In order to enhance sustainability in maritime shipping, shipping companies spend good efforts in improving the operational energy efficiency of existing ships. Accurate fuel consumption prediction model is a prerequisite of such operational improvements. Existing grey-box models (GBMs) are found with significant performance potential for ship fuel consumption prediction, although having a limitation of separating weather directions. Aiming to overcome this limitation, we propose a novel genetic algorithm-based GBM (GA-based GBM), where ship fuel consumption is modelled in a procedure based on basic principles of ship propulsion and the unknown parameters in this model are estimated with a GA-based procedure. Real ship operation data from a crude oil tanker over a 7-year sailing period are used to demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the proposed model. To highlight the contribution of this work, we compare the proposed model against the latest GBM. The results show that the fitting performance of the proposed model is remarkably better, especially for oblique weather directions. The proposed model can be employed as a basis of ship energy efficiency management programs to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a ship. This is beneficial to achieve the goal of sustainable shipping.
Enhancing environmental sustainability in maritime shipping has emerged as an important topic for both firms in shipping-related industries and policy makers. Speed optimization has been proven to be one of the most effective operational measures to achieve this goal, as fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a ship are very sensitive to its sailing speed. Existing research on ship speed optimization does not differentiate speed through water (STW) from speed over ground (SOG) when formulating the fuel consumption function and the sailing time function. Aiming to fill this research gap, we propose a speed optimization model for a fixed ship route to minimize the total fuel consumption over the whole voyage, in which the influence of ocean currents is taken into account. As the difference between STW and SOG is mainly due to ocean currents, the proposed model is capable of distinguishing STW from SOG. Thus, in the proposed model, the ship’s fuel consumption and sailing time can be determined with the correct speed. A case study on a real voyage for an oil products tanker shows that: (a) the average relative error between the estimated SOG and the measured SOG can be reduced from 4.75% to 1.36% across sailing segments, if the influence of ocean currents is taken into account, and (b) the proposed model can enable the selected oil products tanker to save 2.20% of bunker fuel and reduce 26.12 MT of CO2 emissions for a 280-h voyage. The proposed model can be used as a practical and robust decision support tool for voyage planners/managers to reduce the fuel consumption and GHG emissions of a ship
Hydrogen is believed as a promising energy carrier that contributes to deep decarbonization, especially for the sectors hard to be directly electrified. A grid-connected wind/hydrogen system is a typical configuration for hydrogen production. For such a system, a critical barrier lies in the poor cost-competitiveness of the produced hydrogen. Researchers have found that flexible operation of a wind/hydrogen system is possible thanks to the excellent dynamic properties of electrolysis. This finding implies the system owner can strategically participate in day-ahead power markets to reduce the hydrogen production cost. However, the uncertainties from imperfect prediction of the fluctuating market price and wind power reduce the effectiveness of the offering strategy in the market. In this paper, we proposed a decision-making framework, which is based on data-driven robust chance constrained programming (DRCCP). This framework also includes multi-layer perception neural network (MLPNN) for wind power and spot electricity price prediction. Such a DRCCP-based decision framework (DDF) is then applied to make the day-ahead decision for a wind/hydrogen system. It can effectively handle the uncertainties, manage the risks and reduce the operation cost. The results show that, for the daily operation in the selected 30 days, offering strategy based on the framework reduces the overall operation cost by 24.36%, compared to the strategy based on imperfect prediction. Besides, we elaborate the parameter selections of the DRCCP to reveal the best parameter combination to obtain better optimization performance. The efficacy of the DRCCP method is also highlighted by the comparison with the chance-constrained programming method.
Accurate and reliable optical remote sensing image-based small-ship detection is crucial for maritime surveillance systems, but existing methods often struggle with balancing detection performance and computational complexity. In this paper, we propose a novel lightweight framework called HSI-ShipDetectionNet that is based on high-order spatial interactions and is suitable for deployment on resource-limited platforms, such as satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles. HSI-ShipDetectionNet includes a prediction branch specifically for tiny ships and a lightweight hybrid attention block for reduced complexity. Additionally, the use of a high-order spatial interactions module improves advanced feature understanding and modeling ability. Our model is evaluated using the public Kaggle and FAIR1M marine ship detection datasets and compared with multiple state-of-the-art models including small object detection models, lightweight detection models, and ship detection models. The results show that HSI-ShipDetectionNet outperforms the other models in terms of detection performance while being lightweight and suitable for deployment on resource-limited platforms.
This study proposes a new application for delay-dependent stability analysis of a shipboard microgrid system. Gain and phase margin values are taken into consideration in delay dependent stability analysis. Since such systems are prone to unwanted frequency oscillations against load disturbances and randomness of renewable resources, a virtual gain and phase margin tester has been incorporated into the system to achieve the desired stabilization specification. In this way, it is considered that the system provides the desired dynamic characteristics (e.g. less oscillation, early damping, etc.) in determining the time delay margin. Firstly, the time delay margin values are obtained and their accuracy in the terms of desired gain and phase margin values are investigated. Then, the accuracy of the time delay margin values obtained by using the real data of renewable energy sources and loads in the shipboard microgrid system is shown in the study. Finally, a real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation based on OPAL-RT is accomplished to affirm the applicability of the suggested method, from a systemic perspective, for the load frequency control problem in the shipboard microgrid.
Havebrugsindustrien i nordiske lande er meget afhængig af drivhussystemer på grund af begrænsningen af det naturlige miljø og de strenge plantekrav for bestemte plantetyper. Kommercielle avlere i disse regioner støder på betydelige udfordringer med at garantere kvaliteten af planterne, mens de minimerer produktionsomkostningerne. På den ene side skal et drivhussystem forbruge en stor mængde energi for at give et tilfredsstillende klima for plantevækst. På den anden side, i de senere år, har energiprisen stigende i Europa ført til en stigning i produktionsomkostningerne for drivhuse, hvilket gør energibesparelse og optimering imperativ. Det er dog udfordrende for avlere at håndtere dette dilemma, fordi drivhusklimakontrol er et meget dynamisk og meget koblet komplekst system. Ved at analysere funktionerne i ikke-linearitet og dynamik i drivhusklimaet kan de eksisterende løsninger ikke korrekt opfylde de praktiske krav i gartneriindustrien.
For at tackle disse problemer foreslås en digital tvilling af drivhusklimakontrol (DT-GCC) rammer i denne forskning for at optimere aktuatorens driftsplan til minimering af energiforbrug og produktionsomkostninger uden at gå på kompromis med produktionskvaliteten. Arkitekturen i DT-GCC-rammen og de anvendte metoder er uddybet modulært, herunder fysisk tvilling af drivhusklimakontrol (PT-GCC) systemforståelse, design af DT-GCC-system, sammenkobling af DTGCC og PT-GCC og integration med andre digitale tvillinger (DTS).
DT-GCC omfatter en virtuel drivhus (VGH) og en multi-objektiv optimeringsbaseret klimakontrol (MOOCC) platform. VGH er den digitale repræsentation af det fysiske drivhus gennem modellering af de faktorer, der kan påvirke drivhusklimaet markant og aktuatorens driftsstrategier. MOOCC er ansvarlig for at definere drivhusklimakontrol som et multi-objektivt optimeringsproblem (MOO) og optimere driftsplanen for kunstigt lys (lysplan) og varmesystem (varmeplan). Desuden er en hierarkisk struktur af DT-GCC designet i henhold til funktionerne og ansvaret for individuelle lag, der gavner den praktiske realisering af DT-GCC med en organiseret arkitektur af design og styring.
Funktionaliteterne i DT-GCC er udviklet i en drivhusklimakontrolplatform, der er navngivet af Dynalight, som er kombineret med en genetisk algoritme (GA) ramme kaldet Controleum. Dynalight definerer et MOO -problem til at abstrahere drivhusklimakontrolsystemet med flere objektive funktioner, og omkostningerne beregnes baseret på modelleringsresultaterne fra VGH. Controleum er ansvarlig for implementeringen af GA for at generere en Pareto Frontier (PF) og endelig løsning af løsning til let plan og varmeplan.
Forskellige scenarier og tilsvarende eksperimenter er designet til at evaluere ydelsen af DT-GCC fra individuelle perspektiver, herunder VGH, MOOCC og DT-integration. Eksperimenterne på VGH verificerer forudsigelsesydelsen for kunstigt neuralt netværk (ANN) metoder på indendørs temperatur, opvarmning af forbrug og netto fotosyntese (PN). Hvad angår de to standaloneeksperimenter, garanterer resultaterne DT-GCCs evne til at kortlægge avlernes beslutningstagning om let plan og varmeplan og verificere MOOCC-ydelsen for at opfylde voksende krav og samtidig reducere energiforbruget og omkostningerne. Endelig, i DT-integrationseksperimenterne med Digital Twin of Production Twin (DT-PF) og Digital Twin of Energy System (DT-ES), afslutter DT-GCC det tilsvarende svar på forudsigelser og optimeringsanmodninger.
This paper presents the design and development of a conceptual prototype of an autonomous self-driven inline inspection robot, called Smart-Spider. The primary objective is to use this type of robot for offshore oil and gas pipeline inspection, especially for those pipelines where the conventional intelligent pigging systems could not or be difficult to be deployed. The Smart-Spider, which is real-time controlled by its own on-board MCU core and power supplied by a hugged-up battery, is expected to execute pipeline inspection in an autonomous manner. A flexible mechanism structure is applied to realize the spider's flexibility to adapt to different diameters of pipelines as well as to handle some irregular situations, such as to pass through an obstructed areas or to maneuver at a corner or junction. This adaptation is automatically controlled by the MCU controller based on pressure sensors' feedback. The equipped devices, such as the selected motors and battery package, as well as the human-and-machine interface are also discussed in detail. Some preliminary laboratory testing results illustrated the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of this design and development in a very promising manner.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) entails investments to improve overland (rail) transport between Europe and China. This paper introduces a microscopic Multi-Commodity Flow Service Selection Problem for freight transport under the BRI and provides a decision tool for shippers to make door-to-door service plans. The minimizing objective function considers transportation costs, in-transit inventory costs, and carbon emissions. A series of sampled data of each provincial region of China are collected from Chinese multimodal transport operators. Results show that inland regions are strongly attracted to the rail mode for shipments to Europe. However, the “last mile” (including “first mile”) transport from the shipper to the long-haul transport terminal strongly influences this choice, and carbon emissions are strongly influenced by the available last mile transport links. Under the dual impact of in-transit inventory and carbon emission costs, regions that prefer rail to maritime are much further east than suggested by previous literature.
Plastic litter is introduced into the oceans from land-based sources located in many countries around the world. Marine plastic pollution may therefore be attributable to multiple states, resulting in shared state responsibility. This article discusses the issue of shared state responsibility for land-based marine plastic pollution by examining (i) primary rules of international law concerning the prevention of land-based marine plastic pollution; (ii) secondary rules of international law on this subject; and (iii) possible ways of strengthening the primary rules. It concludes that the barrier for the invocation of state responsibility may become higher in cases of shared state responsibility. Three cumulative solutions to this problem are proposed: elaborating the obligation of due diligence, strengthening compliance procedures, and interlinking regimes governing the marine environment and international watercourses.
A tension between two opposing forces, that is, the force of division and that of unity, is increasingly sharpened in the law of the sea today. An essential question that arises is how one can protect community interests in the divided ocean. The law of dédoublement fonctionnel advocated by Georges Scelle provides an insight into this question. According to Scelle’s theory of the law of dédoublement fonctionnel, State organs perform a dual function: the national function of protecting State interests and the public service function of safeguarding community interests. The law of dédoublement fonctionnel seeks to reconcile these functions. Scelle’s harmonistic vision of international law is well worth reconsidering in the law of the sea and beyond. This article examines the relevance of Scelle’s theory in the context of the law of the sea and explores two models for the protection of community interests at sea.