Tytuł: A Sustainability-Driven Approach to Early-Stage Offshore Vessel Design: A Case Study on Wind Farm Installation Vessels

Autor/Autorzy: Nykiel D., Zmuda A., Abramowski T.

Miejsce publikacji: Sustainability

Rok: 2025

Słowa kluczowe:  wind turbine installation vessel, LCA methodology in ship design, offshore ship preliminary design

Abstrakt: This study presents a methodological framework for integrating LCA principles into the preliminary design phase of an offshore vessel. The framework is based on the case of a wind farm installation vessel (WTIV). The proposed approach diverges from traditional ship design by treating environmental impact as an important criterion and integrates the LCA into the early design stages, which is a novelty of the sustainability-driven ship design. On the basis of steps usually conducted in the preliminary ship design, a parametric study was conducted to evaluate the life cycle emissions associated with the shipbuilding, maintenance, operation, and dismantling phases. Ship characteristics such as displacement, lightship weight, and main dimensions were correlated with LCA factors, enabling the quantification of emissions at an early design stage with the use of the developed database and statistical regression models. Power demand estimation for different operational scenarios—free-running transit, dynamic positioning, and stationary installation—highlighted the significant contribution of offshore-specific vessel activities to life cycle emissions. The results demonstrate that the operational phases remain the most important contributors to overall emissions, mostly through CO2 and NOx production. However, emissions from shipbuilding, maintenance, and dismantling also play a critical role, justifying the need for early design interventions. Our findings highlight the need to integrate LCA into the design spiral for balanced sustainability, efficiency, and feasibility. This study provides a foundation for future research into multi-objective optimization models that incorporate LCA into offshore vessel design.

Adres strony internetowej (link) do pełnego tekstu publikacji: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/6/2752

DOI: 10.3390/su17062752

Tytuł: A Comparative Analysis of Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Internal Combustion Engines Used for Service Operation Vessels Propulsion

Autor/Autorzy: Bortnowska M., Zmuda A.

Miejsce publikacji: Energies

Rok: 2025

Słowa kluczowe:  fuel cells, hydrogen fuel, service offshore vessel (SOV)

Abstrakt: In response to the IMO’s decarbonisation strategy, hydrogen—especially green hydrogen—becomes a promising alternative fuel in shipping. This article provides a comparative analysis of two hydrogen propulsion technologies suitable for a service vessel (SOV) operating in offshore wind farms: hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines. This study focuses on the use of liquid hydrogen (LH2) stored in cryogenic tanks and fuel cells as an alternative to the previously considered solution based on compressed hydrogen (CH2) stored in high-pressure cylinders (700 bar) and internal combustion engines. The research aims to examine the feasibility of a fully hydrogen-powered SOV energy system. The analyses showed that the use of liquefied hydrogen in SOVs leads to the threefold reduction in tank volume (1001 m3 LH2 vs. 3198 m3 CH2) and the weight of the storage system (243 t vs. 647 t). Despite this, neither of the technologies provides the expected 2-week autonomy of SOVs. LH2 storage allows for a maximum of 10 days of operation, which is still an improvement over the CH2 gas variant (3 days). The main reason for this is that hydrogen tanks can only be located on the open deck. Although hydrogen fuel cells take up on average 13.7% more space than internal combustion engines, they are lower (by an average of 24.3%) and weigh less (by an average of 50.6%), and their modular design facilitates optimal arrangement in the engine room. In addition, the elimination of the exhaust system and lubrication simplifies the engine room layout, reducing its weight and space requirements. Most importantly, however, the use of fuel cells eliminates exhaust gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Adres strony internetowej (link) do pełnego tekstu publikacji: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/19/5104

 DOI: 10.3390/en18195104

Tytuł: The Possibility of Using Hydrogen as a Green Alternative to Traditional Marine Fuels on an Offshore Vessel Serving Wind Farms

Autor/Autorzy: Bortnowska M., Zmuda A.

Miejsce publikacji: Energies

Rok: 2024

Słowa kluczowe: hydrogen fuel, composite tanks, SOV vessel

Abstrakt: Achieving the required decarbonisation targets by the shipping industry requires a transition to technologies with zero or near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One promising shipping fuel with zero emission of exhaust gases (including CO2) is green hydrogen. This type of fuel, recognised as a 100% clean solution, is being investigated for feasible use on a service offshore vessel (SOV) working for offshore wind farms. This study aims to examine whether hydrogen may be used on an SOV in terms of the technical and economic challenges associated with the design process and other factors. In the analyses, a reference has been made to the current International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidelines and regulations. In this study, it was assumed that hydrogen would be directly combusted in a reciprocating internal combustion engine. This engine type was reviewed. In further research, hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems will also be considered. The hydrogen demand was calculated for the assumed data of the SOV, and then the volume and number of high-pressure tanks were estimated. The analyses revealed that the SOV cannot undertake 14-day missions using hydrogen fuel stored in cylinders on board. These cylinders occupy 66% of the ship’s current volume, and their weight, including the modular system, accounts for 62% of its deadweight. The costs are over 100% higher compared to MDO and LNG fuels and 30% higher than methanol. The actual autonomy of the SOV with hydrogen fuel is 3 days.

Adres strony internetowej (link) do pełnego tekstu publikacji: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/5915

 DOI: 10.3390/en17235915