excited about the Russian Skval cavitating torpedo).

It's been a while since I attended the briefs on cavitating/plasma tech in Hawai'i in 2002 but the concepts seem to be the same

Interesting. What will be the effect of prolonged periods of cavitation on ship's hull ? Isn't it going to cause surface defects on hull like on propellers ?

 

[My2Cents]

Interesting. What will be the effect of prolonged periods of cavitation on ship's hull ? Isn't it going to cause surface defects on hull like on propellers ?

Completely different phenomena. These are air bubbles, they dissipate when they reach the surface and pop, or when the air inside is absorbed into the surrounding water.

Cavitation bubbles are created by shear forces and are a hard vacuum inside. They implode almost as soon as they are formed, propelled by external pressure and surface tension at speeds up to that of sound in the liquid.

 

[alexsa]

Very interesting GF, from a military application point of view, what potential issues do you see with this as far as acoustic signatures go ? Pro's and Con's ? Could this wipe out or mask accoustic signatures of not only class/type of ship but also individual characteristics ?

Cheers

I doubt you would get much masking as slow speed two strokes engines have all the silence of a steam hammer. Mountings on commercial ships are opmised for protection of the machinery as opposed to the noise the may genrate. That big slow speed prop is also going to be almost impossible to hide from a noise perspective as ships run at 'full sea speed" (basically maximum sustainable power in most cases) to achive a service speed of what may be 15 to 17 knos for the vast majority of merchant ships.

This being said large ships wtih powerful slow speed plants are an impressive animals and some can punch though conditions that would stop a warship in it tracks. As an example I was Chief Officer on a 230m container ship running chilled cargo. We would sustain 25 to 26 knots for the entire voyage in anything up to, and including, sea state 6 and did not slow up much in 7. Depending on where the the sea was coming from we would still be hiking at 8.

 

[localhost127]

only familiar with sub propellers, and they have basically reached the limits of current design tech.
.

sorry for tangent - do you have any good links, documents, etc of sub prop design that is in the public domain? even if it is very high-level (something for the novice to chew on?)

thank you -

 

[gf0012-aust]

sorry for tangent - do you have any good links, documents, etc of sub prop design that is in the public domain? even if it is very high-level (something for the novice to chew on?)

thank you -

can't say i have.

even when on an assessment team for some sub projects, the prop side of the eval and the data behind them was tightly managed. even those with the highest "core" clearance levels were not entitled to see that data