Theme 2 : Shipbuilding and leisure boat building

Cruise liner cooling systems require significant amounts of energy and, depending on the circumstances, account for between 30% and 60% of a vessel’s total energy consumption. In addition, European directives are progressively prohibiting the use of greenhouse gases currently employed for refrigeration. Lastly, mechanical compressors lead to breakdowns, gas emissions, significant noise pollution and high maintenance costs. On board methane tankers, for example, constant refrigeration is needed to maintain the gas in a liquefied state and to limit its evaporation.

Thermoacoustics represent a potential major advance in cooling systems’ technology that involves converting acoustic energy into thermal energy. It is an innovative and cost-effective solution to compressor-free refrigeration that exploits a heat source instead. Using inert gases collected from the heat emitted by a vessel’s engines, this environmentally friendly process is also energy-efficient, as it successfully achieves low temperatures.

The thermoacoustic appliance involved in the MERITA project combines two units, one for the engine cycle and the other for the refrigeration cycle, that comprise three sub-units:

• A thermoacoustic wave generator that produces acoustic energy in the form of a sound wave, - A thermoacoustic refrigerator that uses the acoustic energy created by the wave generator to pump heat, with no phase change for the gas used,

• A leak-proof acoustic resonator in the form of a riser pipe with the wave generator and the refrigerator at opposite ends. The pipe transfers the engine’s acoustic energy to the refrigerator.

On a technical level, the project will scale up this technology to achieve higher energy outputs of several dozen kW at -40°C. On an industrial level, it will demonstrate the feasibility of a reasonably priced system and its components, and will provide the basis for a refrigeration systems manufacturing industry in western France.

MERITA is targeting the markets for shipboard integrated refrigeration systems and for low acoustic signature refrigeration systems for submarines. This thermoacoustics process will mean significant energy savings for the shipbuilding sector.

MERITA project partners

Companies

• Lesterglas, recently established engineering company that specialises in clean ships energy, Sauzon (Belle-Ile), project director,

• STX, shipyard specialising in the construction of large cruise liners, methane tankers, etc., Saint-Nazaire,

• DCNS, ship designer and project supervisor involved in developing innovative solutions in the shipbuilding and ship maintenance sector, Lorient,

• GDF-SUEZ, energy producer and supplier involved in the transport of liquefied gas, Saint Denis (93),

• Piriou, ship engineering, construction and repair, Concarneau,

• Paumier, specialises in industrial refrigeration, air conditioning and climatic engineering, Concarneau,

• Heatric, manufacturer of compact heat exchangers, Poole (UK)

• Bourbon, provider of offshore oil and gas industry services. Based in Marseille, Bourbon invests heavily in innovative, high-performance ships.

Research centres

• IUSTI, Institut Universitaire des Systèmes Thermiques Industriels (University Institute for Industrial Thermal Systems), a mixed research unit of the CNRS and the University of Provence, Marseille,

• ENSIETA, acoustics lab, Brest,

• LATEP, heat, energy and processes lab, University of Pau and the Pays de l'Adour, Pau.

Additional partner

• Marine nationale (French Navy), Brest

Contacts :

• Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir.

The project MERITA is jointly recognised by the Pôle Mer Bretagne and Pôle Mer PACA.