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IEVING REAL CIENCY GAINS A Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan can be much more than just a plan. At best, it s a carefully chosen set of goals and actions. TEXT: KATJA ALAJA PHOTOS: WÄRTSILÄ, SHUTTERSTOCK 2.13 Twentyfour7. 39
Wärtsilä Optimisers monitoring system helps achieving SEEMP goals. The International Maritime Organization made Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plans (SEEMP) mandatory for all ships at the start of this year. A SEEMP is about optimizing ship handling, reducing fuel consumption and curbing CO2 emissions. Even so, not every newbuild or operational ship over 400 GT has the equipment to monitor and manage ship efficiency. A recent survey showed that some 40 percent of ship operators were not aware of the fuel savings that an SEEMP could create. We have identified savings up to 9 percent. These spell a reduced environmental footprint and a greener image, says Tommi Kauppinen, General Manager for Wärtsilä Optimisers programme. If an operator wants savings, the first step is to set goals. There are various ways that the operator can improve energy efficiency. The trim, rudder and stabiliser can be optimised. By continuously calculating a combinator curve, engine revolutions and propeller pitch can be adjusted to meet changing load conditions. Vessel speed and voyage planning also play a part. More savings can be obtained by optimising machinery efficiency. This could include re-configuration and upgrades of equipment, bringing engines and propulsors back to original performance, having a maintenance strategy and using original parts. Kauppinen describes Wärtsilä as the one-stop shop in the market, offering tools, reports, advisory services, products and solutions to improve the energy efficiency of ships. Anything that can be measured can be developed. We design everything from engines to entire ships, so we understand the savings each component brings, explains Tage Klockars, Director, Support&Development, Marine Agreements at Wärtsilä. So far there is no mandatory follow-up of Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plans, although Wärtsilä expects that the IMO will implement this at some time in the future. In the meantime, Klockars encourages clients to use their SEEMPs to make shipping as efficient as possible. FROM MONITORING TO ACTION The SEEMP method devised by Wärtsilä has four elements. The feasibility study is the first one. Operating and monitoring technical data of a ship gives more options to the client. We can do this from two months up to six months or even longer to get a realistic picture of fuel consumption, explains Kauppinen. Next the client can set goals and define actions, and let Wärtsilä install the technical platform that will collect data 40 Twentyfour7. 2.13
from different components and systems of the ship. The platform can collect data from all systems on board; from propellers, power management, and navigation up to the environment of the ship. This data is instantly available to the crew and shore staff as well as Wärtsilä s maintenance experts, explains Timo E. Lehtinen, CBM (Condition Based Maintenance) and Energy Efficiency Manager at Wärtsilä. The client or Wärtsilä can monitor data continuously and advise on how to develop energy efficiency. The ship crew can make immediate changes in navigation and the engine room personnel can make system adjustments. At a deeper level of cooperation with Wärtsilä, the client can order reports, utilize advisory and maintenance services and make even larger changes, such as product upgrades. There are many reports and advisory services available. An energy audit gives a holistic picture of energy efficiency. Trim and ballast advice is aimed at finding the right difference between the forward draft and after draft. Propulsion and engine power monitoring reveals energy consumption and production figures. Advanced dynamic voyage planning includes speed management and weather routing. As an example, a ship designed to 21 knots but currently operated at 18 knots because the operator wants to save fuel, is actually still optimized to work at 21 knots. Therefore it s worth studying whether efficiency could be improved by changing engine mapping, propeller blades or something else. EFFICIENCY WITH MAINTENANCE Because of its advanced technical platform, Wärtsilä can now measure the impact of SEEMP advice, maintenance, upgrades and conversions that it has done to a ship. The big benefit is that Wärtsilä can give performance guarantees. There is a lot of demand for this kind of information. One customer was amazed to find that the fuel savings from a new propeller exceeded our estimates. The data also helps us in product and service development, says Klockars. When a client has a service agreement with Wärtsilä, maintenance can be planned dynamically. For example, we can inspect the condition of the hull at the time of the SEEMP quarterly report and plan the optimal time for dry docking. Hull fouling or roughness can be tackled at the same time. Perhaps the propeller should be modernized too, or the fuel changed to gas to ensure lifecycle efficiency. Whatever is done, the aim is to keep the ship operating as well as when it was launched. The last part of the SEEMP is the annual review of results and setting new goals. Then the work and monitoring begin again. A UNIQUE TECHNICAL PLATFORM Wärtsilä has a unique technical platform for SEEMP monitoring and reporting and other functions. Installed on a ship, the platform can collect, filter, calculate, present and send data from different components and systems. These include all on-board systems from propellers, power management, and navigation to the ship s environment. This information with optional reports is available to the crew and also transmitted to experts ashore. The customisable SEEMP reporting templates are clear and easily understandable. Wärtsilä experts can access the data, analyse it and prepare advice. In short, the client and Wärtsilä communicate with each other through the platform. Manual measures and paperwork linked to the SEEMP are eliminated. The crew are bound to appreciate that, says Timo E. Lehtinen, CBM and Energy Efficiency Manager at Wärtsilä. CREATING AN SEEMP STUDY FEASIBILITY SET GOALS INSTALL TECHNICAL PLATFORM ANALYSE DATA REPORT & ADVISE REVIEW RESULTS 2.13 Twentyfour7. 41
NEW ROUTES TO EFFICIENCY Wärtsilä personnel are currently involved with three propeller efficiency improvement pilots. This increases understanding of the performance of ships using Wärtsilä systems. Instead of analysing total ship systems under prescribed speed and power constraints, it is more realistic to study ships in a variety of operating environments, says Leo B. De Vries, Senior Manager Propulsion Systems at Wärtsilä. He points out that the ability to detect changes with high accuracy is crucial for understanding the factors that influence ship efficiency. Moreover, when we study power and speed over time, instead of power and maximum speed, we can separate component characteristics that contribute to the overall behaviour of this ship. Controlling these is the ultimate goal. Initial results from the propeller efficiency improvement pilots are promising. Company experts have analysed the power versus speed curve, engine performance, emission levels, propeller performance and propulsor efficiency. It is somewhat like crime scene investigation, collecting field data and searching for correlations to deliver technically sound evidence. Regarding propulsor efficiency, Wärtsilä sees future possibilities beyond weather routing, taking environmental factors such as wind intensity into account. Wärtsilä experts have investigated various drive-train and operational strategies in order to identify and quantify fuel savings and emission reductions. They found that for a typical ferry, fuel savings and emission reductions beyond 3% are feasible while maintaining speed. Further optimizing the design of the propulsor and operation for real service conditions shows an even larger potential beyond 5%, de Vries notes. Investing into drive-train performance really brings results. 42 Twentyfour7. 2.13