Top level design and evaluation of advanced low/zero carbon fuel ships power technology

Abstract

The greenhouse effect has always been a problem troubling various country, many fields have made corresponding technological improvements and regulations, and the shipping industry is no exception. In the shipping field, governments are actively looking for viable low-carbon/zero-carbon alternative fuels to reduce their dependence on traditional fossil fuels. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of replacing fuel oil with clean energies. Firstly, the alternative fuels that have been proposed frequently and widely in recent years are summarized, and their sources, adaptive power systems, and relationships among fuels are systematically summarized. Secondly, when evaluating the advantages and future development trends of each energy, the environmental, economic and safety factors are digitally quantified. Results show that the analysis focuses on the efficiency and economics of carbon reduction. Hydrogen, ammonia and nuclear energy show advantages in environmental quantification factors, while LNG, biofuels and alcohols show benefits in economic quantification factors considering calorific value and fuel price, and LNG and alcohols received high scores in safety assessment. Finally, the study predicts the evolution and development trend of ship fuels in the future, and evaluates the most suitable energy for ship development in different periods.

Keywords

• Low carbon/zero carbon fuel
• Ships power technology
• Technology trend
• Quantitative evaluation
• Development path