Ship DESIGN Design
The polar expedition research vessel REV is the brainchild of Norwegian industrialist Kjell Inge Røkke
owned by the Norwegian industrialist Kjell Inge Røkke and his family. A polar expedition research ship designed for operation in environmentally sensitive waters, the vessel incorporates numerous measures to maximize the efficiency of its diesel-electric propulsion system. Crucial to the design is a narrow bow profile and a wave-cutting bulb, enabling the vessel to cut through the waves with minimal hull resistance. In the aft-ship, the vessel features large propellers and direct-drive diesel-electric propulsion, which decreases the required rev/min of the propeller as well as cutting down on noise and vibrations which can be harmful to sea life. The engine room will be equipped with a battery pack and exhaust gas cleaning systems, and the design also features an energy-recovery rudder to improve the fluid dynamics behind the propeller, typically providing a fuel saving up to 4%. On deck, the vessel will be outfitted with laboratories, an auditorium, a hangar for
a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) with access to the vessel’s moonpool via a specially designed 20-ton rope crane and winch with a depth of 6,000m. “The REV will be a platform for gathering knowledge,” said Kjell Inge Røkke at the time of the announcement. “I would like to welcome researchers, environmental groups, and other institutions on board, to acquire new skills to evolve innovative solutions to address challenges and opportunities connected to the seas.”
vessels once touted as the new normal give way to a much nimbler market of smaller, more efficient vessels. The modular design of the Electric Blue means that owners could almost completely eliminate off-hire time in many cases, taking off modules for repairs or even exchanging them for replacements without welding or cutting work. Fleet upgrades would be much more straightforward; instead of having new vessels built, owners could respond to market or regulatory changes much more nimbly, by outfitting an existing hull with new, uprated modules, and returning the old ones for reconditioning. In an August update, Rol ls-Royce revealed a further variant of its Electric Blue concept dubbed Electric Green, a design update which can, with the right selection of Rolls-Royce’s suite of design options, be made to operate fully on electric power with zero carbon emissions. The new design features 1,500 m 2 of angled solar panels affixed to the cell guides on either side of the vessel, as well as to the cargo hatch in the vessel’s bow, specifically situated so as not to waste deck space or impede the loading or carrying of containers in any way. The revision also incorporates optional battery containers, which can add up to 8,200 kWh of energy capacity whether charged in port, via shore power, or by solar. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce also includes the option for C-type 18m3 hydrogen tank containers, which opens the possibility of low temperature fuel cells (PEMFCs) to be used, generating 500 kW each. The modular and unmanned function of the original design is not affected by the optional equipment modules, and RollsRoyce points out that, if operated without an onboard crew, the vessel would have a reduced hotel load, thereby further streamlining operation and reducing the energy storage requirement. “ The cur rent focus on the polluting effects of diesel cars and trucks may ultimately extend to a drive to limit emissions in the areas around ports creating a
Rolls-Royce Wastes Not Rolls-Royce has had an active year, coming up with what might be 2017’s most innovative ship design, the 1,000 TEU Electric Blue container feeder. The design envisions a shipping industry in which the need for ballast water management systems, thanks to innovative hull design, has been eliminated; where cascading of huge, economy-of-scale September 2017 // Marine Log 37