Completed Projects (FY 2011)

List of projects completed by MTI in FY 2011

Ship-Operating Technology: Environmental Conservation & Energy-Saving

Participation in the Wind Challenger Project

[Second year of a five-year project]
We are participating in the Wind Challenger Project, a joint industry project led by Tokyo University. In the second year of this project, we did a fundamental design, and confirmed a guideline of structural design on hard sails. We also used the results of wind-tunnel tests and CFD calculations to confirm a guideline of performance design. This project has been extended from two to five years.

Development of supportive software for container vanning systems (Phase 2)

We developed additional functions on supportive software for container vanning systems for 45-foot containers and reefer containers and improved the calculation accuracy. We also applied the software to actual loading work and discovered existing problems.

Participation in the REFIT2Save joint industry project by MARIN (Phase 2)

[Second year of a three-year project]
Participation continued in the REFIT2Save joint industry project organized by the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN). We tried computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of the following energy-saving devices: (1) post swirl stator, (2) duct propeller, (3) Mewis Duct, and (4) pre swirl stator.

Development of energy efficient fan (Phase 2)

Energy efficient and low-noise ventilation fans have been developed. The process done by CFD made successfully produced satisfactory results in a time-efficient manner. The maximum energy efficiency was 30%. Installation of bell-mouth equipment could reduce the noise by approximately 5db.

Energy-efficient monitoring system at engine room (Phase 2)

We developed a tool that can calculate the amount of electricity generated when inputting the charge air temperature and the engine load during the exhaust heat recovery. We have confirmed the correlation between data monitored and the amount of electricity generated.

Installed the broadband satellite communication system for the sharing information between land and sea (Phase 1)

We conducted a test of document control and the sharing of information between land and sea, and we have confirmed a greater improvement of operational efficiency on the ship when the satellite communication system is implemented.

Research and development of anti-piracy equipment (Phase 2)

Reducing the risk of attacks by pirates, we have developed a new conceptual, anti-piracy equipment called the “anti-piracy curtain” (APC) and tested it on board. The new system consists of two elements ? a high-volume water spray nozzle that fills pirate boats with water to give the impression that the boat may sink and a violent-moving hose that whips around unpredictably to hinder pirates from boarding the ship. This system can be used effectively with the fire pumps on small vessels like handy size bulkers. The hose has been certified by ClassNK for its non-igniting and antistatic performance. The patent for this product is pending.

The following 7 projects has selected fiscal 2012 for subsidy by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) through its “Support for Technology Development from Marine Vessels for Curtailing CO2″ project. Among 6 from 7 projects are implemented as part of the “R&D for Reducing Greenhouse Gas in International Maritime Affairs” program, which is being carried out jointly with Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK). And 1 project*is being carried out jointly with Shipbuilding Reaearch Center of Japan.

Air-lubrication system to reduce CO2 emissions: Review on a module carrier (2011)

[Third year of a three-year project]
After collecting and analyzing the data from onboard tests to evaluate the energy-efficiency effects under the combination of three different parameters ? i.e., air thickness, openings of the valve, on and off control of the valve openings ? the data was analyzed to determine the most optimal operation mode, and the most energy-efficient result was confirmed as 6 percent.

Participation in R&D on energy saving from air-lubrication systems in oceangoing vessels (2011)

[Third year of a three-year project]
It was determined that installing a variable turbine area nozzle (VTA) on the supercharger could reduce excess acceleration of the scavenging pressure and could prevent aggravating the fuel consumption rate. Another fruit of this year was confirming it possible to expand the energy-saving effect of air-lubrication systems on various types of vessels.

Application of an air-lubrication system on a coal carrier (2011)*

[Third year of a four-year project]
We have collaborated with Ohshima Shipbuilding Company to develop a 90 KDWT coal carrier equipped with an air-lubrication system that utilizes both the scavenging air by-pass and air blowers. System safety and easy maintenance was considered a priority. A screen display was also developed that can indicate necessary information easily and clearly, thus improving the operation’s productivity.

Development of a system for monitoring ship's performance (2011)

[Third year of a three-year project]
We have developed a Ship Information Management System (SIMS) to enhance monitoring-analysis reports and energy-efficient operations of ships at shore. We achieved our primary goal of an energy efficiency rate over 2 percent, as we predicted.

Development of a load-fluctuation stabilizer for the periodic influence of weather and sea conditions (2011)

[Third year of a four-year project]
We first confirmed that the existing sizes and structures of controllable-pitch propeller (CPP) parts can be used for this new system. We made a trial design that could lower the pressure of sliding surfaces, and we confirmed that we can lower the surface pressure by FEM analysis. Regarding the test results, we confirmed that a material of a part of the products should be replaced. We also developed a configuration plan for shaft-generator motors (SGM) and a large-capacity backup battery system. Additionally, we confirmed that it is necessary to review the performance, price, capacity, and technical difficulties.

Development of application technology for large-capacity nickel-hydrogen batteries as back-up on oceangoing vessels (2011)

[Third year of a four-year project]
A photovoltaic power system having large-capacity nickel-hydrogen batteries was installed on a pure car carrier, and the controlled parameter and several operational modes were optimized. We confirmed the controlled fluctuation of photovoltaic power electricity output and the implementation of a peak cut of the air compressor's power consumption.

Development of an international navigation control system (2011)

[Third year of a four-year project]
We tried a simulation experiment using simulated data of vessels’ locations and destinations. We tried the operation verification of a worldwide time-reservation scheme for berth windows and canal passages. We also tried to evaluate the accuracy of estimated time of arrival (ETA) using SPICA* model real time navigational data on four bulkers. We confirmed between arrival time of actual performance by the sea and the deemed ETA calculated by SPICA model were the almost same. *SPICA: Computation program developed by the National Maritime Research Institute.

Development of operational performance in ever-larger vessels for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gases (2011)

[Third year of a four-year project]
Producing larger scale vessels increases the dimension of wind pressure. However, the safety issue was not so different among the scale of vessels. Additionally, utilizing our newly developed "US* real-time monitor" - which provided results from simulations on vessels, for example, minimizing unnecessary course keeping, unnecessary course changing, and steering to avoid a collision - we confirmed that it is possible to increase the size of a pure car carrier and increase safety of operation at the same time.
*US value: “Unsafe ship-handling value,” a standard used in Japanese safety-management approaches for the prevention of industrial accidents

Development of hybrid-turbocharger technology on marine vessels (2011)

[Third year of a four-year project]
We confirmed the performance monitoring results of the hybrid-turbocharger system that was installed on a bulker for sea trials. (April and May 2011) We also monitored the system's energy savings on board. (May 31, 2011 - Feb. 29, 2012) We confirmed that solo operation of the hybrid-turbocharger can be done at over 75 percent of main engine load, and we can do duo operation with the diesel generator in between 60 to 75 percent of the main engine load. Additionally, we confirmed energy-saving operations during solo operation of the hybrid-turbocharger at over 75 percent of main engine load. We also established a guideline for optimal performance monitoring.

Development of a non-hub-vortex (NHV) propeller that has a minimum surface area (Phase 3)

[Third year of a four-year project]
We collected and evaluated the data from the FUELNAVI* monitoring system on an actual ship, and created a Speed-Power Curve. We also conducted model-based water-tank tests of a new NHV propeller. It was also confirmed that the new propellers' calibration risk as well as vibration pressure were the same or lower than that of the existing propeller. *FUELNAVI: A fuel-consumption indicator that enables ships’ crews to monitor fuel consumption and data on other performance-related trends.

Logistics Technology

Shock absorbing solutions using shock absorbing pallets (Phase 1)

We have researched shock-absorbing materials and built a few testing pallet models to try out.

Real-time cargo care system (Phase 1)

We have been developing a real-time cargo care system that can monitor by remote-control environmental data such as the temperature, humidity, and vibration (shock) encountered while being transported on land and sea. We tested measurement sensors for temperature, humidity, and vibration (shock), GPS systems, telecommunication systems, and the life duration of batteries.

Performance upgrade and functionality improvement in a location-management system for finished vehicles

The performance of MTI’s originally developed MISE tag* operations were improved, and the improvements featured enhanced radio wave communication capabilities, better visibility of display functions, and longer operation times of the tag. *MISE tag: A kind of active IC tag that has display functions with GPS measurements

Participation in ITS Japan’s Finished-Vehicle RFID Team project

[Second year of a four-year project]
We participated in the meetings of the Finished-Vehicle RFID Team project in ITSJ*. We proposed solutions for needs in the field. We also conducted a pilot test at the users' finished-vehicle terminal and reviewed its efficacy and extracted assignments. *ITSJ: Intelligent Transport Systems Japan

Development of middleware for RFID-reader interfaces

We were able to save on cost and reduce time through the development of a pre-designed commodity-type middleware for the software.