Lloyd’s Register Advisory (LR Advisory) and wind-assisted propulsion technology company Anemoi Marine Technologies have published a report intended to advance the standardization of wind propulsion performance assessment and promote the uptake of the climate-neutral method of propulsion.
Wind-assisted propulsion findings
In the report, the organizations detail how Anemoi Marine Technologies has developed an in-service performance verification process that it says reduces cost and complexity for operators while improving accuracy compared to existing practices.
The process, validated by Lloyd’s Register Advisory (LR Advisory), involves measuring vessel data when the wind-assisted propulsion system is turned on and off while encountering various conditions during regular operation. The data is used to calibrate predictions on forces generated by the rotor sail system and their impact on the vessel, which can be used to predict voyage fuel savings with high levels of confidence.
Luke McEwen, technical director of Anemoi, said, “With this paper, our aim is to bring greater transparency and consistency to the evaluation of wind-assisted propulsion systems. By describing our performance assessment methodology in detail, we hope to contribute meaningfully to the wider industry discussion and move closer to a standardized framework that enables clear, comparable results across all WAPS technologies. While various approaches exist, a unified standard will be key to supporting informed decision-making and accelerating decarbonization in shipping.”
The methodology was published in the Performance Verification Of Wind-Assisted Ship Propulsion Systems By On-Off Testing report, and can be used for all wind-assisted propulsion solutions, not just Anemoi’s Rotor Sails. According to the organizations, it overcomes the challenges of applying traditional methodologies, such as ISO 19030, to WAPS assessment and eliminates costly operational changes, such as taking vessels off hire to perform dedicated WAPS sea trials, which are proposed by some standards. LR Advisory confirmed that these benefits are accrued while improving the accuracy of overall fuel saving predictions.
Dr Santiago Suarez de la Fuente, ship performance manager at LR Advisory, said, “The current standards and guidelines around wind-assisted propulsion verification are relatively sparse, and an opportunity exists for a process that is robust, widely adopted and transparent. Anemoi’s methodology achieves this, allowing for predictions of performance to be applied to the entire range of conditions that a vessel and the system will encounter, without tests needing to be conducted in every condition.”
The model developed using Anemoi’s process can be used throughout the life of the vessel to generate accurate fuel savings values, either in real time or on a voyage-by-voyage basis. It also enables the creation of advanced predictive tools that can estimate the power and fuel savings of WAPS-equipped vessels in a wide range of conditions.
Putting it to the test
LR Advisory and Anemoi recently announced the results of the testing of the TR Lady Kamsarmax, which is equipped with three of Anemoi’s 5m diameter, 24m tall Rotor Sails, and was assessed using the methodology outlined in the paper. Following a year-long, multi-voyage testing period, the robust approach demonstrated average net propulsion fuel savings of 9.1% and 7 metric tons of CO2e per sailing day.
Commenting on the TR Lady’s performance testing, Chris Hughes, decarbonization specialist at Cargill, the vessel’s charterer, said, “Building up an accurate understanding of the real-world, on-ship performance of technologies is a key piece in the wind assist propulsion puzzle. By combining the data from more than 167 rotor on/off tests that were conducted by the TR Lady, together with the independent verification from LR, Anemoi instilled confidence in the accuracy of their analysis. We have already used the results of this study to fine-tune our weather routing digital twins for TR Lady, and it will also help inform future decisions on deploying wind assist across our fleet.”
In related news, BAR Technologies recently confirmed an order for its WindWings propulsion system to be installed on two LR2 dual-fuel tankers. This is one of the first confirmed large-scale wind propulsion deployments on this vessel class. Read the full story here