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Investigation of ship cooling system operation for improving energy efficiency

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Abstract

The application of recently introduced IMO regulations for reduction of CO2 gaseous emissions as well as the initiatives for greener shipping rendered the efforts for improving on board energy system performance to be of high priority. This study focuses on the investigation of the on board operation of the combined sea/freshwater cooling system of a merchant ship. The detailed model of a cooling system is presented based on the energy and mass conservation laws. The simulation input data include the system geometry and arrangement, the operational characteristics of cooling pumps, the control scenarios for the system valves as well as data for calculating the pipes friction and minor losses coefficients, wherefrom the system performance parameters can be calculated. The cooling system energy consumption was estimated considering a typical annual ship operational profile. Two cases were investigated: first, a conventional case of controlling the seawater and freshwater temperatures using three-way valves and, second, a more sophisticated case of installing variable speed motors for driving the system pumps. The obtained results are compared in terms of annual power consumption leading to conclusions about the system performance. The developed models can be used as an assessment tool for improving the shipboard power demand early in the design stage as well as during operation.

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Abbreviations

D/E:

Diesel engine

D/G:

Diesel/electric generator

FW:

Freshwater

HT:

High temperature

JW:

Jacket water

LT:

Low temperature

MCR:

Maximum continuous rating

M/E:

Main engine

SW:

Seawater

VFD:

Variable frequency drive

a, b, c :

Constants (−)

A :

Pipe cross-sectional area (m2)

c p :

Specific heat at constant pressure (J/kg K)

D :

Pipe hydraulic diameter (m)

e/D:

Relative roughness (−)

E :

Energy (kWh)

f :

Friction factor (−)

g :

Gravitational acceleration (m/s2)

h :

Head (m)

H :

Operating hours (h)

K :

Loss coefficient (−)

L :

Pipe length (m)

N :

Rotational speed (r/min)

P :

Power (W)

POT:

Percentage of time (%)

\(\dot{Q}\) :

Transferred heat rate (W)

Re :

Reynolds number (−)

T :

Temperature (K)

\(\dot{V}\) :

Volumetric flow rate (m3/s)

z :

Elevation (m)

Δ:

Difference

η :

Efficiency (−)

ρ :

Fluid density (kg/m3)

C:

Cold side

CC:

Central cooler

d:

Drive

hot:

Hot side

HE:

Heat exchanger

HTFW:

High-temperature freshwater

in:

Inlet

JW:

Jacket water

LT:

Low temperature

m:

Motor

ME:

Main engine

o:

Outlet

p:

Pump

References

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the European Commission through the research project JOULES (http://www.joules-project.eu), which is jointly funded by the 7th Framework Programme and the industry, for the work reported in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G4 0LZ, UK

    Gerasimos Theotokatos, Konstantinos Sfakianakis & Dracos Vassalos

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  1. Gerasimos Theotokatos
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  2. Konstantinos Sfakianakis
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  3. Dracos Vassalos
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Correspondence to Gerasimos Theotokatos.

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Theotokatos, G., Sfakianakis, K. & Vassalos, D. Investigation of ship cooling system operation for improving energy efficiency. J Mar Sci Technol 22, 38–50 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00773-016-0395-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00773-016-0395-9

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