A U.K. consortium led by Southampton-based Bowman Power Group has developed ETC – electric turbo compounding technology – to cut ship emissions and increase engine efficiency up to 7.8%. The system could help the industry meet new targets recently set by the International Maritime Organization, which seeks to halve such emissions by 2050.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems provided simulation data for Bowman’s MTU Series 4000 M93 engine, while ETC 1000 twin system. Source: Bowman Power GroupUniversity College London devised a system modeling approach to evaluate the technology's benefits and performance. Seven different turbo generator and power electronics prototypes were tested in different applications, including in a specialist test facility and within a number of land-based applications.

The ETC design places a turbine at one end of the system, which sits in the exhaust of the engine and spins to absorb energy from the exhaust flow, converting it into electricity. The power electronics system then converts the output from the generator into grid-quality electricity. The result is a marine-capable ETC system. In addition to fuel consumption savings, the research demonstrated a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions for a number of ships currently in operation, at sea and in port.

Discussions are now underway with two large engine OEMs and a major ferry operator to bring this solution to market.

More details are available from Bowman Power.