for electric for electric The U.S. inland river market is ready Towboat) ETBThe ABB (Electric WHITEPAPER —

— The ABB ETB The U.S. inland river market 2 ABB ETB THE U.S. INLAND RIVER MARKET IS READY FOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION

— Abstract

ABB’s electric propulsion systems are available to help long- established towboat owners in the U.S. inland waterway market to solve some very modern challenges.

Electric propulsion has proven itself among own- Authors: Edward Schwarz, Vice President, Sales, ers of many different vessel types. Now ABB’s New Build Sales; Richard Rozok, Technical Man- electric propulsion systems are available to help ager, Sales, New Build Sales. long-established towboat owners in the U.S. in- land waterway market to solve some very modern Edward Schwarz is responsible for business de- challenges. With regulators re-stricting emissions velopment and the development of new sales pro- from to EPA Tier 4 standards, diesel electric grams for ABB’s marine and ports business unit in propulsion offers owners a way to build compli- North America. With his long experience in the ant vessels operating on easier to meet Tier 3 marine propulsion market, Ed brings new con- main . cepts to unique vessel applications.

ABB has taken the time to understand the de- Richard Rozok is responsible for developing new mands of this unique sector, creating solutions technical solutions for the North American new whose flexibility addresses new regulations, in- sales program. He brings proven technical exper- creasing CAPEX costs for new builds, the impera- tise and the ability to find practical and creative tive for lower OPEX costs and demand for greater solutions to solve vessel owner’s problems. vessel reliability. The result is ABB’s ETB (Electric Tow ), featuring an electric propulsion from ABB that can be delivered as customized towboat systems, including generators, propulsion mo- tors, low volt-age switchboards and automation.

ABB’s ETB solutions allow owners not only to en- hance fleet management by standardizing en- gines across multiple needs, but to- make direct savings on operating costs and maintenance by improving handling responsive- ness and enabling predictive maintenance. In addition, due to the availability of multiple prime movers, the ETB is not exposed to single points of equipment failure.

Just as the diesel superseded steam, the combined benefits of the ETB represent the next generation of towboat for the US inland water- way network, from which there is no going back. 3 ABB ETB THE U.S. INLAND RIVER MARKET IS READY FOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION

— ABB Electric Towboat

Inland operators should consider diesel electric propulsion, which is not only increasingly preferred by global shipping but which can meet Tier 4 standards

Introduction greater efficiency, flexibility and reliability. ABB, for example, has already supplied 1300 vessels featuring diesel electric propulsion. At a time when speculation in and slow economic growth continue to haunt the mar- Shipping analyst Clarksons Research recently re- itime sector, owners find themselves under con- ported diesel electric technology as deliv-ering tinuous pressure to minimize costs by maximiz- advantages where maneuverability, variation in ing operating efficiency. power demand and engine noise were important. Furthermore, Clarkson stated: “By optimizing the Shipping has also come under increasing scrutiny loading of the engines, diesel-electric systems from regulators and environmental bod-ies over can lower fuel consumption and emissions*. its environmental and safety record, with emis- sions from ships the number one concern. 1.2 US inland waterways in context: An esti- mated 4,000 towboats operate along the rivers of Recently introduced NOx emissions rules mean the United States, hauling 25,000 barges and car- that conventional diesel mechanical ma-rine en- rying 630 million tons of cargo along 25,000 miles gines can only meet EPA Tier 4 performance re- of waterway every year. Utility providers rely on quirements by adding bulky, complex and hard- rivers for 20% of their , while about 22% of to-maintain aftertreatment - either costly domestic petroleum and over 60% of farm ex- Exhaust Gas Recirculation, or Selective Catalyst ports move on inland wa-terways. Reduction using urea on board .

Although a proudly independent sector, the US in- Alternatively, inland operators should consider land waterways industry comes under the same diesel electric propulsion, which is not only in- commercial and regulatory pressures as other creasingly preferred by global shipping but which parts of the shipping industry. The sector is newly can meet Tier 4 standards using Tier 3 main en- subject to EPA Tier 4 requirements on NOx emis- gines, without the need to devote space, engi- sions, for example. One solution is to augment neering time or bunker calls to tech-nologies diesel mechanical engines with bulky, complex whose only function is compliance. and hard to main-tain after treatment technology that requires the bunkering and storage of urea. 1. The pull of Electric Propulsion The US inland waterways sector is perceived as technically conservative, even though – histori- 1.1 Impact in shipping: It is a fact that electric cally - it pioneered the widespread adoption of propulsion has become part of everyday life - steam boilers for propulsion, brought astonishing whether on board the trains we use in our com- feats in lock system civil engineering and intro- mute, in the cars we drive and – increas-ingly - in duced 24/7 operations long before modern navi- ships and . gational aids. In fact, the US inland waterway sec- tor can lay claim to having operated some of the Owners of cruise ships, tankers, gas carriers, con- first diesel electric vessels, back in 1930s. tainer ships, offshore vessels and tug boats, in- cluding some operating in the harshest condi- tions in the world, have chosen die-sel electric propulsion over its mechanical equivalent for its 4

The source of its reputation may therefore be . 2. Vessel owner drivers for change hard-headed pragmatism: the US inland wa-ter- – why now? way industry tends to move decisively to new technology only when its adoption aligns with the As noted, experience shows that US inland own- business opportunities. The adoption of steam ers will commit to new technologies when it propulsion, for example, coincided with the open- makes business sense. It is therefore fair to con- ing of river traffic both up and downriver along sider the factors suggesting that now is that mo- US waterways, where dra-matically reduced tran- ment. sit times helped to usher in the industrial revolu- tion. 2.1 New Regulations: The new regulations cover- ing emissions from US inland vessels have major 1.3 Changing times It is fair to point out that cost implications for owners looking to build new leading players in the inland sector investi-gated vessels, at a time when there is a significant re- diesel electric propulsion a decade ago but de- quirement to replace an aging river fleet. The cided that the time was not ripe. In addition to costs involved are significant enough to prompt changes to both the commercial and regulatory considering the ROI of alternative technologies. landscape, subsequent years have witnessed ac- The ‘conventional’ op-tion involves installing two ceptance of the ‘electric’ car - or at least hybrid large EPA Tier 4 main engines supplemented by vehicles which make greater use of electrical sys- an af-tertreatment system – either the costly EGR tems. (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) option or SCR (Se-lec- tive Catalyst Reduction) that features additional While ‘green’ issues have played their part, elec- piping, its own refill and urea storage tank and trical sys-tems are proving pivotal to the ‘4th In- demand separate maintenance. There is no likeli- dustrial Revolution’, as one of three pillars: elec- hood that investments in after treatment technol- trifica-tion, digitalization and connectivity. ogy can be recovered from shipping contracts.

- Electric systems are at the heart of this trans- Where diesel electric propulsion is chosen, how- formation because they enable the simple and ever, EPA Tier 4 emissions requirements can be efficient integration of power sources. Diesel met using a solution that includes multiple EPA electric systems use multiple generators to Tier 3 generator sets, with no prospect in sight of provide power for the propulsion plant via the need for costly upgrades. electric motors.

2.2 Technical claims: The claim for the greater ef- - In the wider maritime setting, electrical pro- ficiency of diesel electric propulsion tech-nology pulsion systems have been selected by owners centers on the narrow range of operations at seeking fuel economy gains and greater sys- which mechanically-driven systems work most ef- tem redundancy, especially in the passenger ficiently – above 60% MCR. In fact, a diesel me- ferry and offshore supply vessel market chanical system is typically optimized at a single point close to the 90% load. 5 ABB ETB THE U.S. INLAND RIVER MARKET IS READY FOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION

In simple terms, diesel electric systems draw on sults in fuel economies when engines are under variable frequency drives to deliver their effi- part load. ciency across a broader operating profile, throughout the engine’s total operational cycle. 2.4 Redundancy: The diesel electric solution al- lows power to be distributed to either propulsion This claim is as powerful today as it has always motor, meaning that the impact of a prime mover been, but the last decade has seen a substantial failure is minimized. The vessel can be designed shift not only in the industry’s commercial and as both a Z-Drive and conventional ves- regulatory drivers, but in public attitudes towards sel and has multiple prime movers which means if electric systems technology. In the case of auto- an engine fails the vessel can remain in service at mobiles, that attitude shift can be traced to the a reduced capacity. way initial skepticism was overcome by consis- tent positive experiences. Redundancies also eliminate single point failure removing a vessel from service, said ABB. In the 2.3 Fuel savings: The ability of electrical motors equivalent mechanical system, the loss of a prime to generate full torque at zero speed makes mover leads to the loss of 50% of the propulsion power available immediately for increased opera- and an entire shaft. On the diesel electric tow- tional safety, greater levels of safety and no re- boat, the loss of a generator set only results in quirement to over-torque, as is the case in the the loss of 25% of the maximum available power equivalent mechanical engine design. Greater re- while still delivering power to both shafts. The sponsiveness due to variable frequency opera- diesel electric system also facilitates multiple tions enhances maneuverability and offers back-ups for electrical generation. greater fuel efficiency overall. In cases where all engines are already running, and depending on 2.5 Safety: This means that, in one very important engine loading characteristics, the ETB configu- respect, the ABB ETB system is undoubtedly safer ration can also switch from low load to full load than its rival diesel mechanical systems: if one en- more quickly, in a performance gain that will be gine fails in a twin-engine diesel mechanical discernable to the captain. set-up, the vessel loses 50% of its installed power and, even worse, loses its ability to steer. In the inland sector, it is often the contracted company paying for fuel. Therefore, at the more In the ABB ETB design, the system can be config- detailed level, the technical claim outlined above ured so that the same single engine failure can (2.1) takes advantage of variable frequency drives lead to only a 25% reduction in available power, to optimize engine loads in a way that maximizes with this loss having no effect on steering. In ad- efficiency. By reducing the number of engines dition, ETB system redundancies are built-in to running to an optimal number, diesel electric pro- critical components, so that a single point of fail- pulsion reduces the number of engine hours ure will not cause a total loss of propulsion. spent operating at partial loads. Those working the boat also benefit from in- A vessel that spends 40% of its operation time at creased comfort due to lower noise levels and vi- less than 50% propulsion load can be worked us- brations. ing two engines instead of three when compared to a mechanical driven system. This capability re- 6

3.2 Maintenance gains/vessel availability: ABB understands the importance of asset avail-ability and works every day to design aftermarket ser- vices ensuring the highest standards to keep ves- sels running. Its understanding has been sharp- ened by serving markets where day rates are extremely high and sensitive, such as the oil & gas industry. If the vessel only has one type of engine on board, the number of spare parts for both the vessel and shore side support can be reduced. Further main- tenance advantages for diesel electric propulsion include:

a. Owners can standardize engines through multi- ple horsepower vessels, with the impact felt on the bottom line due to streamlined maintenance/ minimized spare parts hold-ings 3. Operational considerations b. Greater levels of system redundancy, eliminat- ing single point failures and leading to increased 3.1 Operating profiles: The ABB ETB towboat has vessel reliability an ABB electric propulsion system that includes generators, propulsion motors, low voltage c. The use of standardized and proven products switchboards and automation and can be opti- supported by local ABB US service team located mized when in standby mode, moving empty or in Houston, backed by comprehensive familiariza- full barge loads and when travelling up river, down tion and training programs from ABB to ensure river and in high water. The system exploits vari- that those on board adapt seamlessly to diesel able frequency drives to optimize power use over electric operations. a wide span of operations: when in standby or moving empty barges, for example. In addition, 3.3 Diesel electric technology onboard: One ob- ABB’s responsive Direct Torque Control for pro- jection that has sometimes been raised when pulsion thruster applications is claimed to be the greater use of electrical systems onboard vessels most accurate and smooth speed and torque con- has been raised is the lack of rele-vant knowledge trol in the industry. and experience among marine engineers brought up on mechanical solutions. What does a me- ABB has been fine tuning its diesel electric tech- chanic know about a diesel electric vessel? nology for application to a towboat design, bas- ing its work on a study of real river operations un- Electric Propulsion is simply the concept of using dertaken over a 365-day period covering 500 an electrical power plant consisting of multiple push boat vessels. The study concluded that the generators driven by diesel engines to produce true nature of push boat operation is not 100% electricity that is, in turn, used to power electric continuous duty or anything close to it. The mar- propulsion motors. Even so, ABB’s Marine Acad- ket does require equipment that perform day-in emy trains operators to become more proactive day-out in harsh environments, but operating in operating and maintaining equipment to maxi- profiles vary greatly depending on boat type, con- mize availability minimize less downtime. Course tract, time of year and rivers traveled. participants can visit ABB factories or workshops and obtain answers from the engineers who de- In summary, the number of vessels operating at signed the equipment and systems themselves. over 80% loads for most of the time was much lower than expected, while many operators spent However, ABB understands and is addressing a most of their time operating at below 50% power, changing aspect to vessel management: the mod- with 80% loads only required in short peak peri- ern towboat does not operate with an electrician ods. These findings invite consideration of the onboard, so our equipment must be robust benefits to costs conferred by diesel electric pro- enough to operate with very little onboard inter- pulsion’s ability to run the optimized number of action. engines: from idle to about 25 percent load, only one engine is required. 7 ABB ETB THE U.S. INLAND RIVER MARKET IS READY FOR ELECTRIC PROPULSION

4. Technology for tomorrow 5. Partner benefits of diesel elec- tric propulsion 4.1 Connectivity: Power distribution based on diesel electric technology can exploit new sources There are many benefits for naval architects and of energy (e.g. batteries) which can be introduced available from diesel electric towboats to optimize efficiency (for example, through peak that cannot be claimed for their conventional die- shaving). In fact, drawing on its ABB pioneering sel mechanical counterparts. role in electrification products, and mo- tion, industrial automation and power grids, ABB 5.1 Naval Architects: The number one advantage is writing the future of industrial digitalization by: for vessel designers is that diesel electric sys- bringing electricity from any power plant to any tems bring flexibility. Diesel mechanical systems plug; and automating industries from natural re- are fixed by shaft-lines and require most of the sources to finished products. vessel’s weight (engines and gearbox, propeller or thrusters) to be consolidated aft. This requires Today, ABB has approaching 1,000 vessels whose offsetting through additional ballast. onboard equipment is connected by sat-ellite link to ABB AbilityTM Collaborative Operations Centers, ABB electric propulsion system allows for the monitoring 24/7 from three main centers located even distribution of heavy equipment throughout in Singapore, Norway, and USA. Exemplary indica- the vessel, liberating design ideas so that they tors include the monitoring of motor winding can be developed to better serve the ship’s oper- temperatures, the water pressure of the cooling ating duties. The ETB solution from ABB is also system of propulsion drives, critical alarms, ac- delivered in a compact, reliable and more tual values like RPM, power, torque, and events cost-competitive solution than ever before. such as unbalances, the status of the satellite link, and the status of RDS system on board. When selecting the design and equipment for a vessel type, special consideration is given to how 4.2 Predictive maintenance: By having this criti- and where the vessel will operate. ABB uses only cal equipment and operational information avail- proven technology that it is confi-dent will with- able, all ABB power and control systems support stand the rigors of inland river operation. Remote Diagnostic System and Condition-based Monitoring, making it easier for inland waterway 5.2 Shipyards: ABB’s standard scope of supply in- operators to comply with Sub Chapter M and re- cludes all the power generating systems (genera- duce engine maintenance requirements/costs. tors), power distribution, automation control and The enablement of predictive engine mainte- electrical power consumers (propulsion motors). nance also allows major maintenance periods to This means that shipyards and owners have only be scheduled at owners’ convenience. With shift one company to work with on the main electrical in technology we see a greater ability to support systems. ABB also offers some of the most exten- vessels remotely thus decreasing the need for sive and inclusive standard warranties in the ma- technical expertise on the vessel. rine industry.

ABB can alert its customers of the risk that a drive Most issues occur in the installation process. is going to fail, or that a bearing needs lubricat- Oversights here can lead to issues that plague a ing/servicing. Today, an engineer on board a ship vessel for its entire life. With a large team of ABB can grant remote access to a technical expert sit- project managers, service engineers and electri- ting onshore, to get a system up and running cal engineers available as support, shipyards re- again. The data can also be interpreted to infer ceive complete ABB system solutions developed that the average speed of the vessel would bene- for easy integration into the vessel. ABB takes a fit by being reduced, saving fuel. Again, predictive very active role in supporting the installation of analysis can show that certain operations are its systems during the construction period, work- leading to unnecessary wear and tear, and that ing closely with the to ensure proper in- adjustments could lead to less downtime, re- stallation, set-up and commissioning of our sys- duced use of on-call service engineers, increased tem. operational performance and lower dry-docking cost. 8

5.3 Supply-side economics 6. Conclusion A full list of benefits available to those involved in delivering diesel electric propulsion also include: ABB is a world leader in power, automation and control systems across a range of sectors and has a. Day 1 material availability for the main compo- been delivering electric propulsion systems for nents dimensions use on board vessels for more than 70 years. Over that time, it has been evolving less expensive, b. Flexible design allows for more efficient vessel more compact and more ro-bust systems ship- designs - less need for wasted ballast board electrical systems. c. Less vibration and no shaft lines to align - no Due to the increased demand for electrical sys- gearboxes needed tems in all aspects of our lives, ABB can ex-ploit economies of scale to create and adapt techno- d. On site and remote support from the system logical breakthroughs for the maritime industry. designers Towboat owners and operators facing new regu- latory, commercial and societal pressures can be e. Simple Installation - almost turnkey complete assured that diesel electric propulsion is a mature electrical system from one supplier and proven technology refined over decades for ease of installation, space-saving and efficiency, f. Hull design does not need to follow the propul- whose perfor-mance claims are documented. sion engine and shafting

* Clarkson Research: Setting A Course Towards A g. Lower slow speed noise targets can be Cleaner Future March 31, 2017. achieved easier with small engines h. Can be used for both thruster (L-drives) and conventional designed vessels Specifications subject toSpecifications change notice. without reserved. rights All ABB. 2018 © Copyright abb.com/marine Email: [email protected] 954 71 +47 930 Phone: Richard Rozok Email: [email protected] 8680 224 +1 954 Phone: Ed Schwarz Authors USA Texas, 77042, Houston, S, Pkwy Houston WSam 3700 HOUSTON, TEXAS USA Florida, 33025, Miramar, 100 Suite Parkway, Miramar 11600 FLORIDA: MIRAMAR, &Ports Marine Inc. ABB —

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