Preliminary Analysis of the Use of Solid Biofuels in a Ship’s Power System

This paper presents the results of applying ennobled solid biomass via mechanical compaction or torrefaction as fuel for ships, in terms of fire safety, environmental protection, the increase in liquid fuel prices and the dwindling resources of crude oil. The object of investigation is a ship of the ro-pax ferry type, with low cruising range, which is intended for service on the Baltic Sea. The ship’s power system is discussed and the results of calculations of the thermal cycle for a steam turbine power plant are presented. We present a simplified comparative analysis of a fuel bunker for a ship with a power plant including biomass fired boilers, and for a ship with a conventional solution of a motor power plant supplied by ultra-low sulphur fuel originating from crude oil. The advantages of applying a fluidised bed biomass fired boiler are highlighted, and selected results from tests of this boiler are presented. In addition, we assess potential fire hazards on the ship resulting from the storage and transport of pellets, and from pellets after torrefaction.