Making use of free energy from waste heat

With the overriding goals of passenger comfort, activities and entertainment, cruise ships are among the most advanced and technologically complex vessels sailing the oceans. When considering the immense amount and variety of energy required to operate cruise vessels, the cruise line companies must put great emphasis on operating their vessels as efficiently as possible in order to remain competitive and support socially responsible values.

With millions of people embarking on cruise liners every year worldwide, the cruise line business is the segment of the shipping industry that is in closest contact with the general public, and is therefore often under the scrutiny of the public and the media. Many cruise line companies have implemented environmental policies that include processes which reduce the amount of discharge to the sea and emissions into the air, as well as the reduction of garbage.

ISSUE: Managing energy required for fresh water production

With the vast need for fresh water production and heating onboard cruise vessels, substantial energy consumption is required for oil-fired boilers to steam and treat water. Reducing oil usage for these energy consumers is a key task for many cruise vessels, in addition to reducing fuel consumption for the main and auxiliary engines.

SOLUTION: Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) optimized with the Marorka WHR Module

As a modular system solution, Marorka's Maren can be implemented with a custom-built WHR Module that is formulated according to the cruise ship's technical specifications. By monitoring and reporting on the energy usage of oil-fired boilers inside the Maren interface, the crew is provided with a complete energy performance overview.

The most effective method for increasing efficiency is to optimize the recovery of waste heat generated by the main and auxiliary engines while the vessel is sailing. The waste heat, together with engine cooling water, is used to generate energy, which in turn is used to operate the boilers. The result is reduced fuel consumption. With this energy management methodology, the vessel is able to maximize its use of ´free´ energy onboard – instead of letting it go to waste.