A collaborative research effort by the Hydropower Simulation Laboratory (HSL) of IIT Roorkee and Indian Maritime University, Visakhapatnam (IMU-V) has resulted in the development of an environment-friendlyand cost-efficient maritime transport solution.

India’s broad coastline witnesses the development of several new ports even as existing ports are expanded to meet increased volumes of marine traffic and facilitate future maritime trade. Such growing seaport infrastructure requires more Short Endurance Marine Vessels (SEMV) for effective port operations and administration. The usable life of a generic diesel-engine-driven SEMV is nearly 20 years, after which it is decommissioned. To realise sustainable solutions and reduce carbon footprint at Indian seaports, diesel-engine-driven marine vessels must be replaced with zero-emission electric vessels.

In this collaborative research, HSL researchers adjusted the functioning of power sources (diesel-engine-driven induction generators and batteries) of the tugboats so that the load demand could be met while consuming the lowest possible amount of fuel.

The research was funded by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The Visakhapatnam Port Trust provided significant information related to the various types of marine vessels, their operational schedules and expected design feasibilities.

HSL, in collaboration with IMU-V, is also working towards absolute battery-operated SEMV designs and high-efficiency fault-tolerant marine electric powertrains to produce competent zero-emission SEMVs. As the global market for battery-driven electric vehicles expands, it is anticipated that the adoption of lithium-ion batteries with long life cycles would lead to the commercialiszation of absolute battery-operated SEMV.

Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, said,: “This collaborative research by IIT Roorkee and IMU Visakhapatnam on the design and experimental validation of short endurance marine vessels has shown promising results. We intend to make it stronger so that it can empower our marine industry”.

Thanga Raj Chelliah, Faculty-in-Charge, Hydropower Simulation Lab, said, “The joint research effort of HSL and IMU-V has led to the achievement of a fuel-efficient maritime transport solution. The methodologies used in the research yielded significant results, providing fuel savings to the extent of 29.86 per cent. This endeavor proves that high-quality research can offer modern, effective, efficient and environmentally friendly business solutions.”

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW