Session: 06-01-01 Computational Mechanics and Design Applications
Paper Number: 79031
79031 - A Life-Cycle Cost Framework for Onboard Emission Reduction Technologies: The Case of the Flapping-Foil Thruster Propulsion Innovation
Decarbonization is considered one of the major objectives for maritime industry in the decades to come. Several attempts are made through innovative technologies to reduce the negative environmental footprint of the maritime sector, and shift towards increased energy efficiency. To deal with the decarbonization challenge in an efficient way in terms of cost-effectiveness, reliability and feasibility for newbuilding and retrofit solutions, Seatech H2020 project (https://seatech2020.eu/) develops a flapping-foil thruster propulsion innovation, together with a dual-fuel engine innovation to increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions of NOx, SOx, CO2 and Particulate Matters (PMs). This paper focuses only on the foil thruster and deals with its initial conceptual design by taking also into account economic aspects from a life cycle perspective.
The foil thruster, arranged below the hull of the ship, at its bow, utilizes the energy from wave-induced motions by converting it into useful propulsive power. Thus, within a range of compatible weather states, the operation of the foil thruster can significantly reduce the fuel consumption.
The initial challenge regarding the foil thruster installation is to fully define in detail the various systems, components, subcomponents and parts of the installation, down to the material level. The implemented approach and the respective results are presented in detail. Indicatively, the first level of the foil’s systems comprised of the foil per se, its supporting structure which enables retraction and the mechanical system which enables the rotation (pitching motion) of the foil.
Furthermore, in order the maritime sector to adopt this type of innovation, economic aspects should also be taken into consideration. Thus, a comprehensive and holistic view of the economic impacts of such technology for the ship owners should be incorporated early into the design phase. In this context, this paper illustrates also a life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) framework that is implemented for the foil thruster and contains all four phases of the system’s life cycle: (i) the construction phase, which includes the cost for materials, processing, assembly and installation, (ii) the operation phase, considering all consumables and energy consumption, (iii) the maintenance phase, regarding service and spare parts costs, and finally (iv) the disposal phase, as the end-of-life and recycling stage of the system. The overall methodology of the LCCA, following the breakdown analysis of the foil thruster installation, includes the model selection for cost estimation (detailed, parametric or analogy), the data collection, the cost estimates, considering present values, and the final evaluation of the investment.
Following this rationale, the results from the materialisation of the LCCA provide significant insight with respect to the lifecycle costs, installation and operational requirements, reliability, manufacturing requirements and product disposal requirements of the foil thruster and may support the decision-making process for newbuilding and retrofitting investments.
Presenting Author: Manolis Annetis National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)
Authors:
Nikolaos Ventikos National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)Lokukaluge Prasad Perera UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Panagiotis Sotiralis National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)
Manolis Annetis National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)
Eirini Stamatopoulou National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)
A Life-Cycle Cost Framework for Onboard Emission Reduction Technologies: The Case of the Flapping-Foil Thruster Propulsion Innovation
Paper Type
Technical Paper Publication