The post Season’s greetings appeared first on Sea Green Engineering.

Sea Green Engineering ha completato il concept design di FARAD, il vaporetto full-electric innovativo a supercondensatori (noti anche come ultracondensatori).

Il profilo operativo dei vaporetti è caratterizzato da numerosi picchi di potenza, che si verificano principalmente durante le fasi transitorie di manovra, mentre la potenza media assorbita è generalmente bassa a causa delle limitazioni di velocità nelle acque interne della laguna di Venezia.

Questo tipo di profilo operativo ha spinto il team della Sea Green Engineering ad individuare una tecnologia alternativa alle batterie che, in questo caso, risulterebbero troppo stressate. Quindi, FARAD è stato progettato con un sistema di accumulo energetico basato su supercondensatori. Si tratta di una tecnologia in rapido sviluppo e sempre più usata nel trasporto terrestre per autobus o tram, mentre nel campo navale trova applicazione ancora in poche realtà e principalmente, con la funzione di peak shaving, per diminuire il deterioramento delle batterie.

FARAD si ricarica molto rapidamente e riesce a sfruttare le numerose fermate per l’imbarco e lo sbarco dei passeggeri per accumulare energia. Questo perché all’interno dei supercondensatori non avviene alcuna reazione chimica, al contrario delle batterie. Inoltre, i supercondensatori possono operare per centinaia di migliaia di cicli (anche caratterizzati da frequenti picchi di potenza) senza deteriorarsi.

FARAD permette di avere costi operativi molto bassi, sia rispetto a imbarcazioni tradizionali, con motore a combustione interna, sia rispetto a quelle full electric a batterie.

Nonostante i supercondensatori abbiano una densità energetica non molto elevata, costituiscono la soluzione ideale per mezzi che fanno numerose fermate e che hanno un consumo energetico relativamente basso, come nel caso, appunto, dei vaporetti. FARAD può quindi essere il punto di svolta per il trasporto pubblico in acque interne, permettendo ricariche rapide, lunga vita del sistema e zero-emissioni a bordo.

Oltre ai waterbus, il concetto di FARAD può essere vincente in tutte le situazioni in cui una bassa richiesta energetica si accompagna a soste frequenti come, ad esempio, nei double ended ferries, quando questi percorrono una rotta molto breve per diverse volte durante la stessa giornata.

– – –

ENGLISH VERSION:

FARAD – Supercapacitor waterbus

Sea Green Engineering has completed the concept design of FARAD, the innovative full-electric waterbus powered by supercapacitors (also called ultracapacitors).

The operating profile of the vaporetto (Venice’s waterbus) is characterized by several power peaks, which occur mainly during the maneuvering phases, whereas the average absorbed power is generally low, due to speed limitations in the inland waters of the Venice lagoon.

It inspired the Sea Green Engineering’s team to find alternative zero emission solution to BESS (battery energy storage system), that would be over-stressed with this kind of operative profile. Therefore, FARAD was designed with an energy storage system based on supercapacitors. This is a rapidly developing technology and is increasingly used in land transport for buses or tramways, whereas in the marine sector it is still mainly applied with the peak shaving function, to decrease the deterioration of the BESS.

FARAD recharges very quickly during the many stops for boarding passengers. This because inside the supercapacitors there is no chemical reaction, opposite to the case of batteries. In addition, supercapacitors can operate for hundreds of thousands of cycles (even characterized by frequent power peaks) without deteriorating.

FARAD’s OPEX is quite low, both compared to vessels equipped with internal combustion engine and compared to fully electric vessels equipped with BESS.

Although supercapacitors do not have a very high energy density, they are the ideal solution for vehicles that make many stops and have a relatively low energy consumption, as waterbuses. FARAD can therefore be the turning point for public transport in inland waters, allowing fast recharging, long life of the system and zero emissions on board. In addition to waterbuses, the FARAD concept can be successful in all situations where a low energy demand is combined with frequent stops such as, for example, in double ended ferries, when they cover a very short route several times per day.

The post FARAD – Vaporetto a supercondensatori appeared first on Sea Green Engineering.

You think it, we do it!

The post Full electric HSC passenger ferry appeared first on Sea Green Engineering.

The main purpose of this two-year JIP is to design, build and test the prototype engine rooms of the future to assure reliable operations in realistic conditions while meeting functional and emission requirements. This project is a great way to shape the future of navigation and energy transition in the maritime sector: we will study different types of vessels, from inland work vessels to sea going research vessels, from passenger ships to mega yachts.

More than 90% of world trade is transported by sea and it is, by far, the cheapest way to move goods around the world. Although shipping is essential to the world economy, this comes at a cost. Maritime transport emits around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually and it is responsible for about 2.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. International Maritime Organisation (IMO) set ambitious objectives to reduce harmful and GHG emissions. The targets are to reduce total GHG emission from international shipping by at least 50% in 2050 (and 40% in 2030) and CO₂ emissions per transport work by 70% compared to 2008.

These objectives, considering the relatively long-life cycle of ships, result in difficult choices for shipowners, shipyards and design challenges for us naval architects. We at Sea Green Engineering are pleased to provide our experience to achieve the goals of this JIP and try to answer important questions together with other participants: What will be the fuels of the next decades? How energy will be stored on board, distributed and managed? Which power system will impose itself and fulfil the ambitions? Which bunkering will be available in most harbors?

Questions and issues that we are excited to address in “ZERO JIP” promoted and coordinated by MARIN!

Image copyright: MARIN

The post We have joined “ZERO JIP” appeared first on Sea Green Engineering.

We attended several speeches, in particular regarding the marine litter problem and the role of hydrogen for sustainable global transport. We take the opportunity to thank the organizers, as well as all the delegates and speakers.

The post Delegation at ESOF 2020, Trieste appeared first on Sea Green Engineering.