EUROPEAN FP7 EU R&D PROJECT “TRIPOD”
(www.vttfi/sites/tripod)
Within the Framework Program 7th of the EU, call FP7-SST-2010-RTD-1, the 30 months duration project “TRIple Energy Saving by Use of CRP, CLT and PODded Propulsion” (TRIPOD) has been approved and started on 1st November 2010. The main objective of this project is the development and validation of a new propulsion concept for improved energy efficiency of ships through the advance combination of three existing propulsion technologies: podded propulsion (POD), CLT tip loaded end plate propellers and counter-rotating propeller (CRP) principle.
The members of the consortium that develop TRIPOD project are ABB and VTT from Finland, AP MOLLER MAERSK from Denmark and CEHIPAR, CINTRANAVAL-DEFCAR and SISTEMAR from Spain. VTT is coordinating the project.
The two companies that have been leading the research and development of POD (ABB) and CLT (SISTEMAR) technologies during the past years are responsible for the design of the alternative propulsive system.
Numerical calculations are being performed by VTT while model tests are being carried out by CEHIPAR. Both institutions have already a long experience on projects involving CLT propellers.
The consulting company CINTRANAVAL-DEFCAR takes care of the ship design modifications and optimisation and will evaluate the technical feasibility of the innovative CRP-CLT-POD propulsion system.
The economical evaluation of the system will be performed by AP MOLLER-MAERSK, one of the largest ship operators in the world who has supplied the reference ship and operational data: 8.500 TEU’s container vessel “Gudrun Maersk”.
All along the project different propulsion configurations will be analysed. For the reference hull without pod with a conventional propeller an alternative CLT propeller has been designed and compared to the reference propulsion system. In a second stage, the reference hull has been modified by removing the rudder and all the relating parts and a pod system has been installed in a CRP configuration. Different driving propeller combinations (conventional and CLT) will be analysed and compared to the reference propulsion system.
Once finished both numerical analysis and model tests for different propulsion arrangements, a concept validation will be performed with the objective to estimate energy savings and noise reduction on the CRP-CLT-POD concept as compared to the conventional propulsion. A feasibility study for the introduction of the novel propulsion concept on new ship designs and for retrofitting on existing vessels from technical point of view will be performed as well as an economic analysis of the viability of the new propulsion concept for retrofitting and for new ship designs.
Large energy savings and consequently, CO2, SOx and NOx emission reductions as well as environmentally harmful noise mitigation are expected with the innovative CRP-CLT-POD propulsion system. Elaborated procedures on how to determine yearly fuel savings and emission reductions based on the vessels operational profiles will be applied and then the cost-benefit will be assessed through a total cost of ownership analysis.