Evaluation of gas turbines as alternative energy production systems for a large cruise ship to meet new maritime regulations

As a consequence of the new and up-coming regulations imposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), polluting emissions produced by large ships are now under strict control. Moreover, specific areas called “Emission Controlled Area” (ECA), which request even lower pollutant emissions, will be extended. To face up to this issue, ships propelled by Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) burning Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) can be equipped with abatement devices such as scrubbers and Selective Catalytic Reactor systems. Along with these solutions, which seem to be the route ship-owners will prefer, other methods can be considered, such as the use of Marine Gas Oil (MGO): a more expensive fuel, but with lower sulphur content. The use of MGO allows users to consider a further and more drastic modification of the power system, namely the use of Gas Turbines (GTs) in place of ICEs. GTs, despite being less efficient, are much lighter, more compact, and can more easily reach low NOx emissions than ICEs. Even if these aspects are theoretically well known, there are still difficulties in finding studies reporting quantitative analysis (weight, dimensions, fuel consumption) that compare GT and ICE power systems employed on board. The present paper aims to provide these data by analyzing different solutions applied to a real case. Unlike other studies, the work is focused on a cruise ship rather than on a cargo ship, because a cruise ship's operation profile is more variable during the trip.