Improving Fuel Efficiency of a Boat by Retrofitting Propeller Modelling and Experimental Validation

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents the successful retrofitting of an old whale-watching boat incorporating a larger propeller and a new reduction gear. The retrofit resulted in an impressive, 30% improvement in fuel efficiency across the entire operating range of the propulsion system. This significant improvement directly translates to a reduction in carbon emissions, underscoring the project’s importance for further investigation. Given that the propeller contributes to 80–90% of the vessel’s fuel consumption, a detailed analysis of the hydrodynamic performance improvement is warranted. To address this, a cost-effective and efficient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is proposed to qualitatively connect the observed field performance of the vessel with the mechanical performance of the new propeller. The study highlights the accuracy of this approach in realistically predicting the field performance of both the old and new propellers under different operating conditions derived from sea trials. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the potential for retrofitting existing vessels with improved propulsion systems, resulting in increased fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions.

Key findings

• ▸Retrofitting resulted in a 30% improvement in fuel efficiency across the entire operating range of the propulsion system.
• ▸The propeller contributes to 80-90% of the vessel's fuel consumption.
• ▸A cost-effective CFD approach was proposed to qualitatively connect the observed field performance of the vessel with the mechanical performance of the new propeller.

Keywords

Identifiers

DOI

10.1115/imece2023-113318

Journal

Volume 7: Energy

Year

2023