First MERS Equipped Ore Carrier in Service
Photo courtesy of MHI-MME
Fuel Savings of 8% Achieved in At-Sea Trial.
A Mitsubishi Energy Recovery System (MERS) supplied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Engine Co., Ltd. (MHI-MME), a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., has been installed on a VLOC (Very Large Ore Carrier) for the first time. The system significantly enhances power generation efficiency by maximizing recovery and utilization of exhaust gas waste energy from marine diesel engines, and demonstrated significant fuel consumption improvement compared with existing ships during at-sea trial. MERS ability to reduce fuel consumption and environmental impact has already been confirmed through installation and testing in container ships that consume large amounts of electricity, and the latest event marks successful verification of MERS capability in other type of ships as well.
In the current instance, MERS was installed on an ore carrier of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), which was built by Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
MERS is the system that optimally controls exhaust gas turbines and steam turbines, enhancing fuel efficiency by recovering waste heat at a wide range of engine load. The latest MERS enables even greater waste energy recovery by incorporating shaft motors that delivers surplus power back to the main engine. As results, the new MERS is able to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 8%.
MERS orders have progressively expanded since the system's development in 2010, mainly for systems installed on refrigerated container (reefer) carriers that consume large amounts of electricity. The latest MERS at-sea trial, however, confirms MERS ability to efficiently recover and utilize waste energy in smaller vessels as well. Leveraging these test results, MHI-MME intends to meet fuel efficiency needs in a wider range of seagoing vessels.
1. Turbines driven by engine exhaust gas.
2. Motors to assist propeller shaft rotation.
