Robert Dymock

Phd Studentship in Hybrid Propulsion for LNG Bunker Vessels

Hi, I'm Robert Dymock and I am a Leverhulme Trust Doctoral scholar studying within the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute at the University of Southampton.

I graduated from the University of Southampton in 2016 with an MEng in Mechanical Engineering/Automotive. The Leverhulme Trust provided me with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills which I developed during my undergraduate degree programme. Utilizing and further developing these skills in an exciting, new, multidisciplinary environment.

LNG (liquefied natural gas) is used as a fuel in an increasing number of marine vessels, especially in those carrying LNG cargo, as they use the boil-off gas which would otherwise be wasted. This move towards LNG as a fuel is being driven by increasingly stricter emissions legislation and economic conditions. The vessels normally have engines sized to meet peak power requirements, a state which does not occur very often. Most of the time the power fluctuates significantly, with the engine operating at low efficiency.

This project will therefore explore the use of a hybrid system to reduce power fluctuations on the engine, with the engine instead operating at a near constant power in order to operate at peak efficiency (or turned off). An energy storage device can then be used to provide extra power requirements, or to store excess energy produced by the engine.

This project is to be completed under the interdisciplinary supervision of Prof S Sharkh (Mechatronics), Prof A Cruden (Energy Technology), Prof D Hudson (Fluid Structure Interactions) and Prof F Lorenzon (Maritime Law).