Stefanos Armaos, "The evolution of marine fuels in the energy transition", Diploma Work, School of Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece, 2024
https://doi.org/10.26233/heallink.tuc.99006
This paper presents a literature review of the huge challenge that global shipping will face in the coming years due to the climate crisis. This imposes the restriction of the use of existing marine (fossil) fuels whose combustion emits greenhouse gases, and ultimately the energy transition to alternative zero-carbon fuels, i.e. the decarbonization of the shipping industry. The first chapter reviews the types of marine fuels, the history of their use on ships and the progress of regulations to control pollution from emissions from their combustion. The second chapter examines the strategy and objectives of the International Maritime Organization, which have been in constant development in recent years to implement regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It analyses the indicators through which the carbon intensity and energy efficiency of ships are monitored globally as well as the European Union's emissions trading scheme. The third chapter analyses the current situation regarding the types of alternative fuels (LNG, methanol, biofuels, ammonia, hydrogen, carbon capture technologies, electrification), their comparison and the problems or limitations of each available technology. Chapter four discusses the conclusions on the prospect of the energy transition to green shipping with a horizon of 2050 and the enormous challenges of financing this transition and of organizing and preparing the industries involved (fuel suppliers, engine manufacturers, shipyards, port operators) for it. Finally, chapter five presents the experimental part of the paper concerning property measurements and component detection by spectroscopy of samples of vegetable oils that are the feedstock for biofuel production.