Abstract

The unique feature of river transport is given by the rivers' flow and the changing cross-sections of the riverbed. Most river vessels operate with a conventional propulsion system. Engine power should be scaled to the maximum expected power demand, which means that the engine is forced to run at medium or low load, almost always downstream and upstream for part of the operating time. In these cases, the engine's operating point is far from ideal, so there is an increase in specific fuel consumption. This is especially true for ships that are forced to stop and start frequently. An example for the circumstances mentioned above is the BKV-100 type ship operated at Budapest as a public transport vessel. A measurement on a schedule route revealed that with given environmental conditions (water level, river flow rate, etc.), the power installed in the vessel is almost double the maximum power demand measured. Due to this reason and to the differences in power demand of downstream and upstream, it may be technically worthwhile to replace the existing conventional propulsion system with an alternative propulsion system. Based on the measurements, in this paper the authors compare 4 alternative drive systems to the existing one with regards to fuel consumption and the investment costs. Beside this, a simple but effective fuel consumption estimation method and a simple cost-benefit analysis are also described.

Highlights

  • Unlike long sea shipping, inland navigation in many cases operates with variable power loads

  • The distribution of power demand over the entire operating time can be interpreted by the power utilization histogram, known as the operational profile

  • In almost all cases, its longitudinal axis makes an angle with the flow velocity vector, which further increases its resistance during travel

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Summary

Summary

The unique feature of river transport is given by the rivers' flow and the changing crosssections of the riverbed. Engine power should be scaled to the maximum expected power demand, which means that the engine is forced to run at medium or low load, almost always downstream and upstream for part of the operating time In these cases, the engine's operating point is far from ideal, so there is an increase in specific fuel consumption. A measurement on a schedule route revealed that with given environmental conditions (water level, river flow rate, etc.), the power installed in the vessel is almost double the maximum power demand measured Due to this reason and to the differences in power demand of downstream and upstream, it may be technically worthwhile to replace the existing conventional propulsion system with an alternative propulsion system.

Introduction
Environmental factors
Resistance to flowing water
Shallow water resistance
Ship traffic
Up- and downstream
Maneuvers
Load factors
Driving factors
Measurement information
Water level
Upstream route diagram
Downstream route diagram
Measured operational profile
Fuel consumption calculations
Estimation possibilities
Estimated fuel consumption results for the current propulsion system
Alternative propulsion system options
Hybrid and Plug-in hybrid propulsion system
Diesel engine
Battery pack
Electric motor and other system elements
Diesel-electric propulsion system
Operating costs
Capital costs
Payback time calculations
Hybrid system
Plug-in hybrid system
Pure electric system
Diesel-electric system
Findings
Conclusion

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