Research vessel for an emission-free maritime future

To reduce emissions in shipping, new technologies need to be developed and tested. Numerical models show theoretical operating processes and component tests verify the performance of a technology under laboratory conditions. However, a ship is a complex microcosm in which many processes have to be coordinated and influence each other. No component stands alone, but interacts with the rest of the ship in many different ways. In addition, external parameters such as salty sea air, movement due to swell and external loads on the ship determine the working conditions for its energy system. This makes it extremely important to investigate new energy system components and other technical solutions for reducing emissions from global shipping in the real field, i.e. in the context of a real ship.

For this reason, the Institute for Maritime Energy Systems, together with the engineering office SDC Ship Design & Consult from Hamburg, has developed a concept design for a unique research vessel that offers maximum modularity and flexibility in order to investigate and demonstrate the technological developments of the coming decades in the maritime sector. The DLR research vessel for maritime energy systems will not only be the first ship in the world to be able to test components in laboratories and energy containers, but will also have a complete second engine room in which a wide variety of fuels can be used. Here, a wide variety of energy sources, including their exhaust gas treatment systems, possible waste heat utilisation and other components, will feed into the on-board network and even take over the complete energy supply of the ship with a propulsion power of up to 2 MW.

But that's not all: a programmable power management system helps to distribute the energy generation between the different systems with maximum efficiency. The ship also features pioneering technologies outside the containers and the test engine room: A dual-fuel methanol main engine, a pure methanol engine as an auxiliary diesel, a fuel cell with hydrogen system and a generously dimensioned battery pack enable a wide range of operating scenarios. They are all comprehensively monitored and their operating data is stored in a central, synchronised system. This is where information from all areas of the ship's operation flows together: Like no other ship, the DLR research vessel will be equipped with sensor technology that both records environmental conditions and monitors the condition of all elements of the ship's interior. A digital twin will manage and analyse this data and use it for a wide range of forecasts. This closes the loop for modelling the systems and components and provides a unique validation platform.