Industrial Solutions and Services
Siemens Marine Solutions: New concepts and solutions for the “Green Ship”
Hamburg, Sep 26, 2006
In the world of marine engineering, commercial competition and the all-round need to reduce costs necessitate new developments that not only deliver such results but also make a contribution to environmental protection. More efficient fuel consumption reduces harmful emissions and superconducting electric motors and generators make propulsion systems much more efficient and effective. As Eberhard Becker, responsible for global marine business in the Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) Group, explained at the recent SMM exhibition in Hamburg “Siemens’ task is to develop solutions in the marine engineering world that make on-board machinery more efficient and more economical” – while at the same time bringing about a reduction in the environmental pollution caused by ships’ machinery systems. Sophisticated electrotechnical equipment and automation systems designed specifically for the marine world will provide a solid foundation for the so-called “Green Ship”.
An advanced “Waste Heat Recovery System” (WHRS) developed by Siemens and partner companies is operating successfully on the latest container ships. In the system the hot exhaust gases from the ship’s diesel engines, previously discharged unused up the vessel’s funnel, are now used to drive turbogenerators that can generate about an extra 6 MW of electricity for the ship’s on-board power supply system. Using the new system can also reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 12% which obviously greatly improves the overall operating economy of the ship’s machinery. And the environment benefits too from lower emissions of nitrogen and sulfur oxides.
The high-temperature superconducting (HTS) electrical machines developed by Siemens have enormous potential for saving energy, not only as generators but also as motors. Compared with conventional machines, weight and volume can be almost halved. The first of these new-generation generators are producing around 4000 MVA at 3600 rev/min combined with a substantial improvement in electrical efficiency. The machines, which employ an HTS rotor winding, are a joint development by Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) and the Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) and Automation and Drives (A&D) Groups.
In addition to tougher technical specifications ship operators are also being forced to achieve higher standards and employ more cost-effective solutions in order to comply with ever more stringent environmental legislation. In this area of expertise Siemens is currently developing a ballast water management and treatment system specifically for the marine environment in order to comply with more stringent rules governing the handling of ballast water that will come into force in 2009. The Siemens system will treat unclean water on board ship so that it can be either used again without delay or be disposed of safely in line with the appropriate regulations. The water treatment process is also intended to prevent foreign organisms from entering the world’s ecosystems. This is one way in which ships can achieve “Green Ship” status.
Siemens also expects sophisticated lighting and energy management systems for passenger ships to be an important factor in the future, whereby the company’s vast experience in automation, safety and security systems for on-shore buildings will stand it in very good stead.
Further information under: http://www.siemens.com/marine
The Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I&S) is the integrator of systems and solutions for industrial and infrastructure facilities and global service provider for the plant and projects business covering planning, installation, operation and the entire life cycle. I&S uses its own products and systems and process technologies in order to enhance productivity and improve competitiveness of companies in the sectors of metallurgy, water treatment, pulp and paper, oil and gas, marine engineering, open-cast mining, airport logistics, postal automation, intelligent traffic systems and industrial services. In fiscal 2005 (to September 30) I&S employed a total of 31,700 people worldwide and achieved total sales of EUR 5.390 billion.
Reference Number: I&S 0906.5597 d