Effects of the Expanded Panama Canal on Vessel Size and Seaborne Transport

The Panama Canal (PC) expansion will have an impact on trading patterns and the manner in which goods are transported around the world. Once the third set of locks at the Canal began their operation, it was clear that the way in which vessels transited the canal and their maximum dimensions were going to change. As such, the expanded Canal will undoubtedly mean that a new kind of vessel will come into existence. In terms of dimensions, these Neopanamax ships will be adapted to how the locks operate. However, this effect will not be the same across the full range of traffic. After the first transit on 26 June 2016, it was possible to obtain access to transit data for Neopanamax ships. A thorough statistical study of these new datasets would involve analysing how these new locks impact the vessel size and seaborne transport.</p

Numerical analysis of emissions from marine engines using alternative fuels

The current restrictions on emissions from marine engines, particularly sulphur oxides (SOx ), nitrogen oxides (NOx ) and carbon dioxide (CO2 ), are compelling the shipping industry to a change of tendency. In the recent years, many primary and secondary reduction techniques have been proposed and employed in marine engines. Nevertheless, the increasingly restrictive legislation makes it very difficult to continue developing efficient eduction procedures at competitive prices. According to this, the paper presents the possibility to employ alternative fuels. A numerical model was developed to analyze the combustion process and emissions using oil fuel, natural gas and hydrogen. A commercial marine engine was studied, the Wärtsilä 6L 46. It was found, that hydrogen is the cleanest fuel regarding CO2 , hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO). Nevertheless, it is very expensive for marine applications. Natural gas is cheaper and cleaner than fuel oil regarding CO2 and CO emissions. Still, natural gas emits more NOx and HC than oil fuel. SOx depends basically on the sulphur content of each particular fuel.S

The economic feasibility of a floating offshore wind energy farm considering different steel prices. The case of study of the Canary Islands

The objective of this work is to calculate the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), Net Present Value (NPV) and the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of a 700MW floating wind farm located in the Canary Islands. For this, three possible scenarios have been analyzed taking into account the price of steel and each of the economic parameters have been calculated for each of the scenarios, showing that the highest economic variations are related to the IRR and LCOE

Configuration methodology for a green variety reef system (AR group) based on hydrodynamic criteria - Application to the Ria de Ares-Betanzos

For the evolution and development of artificial reefs to attain the expected results, hydrodynamics is emerging as a key factor that must be taken analyzed in detail. In particular, thanks to the hydrodynamics of a given coastal area, suitable water circulation and velocity in the reef's interior can increase the yield and the renewal of nutrients favourable for larval settlement, along with reducing the sedimentation. This document proposes a methodology for determining the geometry of an artificial reef group adapted to the specific characteristics of the selected zone of installation, the Ría de Ares-Betanzos (NW Spain), based on hydrodynamic criteria by defining the Artificial Reef Tool (ART). The starting point of the ART tool is the existing reef model or AR unit's design –a modular construction with productive and protective features. Then a high-resolution hydrodynamic circulation model (HCM) is developed allowing the high-resolution site-specific computation of the flow pattern in the selected area. Finally, the results obtained are used as input for a hydrodynamic model for food delivery prediction (HMFDP), allowing the estimation of the food supply to each module. The results obtained lead to the definition of the geometry of the reef group.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the regional government of Galicia, Xunta de Galicia, through the project CN-10MMA003CT. This study was also funded through the collaboration agreement between Xunta de Galicia, Universidade da Coruña and the Universidade da Coruña Foundation (FUAC) to give continuity to the previous project.S

Economic feasibility of floating offshore wind farms considering near future wind resources: case study of Iberian Coast and Bay of Biscay

Wind energy resources are subject to changes in climate, so the use of wind energy density projections in the near future is essential to determine the viability and profitability of wind farms at particular locations. Thus, a step forward in determining the economic assessment of floating offshore wind farms was taken by considering current and near-future wind energy resources in assessing the main parameters that determine the economic viability (net present value, internal rate of return, and levelized cost of energy) of wind farms. This study was carried out along the Atlantic coast from Brest to Cape St. Vincent. Results show that the future reduction in wind energy density (2%–6%) mainly affects the net present value (NPV) of the farm and has little influence on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). This study provides a good estimate of the economic viability of OWFs (Offshore Wind Farms) by taking into account how wind resources can vary due to climate change over the lifetime of the farm.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación | Ref. Project PID2019-105386RA-I00Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2017/64Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. SFRH/BD/114919/2016Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. UIDP/50017/2020Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. UIDB/50017/202

Numerical Modeling in Energy and Environment

Nowadays, numerical methods constitute an important tool in the analysis of information that cannot be obtained experimentally, or that can be obtained only at a high cost or subject to significant disadvantages [...

Marine Engines Performance and Emissions II

Engines are one of the most important components of ships [...

Internal Modifications to Optimize Pollution and Emissions of Internal Combustion Engines through Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making and Artificial Neural Networks

The present work proposes several modifications to optimize both emissions and consumption in a commercial marine diesel engine. A numerical model was carried out to characterize the emissions and consumption of the engine under several performance parameters. Particularly, five internal modifications were analyzed: water addition; exhaust gas recirculation; and modification of the intake valve closing, overlap timing, and cooling water temperature. It was found that the result on the emissions and consumption presents conflicting criteria, and thus, a multiple-criteria decision-making model was carried out to characterize the most appropriate parameters. In order to analyze a high number of possibilities in a reasonable time, an artificial neural network was developed