Reduction of Fuel Consumption and Pollution Emissions in Inland Water Transport by Application of Hybrid Powertrain

Abstract

The article presents the analysis of application of hybrid propulsion systems combining conventional diesel with electric drive for units used in inland transport. The answer is given to the question: to what extent will the use of different configurations of hybrid systems, affect the reduction of fuel consumption and reduce poisonous gases to the atmosphere? Various configurations of propulsion systems have been proposed: liquefied natural gas (LNG)-Diesel, LNG-Diesel-Electric, LNG-Diesel-Battery-Electric, against the background of the current state of inland waterway transport in central Europe. The announced plans to expand the network of existing international water routes in this region of Europe (E30, E40, E70), prompts a reflection on the simultaneous possibility of building modern low-emission and energy-efficient inland transport vessels. As an example of a modern drive system design, LNG-Diesel-Battery-Electric was proposed for which simulations were carried out using Modelica software. The conducted research has shown the possibility of reducing energy consumption by approximately 13% in relation to the classical drive system with a diesel engine, and reduction of CO2 emissions by approx. 29% with respect to the conventional diesel drive.