Welcome to NAUTILUS project website

NAUTILUS, short for Nautical Integrated Hybrid Energy System for Long-haul Cruise Ships is a research project funded under the EU´s Horizon 2020 programme. The project focuses on the development of a low-emission energy system for large passenger ships. 

Project duration: July 2020 – December 2024.

 

Work Packages

To oversee the project, it is divided into eight work packages, each led by a different consortium partner:

 
WP No. Name Leader Objectives
1 Project management & coordination DLR Work package dedicated to project management duties and requirement to lead and coordinate the consortium, ensure the decision enabling process is applied, facilitate and chair project meetings and act as the communicative interface between the EC and the consortium.
2 Requirement analysis MAN Main aim of this package is definition of requirements for the energy system and genset that will be developed. These include technical requirements and restrictions, regulatory constraints, and market requirements. As a final result, key performance indicators will be defined which are most relevant for the system design.
3 Genset system engineering & proof of concept DLR Third work package involves system engineering of the hybrid SOFC-Battery genset, optimization of the sizing of the SOFC and Battery unit and design validation of the SOFC-Battery hybrid genset. Finally, development of virtual genset simulator for the ship integration and Engineering proposal for multi-MW genset for ship integration.
4 Ship integration MW Main goals of this work package is development of layout of engine room with genset, preparation of layouts, designs and P&ID for connecting genset with auxiliary systems, supply systems, electrical and thermal systems of ships and development of digital demonstrator of integrated ship energy system with the genset.
5

Control strategy and grid connection

RWTH In this WP, a control strategy for the operation of the hybrid genset consisting of a fuel cell system and battery system and its schematic grid connection will be examined and developed.
6 Functional demonstrator MAN The main objective of this work package is the design and construction of a functional demonstrator. The demonstrator will have a total power of >60 kWe including batteries and fuel cells; of which 60 kWe will be from fuel cells. The second aim is to connect the developed genset demonstrator to the electrical grid and operate it for 3 months with LNG.
7 Technology impact analysis TUD This work package is dedicated to determination of the genset performance using future renewable fuels for green transport, techno- economic analysis of the genset, emission analysis of the proposed genset and its life-cycle analysis.
8 Outreach, dissemination & exploitation GG The main goal is to promote NAUTILUS and its results as far as and as effectively as possible to all relevant stakeholders and to identify key exploitable results towards the further marketability and emission reduction in maritime transport, mainly in cruise ships.

 

Project Timeline

WP Name Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 Yr 5
  Quartale   1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2
1 Project management & coordination (DLR)
                                   
  General project coordination                                    
  Day to day project level management                                    
  Quality assurance and risk management                                    
  Resource coordination                                    
  Data management plan implementation                                    
2 Requirement analysis (MAN)
                                   
  Delta Analysis – Comparison of different technologies                                    
  Market requirements, technical target specifications & KPIs                                    
  Safety and Regulatory requirements                                    
3 Genset system engineering & proof of concept (DLR)
                                   
  Genset process system engineering and validation                                    
  Hydrid genset sizing and design                                    
  Fuel cell module assembling and operation                                    
  Hybrid fuel cell + battery PoC build-up & operation                                    
  Virtual genset simulator                                    
4 Ship integration (MW)
                                   
  On-board assembly strategy                                    
  Auxiliary and supply systems integration                                    
  Electrical and thermal ship integration                                    
  Energy simulation- digital demonstrator                                    
5 Controls strategy, grid connection (RWTH)
                                   
  Battery management unit                                    
  Unitized control unit for hybrid genset                                    
  Integration with on board grid and ICE                                    
6 Functional demonstrator (MAN)
                                   
  Process, mechanical and electrical design                                    
  System manufacturing, assembly & software programming                                    
  Demonstrator site preparation                                    
  Installation and operation of demonstrator                                    
  Fuel cell testing on inclination pod                                    
7 Technology impact analysis (TUD)
                                   
  Future fuels analysis & deployment                                    
  Techno-economic analysis                                    
  Life cycle assessment                                    
  Emission analysis                                    
8 Outreach, dissemination & exploitation (GG)                                    
  Webpage, social media interaction, PR messages & videos                                    
  Project meetings and Workshops                                    
  IP and positioning development                                    
  Exploitation strategy and support to the technology transfer                                     

 

Last updated: October 27th, 2023

WP8 - Outreach, Dissemination & Exploitation

The main goal is to promote NAUTILUS and its results as far as and as effectively as possible to all relevant stakeholders and to identify key exploitable results towards the further marketability and emission reduction in maritime transport, mainly in cruise ships.

8.1 WP Leader

8.2 Tasks and Outputs

Webpage, social media interaction, PR messages & videos

Workshops and stakeholders’ engagement activities

  • Recognizing the importance of disseminating information to the appropriate stakeholder audience, two workshops were planned to showcase the project's achievements and highlight its benefits.

Figure 1: Workshop: Potential and challenges of innovative power systems and synthetic fuels for emission reduction in waterborne transport

  • The first workshop took place in June 2022 in Lucerne, Switzerland. It focused on the potential and challenges of innovative power systems and synthetic fuels for emission reduction in waterborne transport. A summary
  • The second event, Sustainable Shipping Days, is scheduled for 1st-2nd July 2024 in Lucerne The objective is to explore and promote advancements in maritime sustainability by integrating of fuel cell-based onboard energy systems and electrolysis technology at ports for fuel supply. More
  • Deliverable D8.3 – Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination of Research IPR strategy – completed
  • Deliverable D8.4 – Workbook for public workshop – completed

IP and positioning development

  • An IPR manager assures IPR strategy and negotiations with Intellectual property offices.
  • Deliverable D8.2 – IPR strategy – completed

Exploitation strategy and support to the technology transfer

  • The goal of this task is to support the patenting and pre-patenting efforts of the industrial partners.
  • Deliverable D8.5 – Exploitation and technology transfer – pending.

8.3 Duration and Status

  • Months 1 - 54
  • Status – in progress

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Last updated: November 16, 2023

WP1 - Project Management & Coordination

Work package dedicated to the management of project duties and requirement, to lead and coordinate the consortium, to ensure that the decision enabling process is applied, to facilitate and chair project meetings and WP1 leader acts as the communicative interface between the EC and the consortium.

1.1 WP Leader

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft – und Raumfahrt/German Aerospace Center (DLR)

1.2 Tasks and Outputs

General project coordination

  • This task covers control and monitoring of administrative and financial issues.
  • Deliverable D1.1 - Consortium Agreement - completed

Day-to-day project level management

  • Ensures implementation of all WPs by planning, co-ordination and control of WP tasks.
  • Deliverable D1.2 - Project Management Plan - completed

Quality assurance and risk management

  • Risk assessments accompanied by the identification of mitigation measures is the core of this task.

Resource coordination

  • This task defines key elements of management, decision-making and control structure during implementation of project activities.

Data management plan implementation (DMP)

  • The DMP provides a clear structure, how the data will be managed and accessible for all consortium members.
  • Deliverable D1.3 - Data Management Plan - completed

1.3 Duration and Status

  • Months 1 - 54
  • Status – in progress

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Last updated: November 16, 2023

WP7 - Technology Impact Analysis

This work package is dedicated to a technology impact analysis of the genset developed in the project. The objectives of this WP are the determination of the genset performance using future renewable fuels for green transport, techno- economic analysis of the genset, emission analysis of the proposed genset and perform its life-cycle analysis.

7.1 WP Leader

Technische Universiteit Delft (TUD)

7.2 Tasks and Outputs

Future fuels analysis and deployment

  • The performance of the genset was evaluated for future fuels that are of interest for the marine sector. The production capacity, volumetric and gravimetric energy density of onboard storage, technology, maturity, safety, fuel cost, storage cost and environmental impact were the criteria that the short list of the future fuels were evaluated against. LNG, methanol, (renewable) diesel, ammonia and hydrogen were eventually shortlisted.
  • The electric power and heat delivered by the SOFC system as well as its efficiency depend on the type of fuel used. A suitable system was designed for all five shortlisted fuels and thermodynamically modelled to estimate the electrical and thermal performance. The results in Figure below show that the use of ammonia results in the highest total efficiency for combined power and heat production.

Figure 1 Results of thermodynamic analysis of SOFC systems for five different fuels

Figure 1 Results of thermodynamic analysis of SOFC systems for five different fuels

Techno-economic analysis

  • The results of the analysis of the genset performance with alternative fuels were subsequently used to evaluate whether these fuels could offer an economically competitive solution. Therefore, a technical economic analysis (TEA) was performed together with a cost-benefit analysis.
  • The data from the thermodynamic analysis were combined with cost data of the SOFC system and the different fuels for a techno-economic analysis, considering the capital cost of the different SOFC components, cost of stack replacement, fuel cost and maintenance cost.
  • Cathode off-gas recirculation reduces the levelized cost of exergy (LCOEx) for all fuels as well. An additional sensitivity analysis suggested that fuel purchase cost, stack lifetime, and annual interest rate are the three parameters with the highest influence on the system cost.

Figure 2 Results of techno-economic analysis of SOFC systems for five different fuels and without (left) and with (right) cathode off-gas recirculation.

Figure 2 Results of techno-economic analysis of SOFC systems for five different fuels and without (left) and with (right) cathode off-gas recirculation.

  • Deliverable D7.3 - Techno-economic analysis and cost prediction report of genset – completed.

Emission analysis

  • A detailed emission analysis will be performed in this task to quantify the emissions from the proposed genset concept and compare it to the emissions from current state of the art marine ICEs.
  • Deliverable D7.5 - Emission analysis report of the genset – pending.

Life cycle analysis (LCA)

  • The main objective of this task was to carry out an initial life cycle analysis (LCA) of maritime SOFC power plants for methane and four alternative fuels, namely methanol, diesel, ammonia, and hydrogen.
  • To achieve an understanding of the environmental sustainability of each fuel, the impacts from fuel production needed to be combined with the energy content information and the SOFC system efficiencies.
  • Screening results suggest ammonia and hydrogen could potentially have lower global warming potential impacts than the other studied fuels (diesel, methanol and LNG) in SOFC system.

Comparison of fuel Global warming potential (GWP) per MJ energy content (LHV) including production and use. The range of results was related to different fuel production methods

Comparison of fuel Global warming potential (GWP) per MJ energy content (LHV) including production and use. The range of results was related to different fuel production methods

  • Deliverable D7.1 - Screening LCA report of the genset – completed.
  • Deliverable D7.4 - Full LCA report on the hybrid genset and integration with cruise ships – submitted

7.3 Duration and Status

  • Months 1 - 54
  • Status – in progress

 7.4 WP7 Highlights

  • The techno-economic analysis was completed during in RP2 and the related deliverable (D7.3) was submitted. The main objective of this task was to carry out the techno-economic analysis of maritime SOFC power plants for methane and four alternative fuels, namely methanol, diesel, ammonia, and hydrogen. From the analysis it was concluded that SOFCs using either methanol or diesel are closes tot economic parity compared to a diesel-ICE baseline.
  • A screening life cycle analysis (LCA) was completed and the related deliverable (D7.1) was submitted. SOFCs with methane and four alternative fuels, namely methanol, diesel, ammonia, and hydrogen, were assessed using the performance of the genset as reported in D7.2, focusing on global warming potential during the operational phase of the genset.
  • The emission analysis task started out from a literature review of ship emissions of relevance for adverse health impact (SO2, NOX, PM, BC, ...). This data was used for a preliminary health impact assessment (HIA) of population mortality for the south Sweden region during RP2. A set-up including a FTIR instrument and state of the art PM characterization techniques for SOFC emission measurements has been designed and tested for SOFC like exhaust conditions at SolydEra.

7.5 Next steps

  • A full LCA will be executed, now considering other hazardous emissions and life stage of the genset.
  • The analysis of the experimental emission tests at SolydEra will be finalised, as well as the design interface between demonstrator and emission set-up.
  • A final HIA will be performed at M50 based on the real experimental validation of air pollutant emission factors at the Nautilus SOFC demonstrator.

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Last updated: February 29th, 2024

EU flag

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 861647.

This website reflects only the author’s view and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and the European Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

 

Get in touch

Get in touch with NAUTILUS: 

info@nautilus-project.eu

The NAUTILUS project coordinator:

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft – und Raumfahrt

The NAUTILUS web portal is maintained by:

GRANT Garant

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