Ferries are responsible for 0.8 million tons of greenhouse gas emission annually in Denmark and often sail close to cities where they add to the already critical air pollution levels. This holds especially true for small Danish municipalities, as diesel-driven ferries contribute up to 20 % to their total global warming contribution. Therefore, fully electric powered ferries are taking center stage in Denmark. However, the current wide use of synthetic refrigerants (and their leaks into the atmosphere) in the maritime sector leads even 100 % electricity-powered ships not to be actually greenhouse gas emission free. In addition, currently the driving range of fully electric powered ferries is penalized due to the lack of an optimized heat pump system layout, suitable battery thermal management strategy and appropriate waste heat recovery approaches.
ECO2-ferries project:
The objective of the project is to develop the first heat pump being completely tailored to 100 % electricity-powered ferries. The use of CO2 as a natural (i.e. future-proof) refrigerant of the heat pump will finally lead 100 % electricity-powered ferries to be actually greenhouse gas emission free ships. In addition, CO2 will allow for a compact heat pump and high safety levels (i.e. non-flammable and non-toxic). High energy performance will be guaranteed by the implementation of (i) an optimized system layout, (ii) a proper battery thermal management approach, (iii) a suitable heat recovery technique as well as (iv) an effective and robust overall control strategy.
The project will involve the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) and Marstal Navigationsskole as project partners and Danske Maritime, Danfoss A/S, BCOOL A/S, Danish Technological Institute, Ærø municipality and Ærøfærgerne as project supporters. ECO2-ferries have received funding from Den Danske Maritime Fond.
Expected results:
The results of this project will provide the partners with a close to actual product development as well as contribute with the essential knowledge to design next generation future-proof cooling and heating technologies for Scandinavian 100 % electricity-powered ferries. The vision is that the proposed heat pump will become tomorrow’s standard in Scandinavia, contributing to taking a significant step forward to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Blue Denmark’s targets.
Project start date: 15/01/2024
Project end date: 14/01/2026
For further information, please contact Associate Professor Paride Gullo, parigul@sdu.dk.