Well-known techniques can be the bedrock of autonomous and ultimately more sustainable shipping.
[ds_preview]What will it take for the shipping industry to safely adopt sustainable and autonomous shipping? To achieve sustainability will require the adoption of new fuels and highly efficient operational technologies. For autonomy, the need is for a level of safety and redundancy arguably far higher than we have seen to date.
Very often the discussion is about regulation as a driver to change. This is true to a great extent but in both cases, the conversation could also be about the use of advanced modelling and simulation techniques.
Only by simulating vessel systems can we model how an autonomous ship might perform. The same approach can also be used to measure a ship’s contribution to carbon emissions and understand what is needed for mitigation, making it a key technology to drive the industry’s digital and decarbonization transformations.
Modelling and simulation are not new technologies but are techniques that have become critical to the development of hi-tech systems. First, it is important to separate this kind of simulation from applications like computational fluid dynamics or finite element structural modelling which are more commonly understood tools of the industry.
In this case, we are referring to creation of mathematical models across many physical domains (mechanical, electrical, structural and fluids) where components and systems performance and behaviour can be approximated. In addition, many of these components rely on software to maximize their efficiency or performance. By including the software from the physical system in the model, we can get a more accurate understanding of physical performance.
An autonomous, low carbon ship will require that all elements from the main engine upwards are connected so that we understand how they work together. Before the availability of simulation techniques, the process would have required testing, risk analysis, and physical qualification of these components.
From an evaluation standpoint, simulation tools take »firmware« such as control systems into the digital environment to help us understand how it impacts safety and operations up and downstream.
As shipowners demand greater understanding of the technologies they need to adopt to meet future regulatory constraints they need to understand the impact on their fleet and if possible validate the technology before they specify them. ABS and Hyundai Heavy Industries recently completed a Joint Development Project to build multi-physics simulations capable of analysing the carbon-footprint of vessels in the design stage. The simulations allow in-depth evaluation of the impact of a range of energy saving options, offering a detailed preview of a vessel’s performance before key investment decisions are made.
Simulation and modelling thus enable shipowners to see a practical application of concepts that may until now have seemed somewhat nebulous and removed from decision-making.
When the industry talks about digital transformation we commonly hear about capturing operational data from the vessel for health and condition but this is only half the story. The next stage is the connection of a far wider data streams, including CAD, geometric and failure effect models with that operational data streaming into a simulation environment. The result will be greater insight into asset lifecycle and performance for upstream and downstream stakeholders and an environment that creates a safer, smarter and cleaner shipping industry.
Patrick Ryan
Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
