COSCO Sea can launch black technology! VLCC can save 300 tons of fuel per year!

completed three voyages, sailing nearly 200 days, mileage of more than 35000 nautical miles, to and from China's coastal and Middle East major ports ...... Recently, the world's first 300000-ton super-large tanker with bionic skin propellers berthed at Quanzhou Port in Fujian Province, completing the collection of energy-saving data for multiple voyages, long voyages and multiple sea areas.

Photo Source: People's Daily Online Non-article Voyage only for indication

COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "COSCO Haineng") is the first 300000-ton super large tanker with bionic flexible drag reduction material laid on the propeller. Since the laying of the material, it has completed three cruises of crude oil transportation, with a voyage duration of more than 200 days and a voyage of more than 35000 nautical miles. The route goes back and forth between China's coast and major ports in the Middle East.

After the propeller surface is coated with drag reducing material,completed voyages showed a decrease of about 2%.The marine bionic flexible drag reduction material has obtained the product certification of China Classification Society before the application of the real ship, and meets the requirements of the AFS Convention.

this is also the first time in the world that bionic flexible drag reduction materials have been applied to super large oil tankers, and energy-saving data collection for multiple voyages, long voyages and multiple sea areas has been completed.

shipping industry is an important pillar of global economic activities. At present, more than 90% of global trade is completed by sea, and the carbon dioxide emissions of the shipping industry account for about 3% of the global total. Breaking through the key technologies of energy conservation and emission reduction of large ships is of great significance to lead the green transformation of the global marine transportation industry. "Research and development of marine bionic flexible drag reduction and energy saving technology" is a scientific research project jointly carried out by COSCO Haineng and the key Laboratory of marine key materials of Ningbo Institute of materials technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as Ningbo Institute of materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences). The project aims to develop new marine materials with commercial and significant energy-saving effects, accelerate the realization of a major breakthrough in green and low-carbon original technology in the shipping industry.

, together with Ningbo Institute of Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences, applied the "micro-eddy current" drag reduction effect based on surface microstructure found in the previous systematic research on bionic slip interface design and drag reduction application, proposed a multi-field coupling microstructure design idea, developed a coupling drag reduction technology between microstructure and flexible layer, and realized stable drag reduction in the range of high Reynolds number.

bionic slip surface and its application

Based on the above technology, the marine bionic flexible drag reduction material refers to the physical and chemical characteristics of the dolphin skin, and the artificial material with similar characteristics of the dolphin skin is prepared by artificial synthesis method. The material consists of a "liquid-like" dynamic interface material coupled with a flexible micro-textured material. The so-called "liquid-like" materials, that is, the highly flexible molecular brushes are grafted into the solid organic molecules, so as to show certain liquid characteristics. Since the grafted molecular chains have highly dynamic properties similar to fluids, they can rotate and move freely, and the surface adhesion of various liquids on this material is low and easy to slip. The project researchers skillfully applied the drag reduction material with the characteristics of imitation dolphin skin to the propeller surface of the super large oil tanker, reduced the shear between the propeller and the water and reduced the work of the reverse thrust on the water, and realized the improvement of propeller efficiency and the reduction of energy consumption.

Dolphin-like Skin Material

estimates that an average of 1.5 per cent of energy savings can be achieved in a 2.5-year repair cycle. A VLCC tanker is expected to save nearly 300 tons of fuel per year (direct economic benefits of about 1 million yuan) and reduce CO2 emissions by about 900 tons.

In view of the good energy saving and emission reduction effect achieved by marine bionic flexible drag reduction materials on real ships, COSCO Haineng has worked closely with Ningbo Institute of Materials of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to promote the drag reduction materials to the company's tanker fleet in a planned way, so as to achieve significant economic benefits and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In the future, marine bionic flexible drag reduction materials are expected to be popularized and applied to the shipping industry, which will certainly help the green and low-carbon development of operating ships, and contribute to the modernization of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

VLCC propeller coated with bionic flexible drag reducing material

coated bionic flexible drag reducing material Afra tanker propeller