Project

GASDRIVE

The GASDRIVE project aims at the development of an innovative ship with a more than 50% reduced fuel demand compared to traditional ships. The GASDRIVE ship will be powered by liquid natural gas (LNG) and equipped with a new generation fuel cells and turbocharged gas engines. The exhaust that mainly consists of CO2 and water will be released under the ship’s hull that is covered with a nanostructure that captures the gas bubbles. This will reduce the ship’s resistance in the water and potentially also the need for anti-fouling coatings.

The GASDRIVE concept can reduce the global CO2 emission by shipping substantially. However, as the exhaust gasses will be released underwater, attention should be paid to potential impact on local marine ecosystems, especially in areas with intensive shipping activity. Wageningen University and Research (WUR, represented by the Marine Animal Ecology group and Wageningen Marine Research) is therefore involved in this project to assess the risk for impact on local marine ecosystems. When appropriate, precautionary measures will be proposed to protect sensitive marine areas. Also, WUR studies the anti-fouling effectiveness of retaining exhaust gas along the ship’s hull. More information about the GASDRIVE PhD project at WUR can be found here.

The GASDRIVE project is funded by STW/NWO, coordinated by the University of Delft, with research partners University of Twente, and Wageningen University & Research. The project is supported by 7 maritime companies.

PhD candidate currently working on the project

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Yuzhu Wei