Experimental design and testing of a pneumatic propulsion system for maritime transportation

Abstract

Although the transportation sector is the backbone of economic exchange and social growth, it remains a major contributor to pollution and adverse emissions. Maritime transportation is a booming sector in coastal cities such as Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. Apart from being a tourist attraction, it also relieves a small portion of transportation congestion. Conventional boats use engines that operate on diesel and are thus responsible for air and waterborne pollution that severely harms marine wildlife and raises the concentrations of poisonous and carcinogenic materials in the water. In this paper, an alternative propulsion method is proposed in the form of a pneumatically powered boat. The system is powered by an air motor-mounted propeller fed by an onboard compressed air tank(s). In contrast to typical propulsion systems, compressed air systems offer effective, clean, and sustainable propulsion systems. The system performance was analyzed and compared with that of an electrical propulsion system powered by electrochemical batteries. In addition, a life cycle analysis was conducted to quantify any reduction in carbon dioxide emissions due to the utilization of the pneumatic system. The experimental results proved that compressed air is an effective alternative to electrical motors in terms of eco-friendliness, effectiveness, and sustainability. The pneumatic system provided a 6% extra propulsion force and a carbon footprint saving of 307 kgCO2/year over their electrical counterparts. Pneumatic systems offer a real advantage over other propulsion methods for ferryboat applications, which are defined by a constant trip length and path.