Entropy-based environmental analyses of marine fuel preferences for onboard ships

Abstract

The maritime industry is currently discussing various aspects of alternative fuels, and finding viable and adaptable options for alternative fuels remains a sectoral issue. This study examines the impact of eight alternative fuels on energy and environmental sustainability, based on operating data of a two-stroke diesel engine. Entropy-based thermodynamic analyses were conducted for five different operations using two indices developed to consider the environmental impact, aimed at serving the decarbonization of this sector. Liquid hydrogen led to an 18 % reduction in fuel load, while ethanol resulted in a 5.55 % increase in engine efficiency. In contrast, using hydrogen resulted in a cumulative 27.01 % reduction in CO2 emissions. When evaluating the reduction rate alongside the improvement rate, it indicates a potential of 34.96 %. Additionally, recommendations for alternative fuels during the sector's decarbonization transition were proposed at the end of the study.